Product Developer Assistant (On-site)

Lakeshore Learning Materials creates innovative learning materials and experiences for teachers, parents, and children. The Product Developer Assistant supports the development of learning products by researching education standards and market trends, observing children using products, evaluating samples, supporting safety and cleanability testing, creating mock-ups and presentations, and coordinating with cross-functional teams.

What you'll do:

• Researching education standards, developmental milestones and market trends to give product developers the context they need to make informed design decisions
• Observing and documenting real-world product testing with children in our on-site preschool, capturing insights that improve usability and age-appropriateness
• Evaluating incoming product samples and develop inspection documentation that keeps quality standards clear and consistent
• Supporting cleanability and safety testing activities, helping the team gather and organize results accurately and on schedule
• Creating product mock-ups and polished presentations that bring early stage concepts to life for internal reviews
• Partnering with Art and Editorial teams to develop content for product guides, packaging and related materials
• Keeping cross-functional teams informed by communicating timely product updates — like final product names — to the right people at the right time

What they're looking for:

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Child Development, Early Childhood Studies, or a closely related field — or an equivalent combination of education and hands-on experience working with children or in an educational setting
• Familiarity with child developmental milestones, education standards and current trends in early childhood or K–12 learning
• Solid working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor information clearly for different audiences
• Genuine attention to detail — you catch things others miss and take pride in accurate, well-organized work
• You juggle competing deadlines without dropping the details — shifting priorities don't throw you off, they sharpen your focus
• You ask good questions and stay curious, treating every research task or testing session as a chance to learn something that makes the product better
• You share what you learn. When you find a useful resource or spot a pattern in your research, you bring it back to the team rather than keeping it to yourself
• Experience observing or working directly with children in a classroom, childcare or research setting
• Exposure to product development, curriculum design or education publishing
• Experience creating consumer-facing content such as product instructions, activity guides or educational materials

Benefits:

• Bonus eligible
• Paid leave for new parents to support work/life balance and family bonding
• Excellent medical/dental and vision coverage—EPO, PPO and HSA
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution
• Flexible benefits—choose what you like, ignore the rest
• On-site preschool for our employees’ children
• On-site employee gym for all levels/fitness needs
• Generous employee discount
• Casual dress