Industrial Designer

Job Title: Industrial Designer

At Blue Marble, our mission is to create purposeful, imaginative products that inspire a love of learning in children and empower parents to raise curious, confident kids. If you’re excited to design meaningful products for an award-winning company with a playful, collaborative culture and a bright future, we’d love for you to join our team.

We’re seeking an Industrial Designer to lead the design and development of innovative STEM toys and hands-on learning experiences. In this role, you will drive product vision, elevate design quality, and guide concepts from early ideation through production. You will collaborate closely with Product Development, Sales, and overseas manufacturing teams to bring thoughtful, user-centric products to life.

This is a key role on our Product Development team, ideal for a designer with deep expertise, strong technical skills, and a passion for creating educational play experiences that spark curiosity.

Key Responsibilities

Design Leadership & Innovation

• Lead the development of high-quality, functional, and visually compelling products that align with Blue Marble’s mission, brand, and strategic goals.
• Drive innovative concepts that push creative boundaries while meeting cost, manufacturing, and margin requirements.
• Apply user-centered design principles to enhance product usability, durability, and learning value.
• Conduct trend research, competitive analysis, and material exploration to inspire product direction and maintain design relevance.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Product Development, Marketing, Sales, and overseas teams to define requirements and ensure seamless execution from concept through production.
• Present design concepts, prototypes, and recommendations to stakeholders with clarity and conviction.
• Lead and participate in brainstorms, design reviews, and iterative refinement cycles.
• Manage communication with all cross-functional departments, as well as overseas teams, in a prompt and timely manner.

Design Process, Thinking & Methodology

• Utilize design thinking methodologies to solve complex challenges and develop effective, engaging product solutions.
• Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to elevate design strategy and process.
• Translate insights from user research and testing into design improvements and new product opportunities.
• Work diligently to manage development and turnover of key deliverables and materials within stated delivery schedules.

Product Management

• Create detailed product documentation, including CAD files, CMF specifications, and assembly notes.
• Evaluate and comment on factory samples to ensure design integrity, manufacturability, and cost effectiveness.
• Troubleshoot production challenges and collaborate with manufacturing partners to maintain quality and meet deadlines.

Technical Expertise & Compliance

• Use SolidWorks, Keyshot, and Adobe Creative Suite to develop, visualize, and present designs and animations.
• Maintain and update CMF brand libraries and specification documents.
• Ensure all products meet required safety regulations and industry standards for children’s toys, working closely with the Compliance Team.

Intellectual Property

• Collaborate with patent attorneys to prepare detailed IP documentation, including claims and vector illustrations.
• Ensure designs comply with licensor brand guidelines and international product marking requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Toy Design, Product Design, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in industrial design, with a strong preference for candidates experienced in STEM toys or educational products, and/or children’s toys.
• Strong sketching, visualization, physical prototyping, and model-making skills.
• Experience designing licensed product lines is a plus.
• Knowledge of materials and manufacturing processes relevant to toys and consumer products.
• Familiarity with design thinking methodologies and user-centered design practices.
• Excellent verbal, visual, and written communication skills.
• Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite and KeyShot for rendering.
• Expertise in 3D CAD; SolidWorks preferred.
• Experience with additional tools such as Rhino, Alias, ZBrush, or Creo, is a plus.
• A portfolio demonstrating product design expertise, technical excellence, and successful project outcomes is required.

Reports To: Head of Industrial Design

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonus opportunity
• Health, dental, vision, life, and 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible paid time off
• A creative, collaborative, and playful culture
• Opportunity to shape the direction of iconic and emerging toy brands
• Room for career growth with a scaling organization

Workplace Arrangement

In-person collaboration is a key aspect of Blue Marble's work culture. This role has been designated as four days a week expected at corporate headquarters in Ashland, Oregon, with one day a week remote. This arrangement balances in-person collaboration with remote work flexibility.

Note: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties to meet the organization's needs.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Blue Marble is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability status.