Senior Manager, Brand Creative

Job Description

CREATIVITY IS OUR SUPERPOWER. It’s our heritage and it’s also our future. Because we don’t just make toys. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire fans, entertain audiences and develop children through play. Mattel is at its best when every member of our team feels respected, included, and heard—when everyone can show up as themselves and do their best work every day. We value and share an infinite range of ideas and voices that evolve and broaden our perspectives with a reach that extends into all our brands, partners, and suppliers.

The Opportunity: 
Mattel’s in-house Brand Creative team is looking for a Senior Manager, Art Director to lead integrated marketing communications for our iconic Vehicle brands. This dynamic leader will inspire a creative team responsible for Matchbox, Disney Pixar Cars, and the #1 selling toy in the world – Hot Wheels! We’re looking for a highly strategic and conceptual thinker, a dreamer and a doer, a consumer-obsessed storyteller with an entrepreneurial, self-starter mentality that can cut through a highly matrixed organization with unwavering grit, a collaborative spirit, and a relentless pursuit of great.

What Your Impact Will Be: 
KEY RESULTS AREAS: This position will provide day-to-day creative leadership and accountability in the development of branding and marketing communications, with a focus on the Hot Wheels brand and Hot Wheels Monster Trucks sub-brand, with specific duties and responsibilities including, but not limited to:

· Develop Compelling Brand Foundations and Visual Identities: Implement and maintain brand foundations and visual identities that elevate our brands and provide engaging user experiences across all global platforms.

· Provide Strategic Consulting Across Teams: Act as a creative consultant to cross-functional teams, offering expert guidance on brand strategy, creative direction, and market trends to influence and elevate marketing initiatives.

· Collaborate with Cross-Functional Teams: Effectively communicate and collaborate with teams across Marketing, Media, Account Management, Social, Content, Product Design, Packaging, PR, eCommerce, Production, Live Events, Trade Shows, Franchise, and Project Management.

· Lead Cross-Functional Development of Brand and Product Campaigns: Lead the development of consumer-centric, idea-led communications that engage our consumers, ignite our brand equities, and achieve business results.

· Collaborate with the Production Team on YouTube Content: Consult and provide creative direction to the internal production team in the creation of engaging YouTube content, ensuring alignment with brand strategies and maximizing audience engagement.

· Lead Paid Social Media Initiatives: Oversee the strategy, development, and execution of paid social media campaigns across platforms such as Meta, Instagram, TikTok, and emerging channels.

· Collaborate Closely with Social Media Team: Work in partnership with the social media team to align creative assets with social strategies, ensuring cohesive brand messaging and maximizing engagement.

· Collaborate with the Digital Gaming Team:

· Partner with the Digital Gaming team to bring our brands to life by engaging in every aspect—from concept and development through to marketing—extending our brands through immersive gaming experiences across all platforms.

· Provide Consultation to Live Events Team:

Consult on extending the brand from toy to live events, ensuring the brand is conveyed appropriately. Provide creative direction to help the teams reinterpret the brand where necessary to effectively activate for target audiences.

· Mentor and Guide Team Members: Provide mentorship and guidance not only to direct reports but also to the entire team and cross-functional colleagues. Inspire and empower all team members to achieve their project and professional goals, fostering a culture of growth, collaboration, and creativity across the organization.

· Drive High-Quality Work with External Partners: Provide clear and actionable art direction to external agencies and vendors, ensuring consistent, high-quality work that aligns with our brand standards.

· Prioritize and Manage Multiple Projects: Actively prioritize multiple projects to enable the team to efficiently deliver on time and on budget, maintaining a high standard of work across all initiatives.

· Communicate Effectively with Stakeholders: Ensure clarity and alignment by effectively communicating with all key stakeholders, including category leads, cross-functional teams, and executive leadership.

What We’re Looking For: 

· Must have 8+ years minimum in leading creative teams, art direction, graphic design or similar field.

· Design firm/agency experience as Art Director strongly preferred

· Must have experience in all forms of integrated marketing communications; print, digital/web, video production, animation, and experiential.

· Must be a strategic thought leader, creative storyteller, and passionate culture-builder.

· Must have experience marketing to multi-generational audiences, from kids to parents/shoppers to adult fans.

· Must be tapped in, knowledgeable, and inspired by trends across pop culture, design, entertainment, automotive and media.

· Must have ability to distill complex concepts and ideas into succinct solutions.

· Must have ability to influence others, while being open-minded to diverse perspectives

· Must have strong and clear communication skills, cross-functional relationship builder.

INTANGIBLES:

· Must be an empathetic, inspiring and motivating leader.

· Must be relentlessly curiosity, creating a culture of insight and innovation.

· Must be collaborative, with a focus on team empowerment and accountability.

· Must have an eye for the big picture and the ability to connect the dots.

· Must be entrepreneurial with the ability to self-start and overcome challenges quickly.

· Must be willing to roll up sleeves and do the work when needed.

· Must find and inspire joy in the work we’re privileged to do.

· Must have relentless passion and vision, always striving to make the work better.

· Must have curiosity to learn from others, seeking out and appreciating different perspectives.

The annual base salary range for this position is between $124,000.00 and $180,000.00.
**This range is indicative of projected hiring range, however annual base salary will be determined based on a candidate’s work location, skills and experience.

Don’t meet every single requirement? At Mattel we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

How We Work:

We are a purpose driven company aiming to empower generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. We live up to our purpose employing the following behaviors:

• We collaborate: Being a part of Mattel means being part of one team with shared values and common goals. Every person counts and working closely together always brings better results. Partnership is our process and our collective capabilities is our superpower.
• We innovate: At Mattel we always aim to find new and better ways to create innovative products and experiences. No matter where you work in the organization, you can always make a difference and have real impact. We welcome new ideas and value new initiatives that challenge conventional thinking.
• We execute: We are a performance-driven company. We strive for excellence and are focused on pursuing best-in-class outcomes. We believe in accountability and ownership and know that our people are at their best when they are empowered to create and deliver results.

Our Approach to Flexible Work:

We embrace a flexible work model designed to empower a culture of growth, optimism, and wellbeing, where every employee can reach their full potential. Combining purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility, our focus is to optimize performance and drive connection for moments that matter.

Who We Are:

Mattel is a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world. We engage consumers and fans through our franchise brands, including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Thomas & Friends, UNO, Masters of the Universe, Matchbox, Monster High, MEGA and Polly Pocket, as well as other popular properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include toys, content, consumer products, digital and live experiences. Our products are sold in more than 195 countries in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies.

Mattel is recognized as a Great Place to Work™ and as one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2022.

Visit us at https://jobs.mattel.com/ and www.instagram.com/MattelCareers.

Mattel is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer where we want you to bring your authentic self to work every day. We welcome all job seekers including minorities, females, veterans, military spouses, individuals with disabilities, and those of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

Pursuant to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment.