Junior Toy Designer Telford, England
Job description
Junior Toy Designer
Salary up to £22k
Full-time and permanent (35 hours per week)
At Golden Bear Toys we really are Experts in Play.
Playtime has been a key activity in our Telford-based office for over 40 years now and we are proud to have created many amazing toys from some of the most iconic and historic brands such as Teletubbies, Thomas the Tank Engine, Noddy, Bagpuss, Sooty & Sweep to name but a few!
Fast forward to 2023 and we're still developing innovative, creative and super-fun toys for those well-known children's TV shows such as Hey Duggee, Bing and In The Night Garden, as well as exciting toys and games to suit all ages from our award winning Curlimals, to your very own Escape Room in a box.
Golden Bear is a family business in all respects; with its original founders at the helm, it is also where different generations from the same families work alongside one another. Employing over 60 team members, we appreciate incredible staff loyalty - almost half of our team have worked here for 10 years or more. That's because our team are our best asset, and they mirror the quality of our toys.
We are committed to providing a realistic balance between work and life which will enable our team members to manage their ever-busy personal lives with their careers at Golden Bear. We have a flexible working initiative in place which gives our team more flexibility around their start and finish times to accommodate commuting, family life and their social lives.
Golden Bear is an equal opportunities employer. We are dedicated to attracting, retaining, and developing the very best people to build an inclusive, diverse, and talented team. We recognise that every individual's unique background, experience and ability contributes to our future success.
For further information on all things Golden Bear, please visit www.goldenbeartoys.com
We are excited to be advertising for the role of a Junior Toy Designer, reporting into the Creative Manager. This role is to be based out of our office in Telford with the possibility of some home working.
Role Objective
The Junior Toy Designer is responsible for the conceptualisation, the design and development of fun, innovative toy lines within our branded and Own IP portfolios. You are focused on creating innovative and exciting product opportunities for the company by understanding the consumer, trends, and technology which you will then quickly, but competently, translate into successful products. You have the responsibility for seeing a job through from brief or visual. Handling the pattern, selecting fabrics - sewing and mocking up the final samples, which will shape the presence of our Brand in the marketplace to establish Golden Bear as an industry leader.
Responsibilities
- Invent and conceptualise plastic and soft toy products for our branded and own IP ranges that deliver unique experiences at retail.
- Ensuring designs are customer focused, trend driven while being cost effective for mass production.
- Design from a variety of trigger points including insights, trends, market data and customer or licensor feedback.
- Experience of pattern cutting and development of low, medium & high complexity products at pace.
- Build knowledge of current and relevant plush and plastic toy manufacturing techniques to support design work and commerciality.
- Support the preparation for costing including specification sheets and product data sheets.
- Undertake elements of research such as consumer, fashion, toy trends and material innovation and presenting these to the wider business.
- Translate clear and concise briefs from the Design team with agility and be receptive to constructive feedback, achieving industry-leading results.
- Handle the machining process - selecting fabrics and components.
- Hand finishing prototypes - from Hand embroidery and artwork created on the computer.
- Preparation for costing - including specification sheets and product data sheets.
- Assist in the presentation of our onsite showroom, the preparation of various annual shows and certain aspects of Virtual Toy Fair platform.
- Artwork for products plush and plastic.
- Transforming 2D soft toys into fun, innovative 3D product through the art of pattern cutting. You will also be required to paint 3D printed models from external sources.
- Modelling of prototypes - including 3D card protypes and clay prototypes.
- Research to assist the development process within the Creative Hub and the company.
Key Capabilities
- You will need experience of using an industrial flatbed sewing machine and industrial overlocking machine with proficiency. You will have some knowledge and experience of working within a design environment and the ability to pattern cut.
- You will have the initiative to deliver creative thinking and problem solving throughout a products journey and the drive to deliver a wealth of inventions and ideas that feed into the creative hub. You will have a conceptual approach, with an eye for detail and hands on experience of pattern cutting, coupled with an understanding of production and assembly of plastic and soft good consumer items. You will also possess basic model making skills with the ability to think in 3D and a basic understanding of Quality Assurance for mass produced consumer products.
- You will have excellent computer skills with knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign), PowerPoint and Excel.
- You will possess a clear understanding of the importance insights, keeping up to date with current trends and you are comfortable making rational judgements from the information and analysis available.
- You thrive on Being Accountable for the successful delivery of projects against set deadline and budgets which is demonstrated through your project management skills - the ability to multi-task, effectively manage risk, issues, time and people with discretion and tact while remaining calm under pressure and maintaining your accuracy and attention to detail - your proven track record is reflective of this.
- You are proactive, with the enthusiasm and drive to Achieve at Pace in the face of tight deadlines, while being curious and comfortable to Reach for the Stars and challenge the efficiency of a process, project, or task. You are also adaptable to changing circumstances and accepting of new ideas and change initiatives.
- You will be an excellent communicator with an honest, positive, and friendly approach. You are receptive to feedback and comfortable expressing opinions and providing information/key points clearly and respectfully, taking care to manage your impression on others. You use this strength to influence the business at all levels.
- You're a reliable team player who is professional and collaborative in your approach to all tasks with all colleagues, customers, and external service providers, and you possess the ability to build and maintain strong working relationships - we are One Family at Golden Bear.
- You will role-model our company values and use them to guide personal behaviours, creating a workplace culture that is consistent with the company's founding principles.
If you feel this role looks right for you and you feel you can contribute significantly to our growth plans and want to join our team, it is time to get your application started. Please apply with an up-to-date CV and covering letter stating why you feel you are suitable for the role, also detailing your salary requirements by Monday 10 April
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: Up to £22,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- On-site parking
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
Work Location: One location
Application deadline: 10/04/2023
