Associate Manager, Marketing Activation - Dolls (US)

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: 
Support the development and execution of commercial marketing strategies for the Dolls portfolio across the United States. The Associate Marketing Manager will translate global brand strategies into locally relevant activation plans that drive brand growth, consumer engagement, and commercial performance across key retailers and omnichannel partners.

This role serves as a key cross-functional partner across Global Brand Marketing, Sales, Omnichannel Retail Marketing, Demand Planning, Consumer Insights, Finance, Licensing, and Retail customers to develop and execute integrated marketing programs that deliver business results.

The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking, strong business acumen, project management excellence, analytical rigor, and exceptional communication skills. They are comfortable leading cross-functional initiatives, translating data into recommendations, and managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

What Your Impact Will Be: 

Marketing Planning & Activation

• Partner with the Senior Marketing Manager to develop integrated commercial marketing plans that translate global brand strategies into successful US activation plans.
• Lead the development of retailer and consumer activation plans, marketing briefs, launch strategies, and promotional calendars across assigned brands.
• Develop activation strategies that align with brand objectives, commercial priorities, retailer opportunities, and consumer insights.
• Manage execution of marketing initiatives across retail activations, partnerships, promotional events, and omnichannel campaigns.
• Define project timelines, key deliverables, success metrics, and cross-functional responsibilities to ensure flawless execution.
• Identify opportunities to improve marketing effectiveness through innovation, new activation approaches, and learnings from previous programs.

Retail & Sales Support

• Partner closely with Sales, Omnichannel Retail Marketing, and retailer teams to develop customer-specific marketing plans that drive distribution, velocity, and category growth.
• Serve as the marketing expert for assigned brands, maintaining a comprehensive understanding of every SKU including product features, pricing, launch timing, retailer distribution, embargo dates, promotional support, historical performance, POS trends, and business objectives.
• Develop retailer presentations, seasonal selling materials, customer marketing plans, and business updates that support retailer line reviews and selling initiatives.
• Lead execution of retailer-exclusive programs, promotional events, and channel-specific marketing activations.
• Gather retailer feedback and marketplace insights to influence future commercial strategies.

Business Performance & Insights

• Analyze POS performance, retail trends, consumer insights, competitive activity, and category performance to identify business opportunities and risks.
• Monitor performance of marketing activations and recommend optimizations to maximize commercial results.
• Develop post-program analyses that evaluate campaign effectiveness and provide actionable recommendations.
• Create compelling presentations that clearly communicate business performance, strategic recommendations, and marketing opportunities to leadership.
• Partner with Demand Planning, Sales, and Analytics teams to support forecasting assumptions, promotional planning, and business planning.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead cross-functional workstreams across Global Brand Marketing, Sales, Retail Marketing, Demand Planning, Creative, Consumer Insights, Finance, Licensing, and external partners.
• Drive alignment across stakeholders by facilitating meetings, managing project timelines, and proactively resolving issues.
• Coordinate development of licensor presentations, retailer materials, launch communications, and executional assets.
• Influence decisions through thoughtful recommendations supported by business analysis and consumer insights.
• Share emerging consumer, retail, and competitive trends that can shape future marketing strategies and commercialization opportuni

What We’re Looking For: 

• 5 years of experience (3 years with MBA) in marketing, brand marketing, shopper marketing, retail marketing, trade marketing, commercial marketing, or consumer products.
• Experience developing and executing integrated marketing programs across retail and omnichannel environments.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Strong analytical skills with experience interpreting sales, retail, consumer, and marketing performance data.
• Ability to transform data into compelling business stories and actionable recommendations.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and organizational skills.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Advanced proficiency in PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience within consumer products, toys, entertainment, licensing, or retail is preferred.
• Experience working with major retailers (Target, Walmart, Amazon, Costco, etc.) is preferred.
• Passion for brands, consumer engagement, and delivering best-in-class marketing execution.

Key Skills & Competencies

Strategic Thinking

• Demonstrates strong analytical and creative thinking with the ability to connect consumer, retail, and business insights into clear marketing strategies. Understands how commercial marketing drives business growth and develops thoughtful recommendations that balance brand objectives with retailer needs. Presents ideas through compelling storytelling supported by data.

Delivers Impact

• Takes ownership of key business initiatives and consistently delivers high-quality work. Proactively identifies opportunities and solves problems while managing multiple priorities. Drives projects forward through strong execution, accountability, and attention to detail.

Highly Adaptable

• Thrives in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and ambiguity. Demonstrates curiosity, embraces new ways of working, and continuously seeks opportunities to improve processes and marketing effectiveness.

Collaboration & Influence

• Builds strong relationships across functions and communicates effectively with a wide range of stakeholders. Leads cross-functional teams through influence, aligns diverse perspectives, and develops consensus to deliver business objectives.

Executive Presence

• Communicates confidently with leaders, licensors, retailers, and cross-functional partners. Develops polished presentations, articulates strategic recommendations clearly, and effectively represents the Marketing Activation team in meetings and business reviews.

Don’t meet every single requirement? At Mattel, we are dedicated to an inclusive workplace and a culture of belonging. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. Join Mattel's Talent Community and start receiving exciting updates about our company, our employees, and our culture. Also, interested in signing up for job alerts? Do so here!

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:
This role is an in-office role Monday-Thursday, and work from home on Fridays. 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 collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.

Mattel’s award-winning workplace culture has been recognized by Forbes, Fast Company, Newsweek, Great Place to Work, TIME, and more.

Visit us at https://jobs.mattel.com/ and www.instagram.com/MattelCareers.
Beware of recruiting scams: Mattel will only contact you through official @mattel.com or @smartrecruiters.com email addresses and will never ask for payment or sensitive personal information during the hiring process.

Mattel is an Equal Opportunity Employer where we want you to bring your authentic self to work every day. We welcome all job seekers, and all applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran and protected veteran status, disability status, and or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

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.

The pay range for this position is between $110,000 and $135,000 annually. The pay range is indicative of projected hiring range, however base pay will be determined based on a candidate’s work location, skills and experience. Mattel offers competitive total pay programs, comprehensive benefits, and resources to help empower a culture where every employee can reach their full potential. 
 

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