Sr Manager, Brand Strategy & Marketing - Barbie

Sr Manager, Brand Strategy & Marketing - Barbie

The Sr. Manager, Brand Strategy & Marketing will lead the development of Barbie's long-term brand strategy, positioning, and cross-category growth with a strong emphasis on engaging and expanding Barbie's global adult fan community. This role will drive strategies that deepen emotional connection, cultural relevance, and brand affinity among adult fans, while continuing to strengthen Barbie's appeal across generations.

The Sr. Manager will shape and execute initiatives that elevate Barbie as a lifestyle and cultural icon through digital storytelling, premium collaborations, fandom engagement, entertainment, cultural moments, and immersive brand experiences that grow the full Barbie ecosystem globally.

Brand Strategy

• Partner with leadership to define Barbie's long-term brand vision, positioning, and cultural role with a focus on lifelong fandom and adult audience engagement
• Steward brand equity across all categories (toys and franchise verticals)
• Lead consumer insights and trend analysis to understand evolving behaviors, motivations, and passion points of adult fans, collectors, gift givers, parents, and pop culture audiences
• Develop portfolio strategy in partnership with leadership to expand Barbie across categories and consumer segments
• Establish global brand guardrails to ensure consistency while enabling creative expression
• Partner with Toy and Franchise Marketing to ensure cohesive brand expression across products, experiences, and retail
• Serve as the cross-functional integrator across content, product, experiences, retail, and marketing

Brand Activation

• Plan and lead culturally relevant brand "moments" (collaborations, tentpole campaigns, retail programs)
• Translate brand strategy into breakthrough campaigns, content, and activations that resonate globally
• Develop and execute integrated marketing plans (digital, retail, social, influencer, events, PR)
• Manage media strategy in partnership with regional marketing teams and creative production with internal/external partners
• Ensure all creative execution aligns with Barbie's brand guardrails, purpose, and storytelling standards
• Create compelling brand narratives that drive engagement, brand love, and lifelong loyalty
• In partnership with Brand Creative, manage external agencies' scope, strategy, and performance
• Track and report on campaign performance (awareness, engagement, conversion)
• Monitor brand health across consumer engagement, sales performance, and cultural relevance

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in marketing, with 3–5 years in brand marketing
• Experience in franchise marketing, entertainment/content marketing, retail/commercial marketing, social media, PR, and influencer strategy preferred
• Experience managing a multi-category portfolio (toys, fashion, publishing, entertainment, etc.)
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to define brand vision and multi-year growth roadmaps
• Deep understanding of consumer insights, cultural trends, and brand equity drivers; ability to translate data into actionable strategies
• Strong grasp of marketing mix and KPIs
• Culturally attuned, bold thinker who can balance creativity with data-driven decision-making
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly creative environment
• Proven cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority
• Financial acumen with experience managing brand or category-level P&L
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills; ability to influence senior leadership
• Strong PowerPoint and presentation skills; proficiency in Outlook, Word, and Excel
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams

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.

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.

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.

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.