ToyMonster International is a global toy company with a mission to inspire, encourage and excite kids of all ages around the world. With a growing portfolio of owned brands and Global licensing programs, the ToyMonster team prides itself on being able to innovate and deliver products with a smile all over the world.

Distributing to 54+ countries and supported with offices in Australia (Melbourne, head office), Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Sales teams throughout the US, Asia & Europe, ToyMonster is fast becoming known as a creative hub that can deliver bucketloads of fun for kids and partners.

The ToyMonster Leadership team is run by industry veterans who are hands on toy testers themselves; the culture that has been cultivated from the top down encourages each employee to be curious, courageous and creative to foster a workplace of innovation and inclusion where every Monster Member is inspired to learn, grow and try their best at all times.

Visit www.toymonster.net for more about our brilliant brands and people.

What You'll Love About ToyMonster

At ToyMonster, we're serious about what we do, but we don't take ourselves too seriously. We work hard, move quickly, celebrate success and genuinely enjoy coming to work.

You'll enjoy:

- Working with a passionate and supportive leadership team
- Modern offices in St Kilda
- Free dedicated parking located close-by
- Annual Bonus linked to KPIs
- Team building days
- A global business with exciting international exposure
- Variety and autonomy in your role
- Staff events and celebrations
- A collaborative, energetic workplace where your contribution is valued
- The opportunity to make a real impact every day

Why Join Us? We're looking for someone who wants to become part of the team rather than simply fill a role.

If you love working in a dynamic environment where every day is different, we'd love to hear from you.

What you'll be doing

Lead the creative and technical development of multiple toy brands and product ranges from initial ideation through to production. The role combines senior creative leadership with hands-on product and industrial design, ensuring concepts are innovative, commercially viable, safe, manufacturable and delivered to agreed quality, cost and timing expectations.

The position also provides guidance and mentoring to the design team and works closely with the SVP Product & Marketing, internal functions, retailers, licensing partners and overseas factories.

Key Responsibilities

- Lead the creative and technical development of multiple toy brands and product ranges, from initial ideation through to production.
- Develop original, commercially viable toy concepts that balance innovation, play value, aesthetics, cost and manufacturing feasibility.
- Remain actively hands-on throughout the design process, contributing directly to concept development, sketching, CAD, product visualisation, technical problem-solving and sample reviews, not solely delegation or team management.
- Review and approve concepts, technical drawings, CAD files, specifications, colour, material and finish details, and other product documentation.
- Work closely with Product Management, Graphic Design, Engineering, Marketing, Sales and Operations to deliver cohesive and commercially effective product ranges.
- Identify cost-saving and value-engineering opportunities while protecting essential product features,



quality and the original design intent.
- Ensure products are designed with relevant child safety standards, durability, age-grading and manufacturing requirements in mind.
- Guide products through key development stages, including concept approval, costing, prototyping, tooling, sampling and production.
- Collaborate directly with overseas factories to resolve design, construction, material, mechanism and manufacturing challenges.
- Review prototypes and initial samples, providing precise, practical and actionable feedback to factories and internal teams.
- Travel overseas, primarily to China, at key stages of development to work directly with factories, review and approve samples, resolve manufacturing issues and approve projects to proceed to tooling.
- Keep the SVP Product & Marketing informed and involved throughout overseas sample reviews and tooling decisions, providing clear updates, recommendations and supporting information before key approvals are made.
- Make confident, timely decisions while on the ground, ensuring development continues efficiently without compromising creative intent, quality, safety or commercial objectives.
- Review and approve tooling samples, pre-production samples and final production samples, ensuring all agreed design, quality and functional requirements have been achieved.
- Be available to undertake multiple overseas trips each year, sometimes arranged around factory sampling schedules and changing project requirements.
- Monitor project progress, identify risks early and take proactive action to keep projects on schedule.
- Oversee multiple concurrent projects, establishing priorities, development plans and clear deliverables across the portfolio.
- Accurately assess resource requirements and allocate design projects according to team capacity, capability, timelines and commercial priorities.
- Maintain visibility across all assigned brands, ensuring projects meet creative, technical, commercial and timing expectations.
- Monitor emerging toy, entertainment, fashion, lifestyle and consumer trends to identify relevant product and play opportunities.
- Provide strong creative direction while personally executing design work where required to progress projects, resolve challenges and meet deadlines.
- Lead design reviews and provide clear, constructive and actionable feedback to designers and external development partners.
- Present product concepts, ranges and development recommendations clearly and confidently to senior internal stakeholders, retailers, buyers and licensing partners.
- Confidently respond to buyer feedback, commercial questions and product-development requests while representing the intended product and brand strategy.
- Work closely with the SVP Product & Marketing, maintaining regular communication and involvement at key creative, commercial and technical decision points.

Leadership & mentoring

- Mentor and support junior and mid-weight designers, helping strengthen their creative thinking,



technical skills and commercial understanding.
- Support effective allocation of design projects and resources according to capability, workload, priorities and deadlines.
- Provide clear, constructive and actionable feedback through design reviews and day-to-day project guidance.
- Build a practical, collaborative and solutions-focused team culture in which seniority is demonstrated through both leadership and active contribution.

What you will need to have

- Extensive experience in product or industrial design, ideally within children’s toys, collectibles, consumer products or a closely related industry.
- A strong portfolio demonstrating original concept development, commercial product thinking and experience taking products from initial idea through to production.
- Strong awareness of emerging toy, entertainment, fashion, lifestyle and consumer trends relevant to children, families and the kidult market.
- Exceptional creative and industrial design capability, supported by a strong understanding of play patterns, consumer appeal and age-appropriate design.
- Advanced hand-sketching skills, with the ability to quickly and clearly communicate concepts, construction details and technical solutions.
- Excellent presentation and visual storytelling skills, with the confidence to present to senior stakeholders, retailers, buyers and licensing partners.
- Strong understanding of materials, manufacturing processes, toy construction, plastics, fabrics, mechanisms and production limitations.
- Strong knowledge of product development, tooling and manufacturing processes, including the judgement required to approve samples and progression to tooling.
- Strong commercial judgement, including an understanding of costing, retail price points, value engineering and margin considerations.
- Proven experience reviewing prototypes, tooling samples and production samples and providing precise, actionable feedback.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple brands and complex projects simultaneously.
- Robust resource-planning skills, with the ability to balance workloads, priorities, team capabilities and deadlines across a multidisciplinary design team.
- Excellent creative problem-solving skills, with the ability to resolve issues quickly without losing sight of the original product vision.
- Strong organisation and time-management skills, with the ability to work effectively across fast-moving and competing priorities.
- Clear and confident communication skills when working with internal teams, senior leadership, factories, buyers, retailers and licensing partners.
- Strong leadership and mentoring capability, combined with a collaborative and approachable working style.
- A genuinely hands-on approach, with the willingness and capability to personally undertake detailed design and development work alongside the team.
- Flexibility and willingness to travel internationally multiple times each year to support sample approvals, tooling decisions and factory development.
- Exceptional proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
- Advanced CAD and 3D-modelling skills using preferred industry-standard program/s.
- Awareness of emerging AI tools and enthusiasm for using them appropriately to support ideation, visualisation, communication and workflow efficiency.

📌 Director of Product Design (Melbourne)
🏢 Toymonster International
📍 Melbourne