IDEO’s Play Lab is looking for a Senior Toy Designer!

Lauded as one of the most well know design and innovation brands in the world today, IDEO is an award-winning global design firm that is spearheading the movement to embrace design and design thinking. The multidisciplinary firm isn’t just responsible for designing end-products, but also helping businesses evolve and innovate, as well as allow individuals and companies to foster a culture of creative problem-solving through IDEO U, their online design-university. IDEO’s Play Lab is looking for a Senior Toy Designer to join their team in Palo Alto, California.

The Opportunity

IDEO’s Play Lab is looking for a talented, build-focused designer to join our toy invention team. As a senior designer, you will work closely with a skilled team of designers and engineers to dream up and bring toy concepts to life through prototyping. IDEO’s Play Lab creates innovative, fun, and engaging products and experiences with a focus on toys for kids. Will you join us in inventing the next generation of toys?

Responsibilities

• Join an experienced, interdisciplinary team of makers
• Support junior team members
• Generate new to-the-world toy ideas
• Identify toy invention opportunities
• Tinker, explore, and validate toy concepts
• Create high quality working prototypes
• Push our team to improve the quality of our work
• Solve complex mechanical challenges
• Explore and push concepts further through sketching
• Create engaging videos of prototypes and concepts
• Share our inventions with clients
• Have fun every day!

Requirements

• 2+ years of build experience
• A passion for making and inventing new ideas
• Experience bringing products to market
• An interest in toys and playful experiences
• Well developed skills in hand prototyping, rapid prototyping, and CAD
• Experience prototyping and solving complex mechanical challenges
• Experience self-guiding and leading projects
• A well developed, efficient project workflow
• A background in industrial design or engineering
• An aptitude for operating shop machinery
• Great communication and collaboration skills
• Motivation, initiative, and attention to detail
• An ability to generate ideas quickly
• Knowledge of how things are made
• Experience in and knowledge of the toy industry is a major plus

Some Previous Toy Inventions To Check Out

• Alpha Training Blue
• Flip Slide
• Barbie Dream Camper
• Paw Patrol Flip & Fly
• Barbie Sparkle Lights Mermaid
• Shopkins Super Mall
• Hungry Bunnies
• Little Live Pets Hedgehog
• Imaginext DC Super Friends R/C Mobile Command Center
• Barbie Hello Dreamhouse

Additional Information

Question For You
Please include your answer to the following question in your cover letter.

If you could redesign a toy: what would it be, why should it be redesigned, how might you make it better?

Application

Our ideal candidate is a builder at heart – who thrives on making things real. In addition to your resume and cover letter (with pop quiz answer), please submit examples of your work and capabilities – Design projects, mechanisms, electronics, personal projects, shop skills, etc. We look forward to hearing from you

Location

Palo Alto (California), USA.

Apply Now!


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