Sr Manager of Product Design Job at A. Daigger in Vernon Hills

About hand2mind: Trusted by teachers for more than 50 years, hand2mind creates engaging, classroom-tested materials that empower students to learn by doing. Voted one of the Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces in 2021, we're a 150-person strong, family-owned company on a mission to support teachers, inspire students, and engage parents. In addition to high-quality, hands-on learning materials for the classroom like VersaTiles® and Hands-On Standards®, we also develop educational toys and activity kits for the home that make learning math, reading, and STEM fun and interactive. Position Description: As Sr Manager of Product Design on hand2mind's Design team, you will be responsible for bringing products to life. The Sr Manager of Product Design will manage a team of industrial designers and oversee the entire product design process. This includes setting high standards for industrial design and safety standards; tracking budgets; planning resources effectively; and working cross-functionally with the Product Development and Marketing teams. What you'll do day to day: Manage and coach a team of Industrial Designers to foster creativity and ensure new products are developed within budget Oversee the industrial design process, encouraging innovative brainstorming, sketches, mockups, 3D CAD, and renderings Balance workload among the team and freelancers, adapting to the business's evolving needs throughout the year Collaborate with Product Development, Marketing, and Sales to shape go-to-market strategies Manage or support product revamps as needed throughout the year Participate as an integral part of the Product Development Leadership Team, demonstrating flexibility to take on projects as needed What we're looking for (Key Performance Objectives): Develop fluency of project management workflow in Monday.com within 3 months Within in the first 90 days, assess current design projects and establish a prioritization based on company goals and key deliverables. Oversee industrial design of 25-40 new products within the first 12 months. Within the first 6 months, audit the design process and propose initiatives to integrate more continuous improvement and testing. Act as a primary liaison with other departments (such as Product Development, Marketing, and Sales), setting up check-ins and collaborative sessions as needed. Continually develop management skills, attending 3-5 training sessions per year. Requirements/Preferences : BS/BA in Industrial Design, Toy Design or equivalent 8-10 years of consumer product development experience Excellent sketching, rendering, and graphic design skills Able to meet multiple, challenging deadlines and work within budgets Excellent at solving problems creatively and/or knowing when to seek help Proficient in Adobe Creative suite, specifically Illustrator and Photoshop Proficient in 3D CAD (Rhinoceros preferred), KeyShot and 3D printing Intimately familiar with plastic materials and general manufacturing process Able to effectively communicate with key stakeholders including colleagues, executive team, vendors, and customers Portfolio demonstrating innovative thinking with on-trend designs in consumer products, preferably with some toy design Travel to tradeshows 1-2 times per year Travel to China up to 1 time per year We are a drug-free workplace and an EEO employer. Please note that this role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time. #hand2mind #LI-hybrid