Associate Manager Project Mgmnt

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 Team:

Innovation Ventures is where Mattel builds what's next. As our entrepreneurial innovation studio, Innovation Ventures exists to create the next generation of breakthrough brands, new business models, and entirely new ways to play. Operating with the agility of a startup and the resources of one of the world's leading toy companies, our team turns emerging consumer insights into bold new concepts that have the potential to become Mattel's next growth driver. If you're energized by ambiguity, passionate about solving problems in new ways, and excited by the opportunity to build something from the ground up, Innovation Ventures offers the rare chance to shape the future of play while making a lasting impact on Mattel's long-term growth.

Job Description

The Opportunity: 

 

The Associate Project Manager will be a key member of the Portfolio Planning team within Global Supply Chain. This position will lead strategic projects and new product launch initiatives from early planning through launch readiness, ensuring clear plans, ownership, milestones and decision points are established across functions.

The successful candidate will be a highly effective project leader who can bring structure to complex and ambiguous initiatives, establish scalable processes, and influence cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority. This individual will serve as a central point of coordination across Brand, Product Development, Commercial, Demand Planning, Supply Planning and other key partners to ensure risks are identified early, decisions are made at the appropriate level, and teams remain aligned to deliver against launch objectives.

What Your Impact Will Be: 

• Lead complex cross-functional projects and new product launch initiatives, establishing clear objectives, scope, deliverables, milestones, ownership and governance.
• Develop and maintain integrated project and launch plans that connect key activities and dependencies across Brand, Product Development, Commercial, Demand Planning, Supply Planning and other functions.
• Serve as a cross-functional orchestration lead, bringing stakeholders together to drive alignment, resolve issues and maintain accountability against agreed plans.
• Establish project management processes, operating rhythms, tools and governance that provide consistent visibility to status, risks, dependencies and decisions required.
• Proactively identify project and launch risks, assess business impact, develop mitigation plans and facilitate timely escalation and resolution.
• Lead cross-functional meetings and working sessions with clear objectives, decisions, actions, owners and follow-through.
• Influence stakeholders without direct authority to drive decisions, accountability and execution across multiple functions and levels of the organization.
• Partner with functional teams to clarify roles, responsibilities, decision rights and handoffs throughout the project and launch lifecycle.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize and improve processes; lead implementation of sustainable solutions across brands and functions.
• Translate complex project information into concise updates and recommendations for senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Capture project learnings and establish repeatable processes and best practices that can be scaled across future launches.
• Partner with Portfolio Governance & Intelligence to leverage portfolio metrics, analytics and reporting to inform project priorities, risks and decisions.

Qualifications

What We’re Looking For: 

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Project Management, Operations, Product Development or related field; advanced degree a plus.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in project/program management, supply chain, product development, operations or related functions; consumer products experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional projects from planning through execution.
• Strong project management capability, including project planning, milestone management, dependency management, risk mitigation and issue resolution.
• Proven ability to create structure and establish processes in ambiguous or evolving environments.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives, priorities and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Strong facilitation skills with the ability to lead cross-functional discussions, navigate differing perspectives and drive teams toward decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with both working teams and senior leadership.
• Strong business judgment and problem-solving capability; able to distinguish critical issues from routine execution and escalate appropriately.
• Comfortable working across global teams, functions and time zones.
• Proficiency with project management and business tools such as Workfront, PowerPoint and Excel; experience with Tableau or other visualization tools beneficial.
• Demonstrated growth mindset with a focus on continuous improvement, learning and developing more effective ways of working.

Additional Information

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.

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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 $130,000. 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. 

Videos to watch:
The Culture at Mattel
Corporate Philanthropy