Global Designer Manager – BabyBjörn

At BabyBjörn, we are dedicated to creating safe, high-quality baby products that make everyday life easier for parents and more comfortable for babies. Our commitment to safety, design, and functionality has made us a trusted brand for families around the world. We are now looking for a Global Design Manager to join our team and play a crucial role in shaping the future success of our company.

As Global Design Manager, you will lead BabyBjörn’s design strategy and operations, manage an in-house team of product specialists as well as being the design point of contact with external design consultant partners. This role requires a balance of; visionary and strategic design, operational product & industrial design knowledge and methods, design and people leadership as well as hands-on execution to ensure that all design activities align with our brand values, business objectives and commitment to user-centered design. Product developments within all BabyBjörn’s product categories operates within two main work streams; Hard goods and Soft goods, both of which design falls under your functional and creative leadership. This position reports to the Global Product Director and is part of the PD leadership team in a cross functional organization set up.

Strategic Design Leadership: 

• Drive the long-term design vision and contribute to the 5-year product roadmap
• Lead CMF (Color, Material, Finish), innovation, and trend strategies
• Explore and implement new materials, technologies, and design method 
• Facilitate ideation, design sprints, and user insight activities
• Optimize design and soft goods processes for efficiency, cost control, and timely delivery 
• Maintain and evolve Product Design Guidelines to ensure quality and brand consistency 
• Champion sustainable and durable design principles

Operational & Creative Leadership: 

• Act as an ambassador for design and innovation across the business 
• Organize and guide design reviews, ensuring alignment with briefs and guidelines 
• Represent user insights and usability throughout all phases of development 
• Safeguard visual product identity, branding, CMF, and design guidelines in collaboration with Product Managers 
• Validate design quality, manufacturability, and material fit through reviews and approvals 
• Provide detailed design direction that complements product briefs and business KPIs 
• Own the full design development of small and medium-sized projects, while providing leadership and direction for large-scale industrial design projects in collaboration with external partners 
• Oversee inhouse prototyping to keep development aligned with timelines and costs
• Manage IP and patent-related design considerations in collaboration with legal teams
• Incorporate compliance, safety, and regulatory standards early in the design process 
• Lead design refinement and iteration based on testing, assessments, and feedback

About you: 

You are a visionary yet hands-on design leader who combines strategic thinking with operational discipline. A champion of design excellence and innovation, you bring strong commercial awareness and a brand-focused mindset. You thrive in dynamic, change-oriented environments, building collaborative, inspiring teams while driving continuous improvement, user insights, and inclusive design. Exceptional presentation and communication skills are highly desired, along with proficiency in both spoken and written English.

• Master’s degree in Industrial Design or equivalent
• 10+ years in product design and development, including at least 5 years in a design leadership role
• Advanced expertise in both hard goods and soft goods product design, with strong CMF and DFM experience
• Proven ability to shape strategic design vision and deliver across complex product portfolios
• Extensive product development background with a successful record of global launches (Europe, North America, Asia)
• Strong knowledge of usability, ergonomics, and human factors
• Mastery of relevant digital and physical 2D/3D design tools
• Advocate of Design Thinking, methods, and processes
• Experience from both in-house roles and design consultancy is an advantage
• Track record of product successes; design awards are considered a plus

About the company

Joining BabyBjörn means becoming part of a company with a rich history of creating innovative and safe products for families. We offer a dynamic and inclusive work environment where your contributions will make a significant impact on our company's future success. If you're passionate about design and product management and making a difference in the lives of parents and babies, we would love to hear from you. If you are excited about this opportunity and meet the qualifications outlined above, please submit your resume detailing your relevant experience for this role. We look forward to reviewing your application.

So, what happens now?

This position is based in Stockholm and the newly built office is located in Sundbyberg. We recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible as selection and interviews are held continuously.

To help us place the right people in the right role, we believe in science-based and unbiased assessment methods. Apply easily with your CV through our website. If you proceed in this process, you will be asked to answer a few screening questions as a first step. This process also contains psychometric tests, to help us increase our hiring success by identifying the candidates that are most likely to thrive and be successful in the role.

If you have any questions, please contact recruitment consultants Sabina Axelsson at sabina.axelsson@inhouse.se / Kajsa Tamsen at kajsa.tamsen@inhouse.se