Neil Desai

About me

I was born/grew up in: Born in Hackensack New Jersey and grew up in Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey

I now live in: Santa Monica California

I completed my training/education at: Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology

What I do at work

I work for the toy maker Spin Master. My and my team's key activities are working with our various partners through the development process. For a program manager, this means managing and overseeing the overall schedule as well as individual tasks and milestones for the team. They help evaluate how we can flex our time and deliverables based on whatever issues and challenges that may be ongoing. They also lead weekly team meetings. For a product development engineer, this means working mainly with the design team and our Asia counterparts. This helps us decide on how the toy will be made and how much it will cost. We think through part breakdowns, material choices, tooling plans, as well as how the toys will get colored. They lead communication with our Asia counterparts and lead the sample reviewing process. In the toy world, all groups (product development, design, marketing, packaging, quality) need to come together to bring toys from an idea to an actual item on shelf!

My career path is

When I was in high school, and even college, I had a narrow view of what mechanical engineers did. I thought I would end up with a very engineering heavy job such as in aerospace or hvacs or pumps or turbines or something of that sort. That isn't true! Engineers are needed for so much more than that, and my career path tells that story.

When I graduated college, my first job was working for the jewelry company "Tiffany & Co.". I started off working in product development. Eventually I moved to the design team mainly doing CAD work and partnering with the manufacturing engineers. After a few years there, I applied and got a job with Fisher Price. I have been working in toy manufacturing ever since. I always knew I wanted to do something where I could use my engineering skills, but it's great that the job doesn't need very technical skills to succeed.

I am motivated by

Knowing that our toys bring smiles and enjoyment to kids is what motivates me! I enjoy problem solving and figuring out new and creative ways to overcome any issues. A lot of what I do involves needing to partner with my cross-functional leads on how we can help remove any obstacles. By doing this, it helps clear the way for my team and the rest of the working team to succeed and launch great products.

How I affect peoples’ lives

The most rewarding part of the job is knowing that what you're working on helps impact the next generation. We're helping provide kids with toys that power their imagination and growth.

Outside of work I

Outside of work, I'm very into fitness and sports. Living in California, I've gotten very used to weekly weekend volleyball. Up until about a year ago, I was also a part time personal trainer!

My advice to others

You never know what you will like until you end up trying it. Don't let your image of what you "think" you need to have as a job limit your exploration of other opportunities. Sometimes you may find happiness and success in something you never imagined doing. That's where I am now!