About This Role
This role is responsible for helping conceptualize, design, develop, and bring physical products to market, with a primary focus on hard goods and opportunities to contribute to soft goods/cut-and-sew products. It suits a creative problem solver who can move comfortably from ideation, early-stage concepts, and 3D visualization through detailed development, prototyping, and manufacturing. The Industrial Designer works closely with cross-functional partners, vendors, and international manufacturing partners to create products that are functional, durable, intuitive, and compelling for diamond sports athletes and consumers.
Responsibilities
- Develop innovative product concepts from early ideation through production, with an emphasis on user-focused design and creative problem solving
- Create 2D & 3D concepts, CAD models, sketches, renderings, and presentations to communicate design intent and explore solutions
- Design primarily hard goods while contributing to soft goods, textiles, and cut-and-sew products as needed
- Apply principles of ergonomics, protection, durability, usability, and user experience throughout the design process
- Translate user needs, product requirements, and market opportunities into thoughtful physical product solutions
- Deliver projects on time and within established cost targets
- Apply continuous improvement throughout the design and development process while maintaining project timelines
- Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Quality, Marketing, and other cross-functional partners to balance athlete needs, aesthetics, performance, cost, and manufacturability
- Review prototypes, samples, and production units and identify opportunities for design, functional, or manufacturing improvements
- Develop clear design documentation, specifications, presentations, and other materials necessary to support product development and manufacturing
- Conduct ongoing competitive analysis and monitor the market landscape to identify opportunities, trends, and benchmarks that ensure products remain competitive and relevant
- Develop world-class, category-leading products that elevate performance, innovation, and brand expression
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, or a similar related field
- Highly proficient in 3D design and modeling software – NX or Solidworks preferred
- 1–5 years of professional industrial/product design experience, preferably with physical consumer products
- Strong affinity to develop an understanding of the ever-changing sporting goods market
- Strong portfolio demonstrating experience developing physical products from concept through production
- Demonstrated experience designing hard goods, with additional experience in soft goods, textiles, or cut-and-sew products preferred
- Mechanical aptitude in common manufacturing techniques including injection and compression molding, composites, vacuum forming, soft goods
- Ability to balance creative design solutions with practical considerations such as cost, durability, manufacturability, and performance
- Strong understanding of ergonomics and human-centered design principles
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, both visual and verbal
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with evolving priorities
- Proficient in rendering and digitizing tools – example digital sketching or KeyShot rendering
- Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, instructions, and procedure manuals
- Ability to write routine reports and correspondence
- Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization
- Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, and area
- Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra
- Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form
- Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations
- Able to make sound judgments as it relates to Personnel Relations and the Law
- Ability to sit and use hands to finger, handle or feel
- Ability to reach with hands and arms
- Ability to stand and walk occasionally
- Ability to lift and/or move objects weighing 10-25 pounds occasionally
- Close vision, distance vision, and color vision
- Ability to hear telephone ring
Nice to have:
- Experience in sporting goods, baseball, outdoor, fitness, protective equipment, or other performance-oriented consumer products
- Experience designing products where protection, impact resistance, durability, or athletic performance are important considerations
- Experience with soft goods construction, textiles, sewing, patterns, and/or cut-and-sew manufacturing
- Experience working with overseas manufacturing partners and navigating international product development
- Hands-on prototyping and fabrication experience
- Familiarity with materials such as plastics, foams, metals, textiles, composites, and other performance materials
- Experience conducting user research, product testing, or field evaluations
- Spanish language skills
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical/dental/vision plans
- Company paid life and disability insurance
- Paid Parental Leave
- Employee Assistance Program
- 401k (fully vested immediately) with Company match
- Paid time off
- Paid holidays
- Opportunities for advancement
- Employee Discount Program
Important Details
- Travel: Approximately 20% travel, including international, required
About the Company
Rawlings Sporting Goods offers a full range of life and career enhancing benefits to its full-time employees.
