Japanese toy tycoon TOMY International needs a Design Manager

Established in 1924, TOMY has been creating toys to spark imaginations across the ages 0 to 99! With the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog by their side, TOMY has incorporated their distinct Japanese style into every household across the world. Their unique collaborations with brands like Coco-Cola to the Incredibles Movie Series and their statement original collections like John Deere Utility Vehicles and Tomica® ensure TOMY has something for every child and adult, irrespective of their age. Take this job opening and help new parents by creating valued products that enhance and support their perfectly imperfect journey.

TOMY International is a leading global designer, producer and marketer of a broad range of innovative, high quality toys made under the TOMY®, Ertl®, Johnny Lightning® and Tomica® brands as well as nursery products for mothers, infants and toddlers marketed under its The First Years®, Lamaze and JJ Cole® Collections brands. TOMY also markets its products under popular and classic licenses such as Pokemon, Transformers, Dinosaur Train, John Deere, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, Princesses, Cars, Fairies, and Toy Story. TOMY’s mission is to inspire and fulfill the dreams of children and parents worldwide. TOMY reaches its target consumers through multiple channels of distribution supporting more than 25,000 retail outlets throughout Asia, North and South America, Europe and Australia. TOMY International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan-based TOMY Company.

The Opportunity

This is a role for a person with a passion for toys, games, and children’s entertainment with an innate ability to create fun rewarding experiences. The candidate should be particularly interested in Infant / Toddler Toys. This position is for a higher level designer with the ability to autonomously lead the development of a range of licensed products. The Design Manager will work with all teams to deliver on marketing strategies, safety requirements, cost limitations, schedules, and age-appropriate play value. The Design Manager will be responsible for managing a design team and will be required to work on both licensed and unlicensed opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Autonomously drive a product line from concept through production
• Autonomously interact with licensors, building a relationship and processing feedback
• Derive and exploit consumer insights
• Generate new product concepts
• Present new concepts
• React to feedback on concepts
• Create (or drive the creation of) materials to communicate concepts (sketches, models, renderings, 3D files)
• Manage art, design, and electronics assets through production
• Participate autonomously in necessary conversations with stakeholders (Marketing, Brand Management, QA, Asia manufacturing support, Packaging, Japan office) in a way that yields quality results and moves the project forward
• Maintain an updated expert knowledge base on relevant toy categories
• Have an expert knowledge base on the history of the relevant toy categories
• Driving blue-sky projects
• Digital file organization skills
• Track expenses and manage budgets for executive reviews
• Complete the development of design projects on time, with proper documentation

Education and Experience Required

• Illustrator, Photoshop, Rhino, Keyshot, Max or Solid Works knowledge
• 3D printer experience desired
• Keynote, PowerPoint and Office Suite
• Sketching ability
• Strong conceptual thinking
• Concept Generation
• Toyetic style
• Mechanical understanding
• Design methodology
• Understanding of materials and manufacturing process (including ergonomics and fabric knowledge)
• Child Development knowledge is preferred
• Ability to articulate insight-driven design solutions
• Ability and knowledge to take a toy from sketch to production
• Ability to design for licensed properties with licensor experience
• Ability to autonomously interact with licensors, managing a positive relationship
• 3D design ability to create mockups
• Ability to manage multiple projects
• Strong presentation skills