Industrial Designer I

Join us at Kreg Tool!

Headquartered in a beautiful new campus in Ankeny, Iowa, Kreg is proud to be a growing employee-owned company that manufactures a wide variety of tools, accessories, and equipment for woodworkers and do-it-yourselfers. We create products that are available throughout North America in the nation’s major home improvement stores, such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Menards. Our employees work as a team to make Kreg customers raving fans through quality service and innovative products.

Kreg is focused on providing a positive employee experience where team members work to co-create their futures together. We are committed to offering each member of the Kreg Team opportunities to achieve personal growth and success while contributing to the betterment of our community and economy. In addition to a competitive benefits package including medical, vision, and dental coverage, we offer a “dress for your day” dress code, onsite fitness center, volunteer time off, paid parental leave, annual bonus opportunity, and wellness reimbursement. If you are interested in building a long-term career with a great company, look no further than Kreg Tool!

Industrial Designer I

The Industrial Designer embodies design leadership and dynamic engagement across all phases of the Industrial Design Process. Functioning as a vital team member within the industrial design team, this individual embodies a creative and adaptable product design specialist. This role revolves around instilling influential Industrial Design elements throughout our brand, simultaneously fostering a culture of innovation and aesthetic excellence.

So, What’s the Gig?

• Institute and integrate the function of Industrial Design into the company culture and processes.
• Design leadership and hands-on execution in all phases of the Industrial Design Process – from concept development, 3D concept modeling, digital rendering, and definition of Color/Material/Finishes.
• Apply known product branding standards and guidelines; champion alignment of new product designs and existing product re-designs to established guidelines.
• Quickly create effective sketches for real time capture of concepts generated in ideation sessions.
• Provides perspective of design concepts based on the development of user experience maps to identify actionable consumer insights and design opportunities.
• Develops and delivers high quality materials for Design Reviews, Core Team project meetings, stakeholder and customer presentations to clearly communicate the design strategy and design intent, meeting user/brand/technical requirements.
• Strong and direct collaboration with the Product Management and Product Engineering teams to ensure design intent is maintained throughout the design, development and manufacturing processes.
• Collaborates and works effectively as part of a cross functional team – Product Management, Product Development Engineering, Manufacturing, Consumer Insights, and Marketing/Brand.
• Collaborates with Product Development Engineering to develop structural packaging concepts that are an extension of the product and brand.

What We’re Looking For:

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design.
• 3 years of relevant hands-on industrial design experience in durable consumer products.
• Exposure to high volume manufacturing
• Strong conceptual and sketching skills experience for concept generation
• Experience in SolidWorks and Key Shot a plus.
• Experience in Human Factors and Quality is a plus.
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite – focus on Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Mechanically inclined, with basic understanding of engineering principles, manufacturing processes and materials.
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks and assignments simultaneously.
• A design portfolio must be included.

Other Skills and Abilities We’re Looking For:

• Must be hands-on; inherently motivated to fix, build, create, make.
• Flexibility and comfort working in a quickly changing environment.
• Superior communication skills (written, verbal, interpersonal, and internal communication tools).
• Requires self-directedness, able and willing to prioritize and take initiative.
• This position requires considerable interaction, collaboration, and proactive involvement with all levels in other departments.
• Highly flexible in ability to incorporate stakeholder feedback or work with limited supervision.
• Woodworking experience a plus.

Competencies:

Customer Focus

Having an internal/external customer focus involves prioritizing the needs, preferences, and expectations of customers in a credible way. A person with customer focus works to understand pain points and develop ingenious solutions that are simplified. Having a customer focus ensures an ongoing commitment to prioritizing customer satisfaction in a way that builds long-lasting relationships that in turn drives sustainable growth.

Authenticity

Authenticity is being genuine and credible while achieving a sense of accomplishment. This involves honesty and transparency in one's actions and interactions while avoiding pretense and deceptions. An authentic person creates meaningful connections, builds trust with others, and achieves a sense of accomplishment that fosters innovation and personal growth.

Courage

Courage is the ability to take assertive action while collaborating with others in a respectful and supportive manner. This involves working collaboratively with others while being confident, proactive, and decisive in the achievement of shared goals. Exercising courage through respectful behavior and supportive action team members can inspire others to act with integrity, use their voice, take risks, and achieve full potential.

Adaptability

Adaptability involves adjusting to change, diversity, and new ideas while being supportive, respectful, and approachable. It encompasses gracefully navigating evolving circumstances, demonstrating resilience, and actively seeking and incorporating constructive feedback for continuous improvement within the organization.

Innovation

Innovation is the process of creating or improving processes and products that are ingenious and fueled by growth mindset. It involves the application of new ideas, methods, or technologies to solve problems, meet customer needs, and create new opportunities that are approachable. Innovative ideas are often the result of thinking outside the box, challenging assumptions, and taking calculated risks.