Cascade Designs:
Senior Industrial Designer Job in Seattle, WA

The Senior Industrial Designer is responsible for maintaining all Cascade Design’s brand design languages and creating/ensuring all products adhere to the standards through the use of form, ergonomics, surface treatment, accent details and other design attributes, working collaboratively with other cross functional teams. Other product development responsibilities include leading early product development conceptualization efforts. The Industrial Designer will also engage in activities outside typical product development efforts to ensure consistent brand languages, including, but not limited to packaging, presentation deck formats, tradeshow collateral, go to market content, etc.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Visual Design Language: Establish and maintain standards/guides for visual design languages for all the Cascade Design’s brands, and ensure all products embody the language
• Color and Graphics: Perform highest level contributions to individual brand’s color palettes and graphic themes
• Design Insights: Maintain highest level knowledge of design, research, engineering and marketing developments to constantly improve design ability, related product and industry knowledge
• Consumer Insights: Study consumer trends and activities related to design, and proactively adapt / conceptualize these trends as suggestions for future products or product line introductions and enhancements
• Conceptualization: Lead efforts with product strategy and design partners to conceptualize new product ideas based on an understanding of competitive products and consumer / market needs
• Prototyping: Create or direct the efforts of inside and outside resources to create mock-ups and prototypes to evaluate conceptual designs
• Detail Design: Determine all aspects of the product design such as (but not limited to) materials, construction, aesthetics, ergonomics, shape, color, and surface finish in cooperation with partners involved in the development of new products
• Product Specifications: Assist with design documentation such as assembly drawings, product and material specifications, bill of materials, etc. to assure quality in product designs
• Product Design Visual Communication: Skillfully communicate design intent and ideas to external sources through sketches, illustrations, models and prototypes
• Presentations: Publicly present product concepts and designs to a diverse variety of audiences, catering to their specific needs
• Timeline Adherence: Assist in driving the team to the project schedule and assume accountability for all responsible components of the product development process
• Design for Manufacturing: Maintain familiarity of manufacturing methods and ensure appreciation of given constraints as related to the design
• Intercompany Design: Provide design direction and collateral to support various design efforts outside of new product development including, but not limited to product packaging, presentation decks, tradeshow booth design, merchandising fixtures, go to market collateral, etc.
• Mentorship: Provide mentorship to Associate and Staff Industrial Designers
• Holds “specialist” role for the team in multiple domains
• Perform the above tasks at an proactive and strategic level with minimal structure and guidance, and providing continuous improvement
• Management: Manages interns
• Perform other tasks as assigned

Minimum Requirements:

• Minimum 4-year degree in Industrial Design (BSID)
• 8+ years experience in product development of products with similar complexity
• Strong interpersonal and oral presentation skills
• Computer experience and knowledge of Microsoft applications required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project).
• Advanced CAD experience and surfacing capabilities required, preferably proficient in Solidworks and Adobe Illustrator
• High expertise in common manufacturing techniques including but not limited to injection/compression molding, casting, sheet metal, machined parts, textile welding, cut and sew.
• Established expertise with basic shop/lab tools and procedures
• Passion for the product line(s)
• Continuous improvement mindset – lean experience is desirable
• Active outdoor participant is highly desirable

Skills:

• Fostering Partnerships: Maintains strong partnerships with internal and external customers
• Promoting Teamwork: Utilizes the power of the team over individual contributions; Appreciates the cross-functional relationship
• Effective Communication: Clear communication to internal and external customers in multiple formats (written, verbal)
• Storytelling: Effectively caters and communicates appropriate message to intended audience
• Realizing Consensus: Motivates and wins consensus of team members with indirect reporting structures; Works with others and resolve conflicting priorities to achieve multiple goals
• Patience / Listening / Respect: Exhibits thoughtful reflection and understanding of what others are saying before responding / reacting; Acknowledges the needs and work of others
• Approachability: open to the needs of your team and customers
• Accepting Constructive Feedback: Utilizes constructive feedback and reflects upon individual strengths/weaknesses to improve performance
• Accountability: Takes accountability for actions
• Design Aptitude: Ability to perform professional design assignments of wide variety and extreme level complexity under general direction, given experience level
• Mechanical Aptitude: Ability to relate to mechanical designs and ensure alignment of associated industrial design
• Aesthetic Sensibilities: Ability to apply graphic, color, materiality, ergonomics, and form of product to drive towards a holistic product solution
• Work Management: Exhibits very strong project management and organizational skills, acute attention to detail and consistent on-time delivery of expectations
• Fostering Innovation: Looks beyond the norm in developing new product or practices and embraces necessary change, continuously provides new innovations
• Problem Solving: Skillfully analyzes all aspects of a problem, gathers necessary data, consults others, makes an informed decision and communicates it to the appropriate people
• Prototype Fabrication: Established experience fabricating product concepts through multiple methods such as; 3D printing, vertical mill, lathe, cut and sew, general shop tools, fabric welding tools
• Provide Leadership: Takes ownership of projects; Is decisive while considering the overall project and resources involved; Takes global consideration of each decision and action
• Professional Expertise: Possesses expertise in professional area with experience backing it up; Maintains knowledge of current advancements in related areas of work
• Cascade Designs System Expertise: Possesses expertise within CDI internal processes
• Awareness of Company Objectives and Priorities: Considers financial impact and resource loading before engaging in new activities; Monitors progress throughout development
• Ability to translate Company Objectives and Priorities into actionable projects: Considers financial impact and resource loading before engaging in new activities; Monitors progress throughout development
• Self Sufficient: Acting with intelligence, self-direction and accuracy.
• Mentoring: Setting a positive example for others within the team to follow and coaching them on best practices

Working Conditions:

• Casual office environment
• Flexible hours, with supervisor’s approval
• Must be able to travel 15% of the year: domestic and international travel, and travel to key accounts, sales/marketing events and key suppliers and contractors required
• Adherence to company attendance standards is expected

This is intended to describe the general nature and level of work done by people assigned to this job. It is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of the duties