Senior Associate, Project Management

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: 

The Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) - Marketing Operations Division is looking for a Senior Associate Project Manager with a passion and focus on operational structure, procedures and team collaboration. This position will produce and support design projects, interfacing with cross-functional teams to ensure on-time/on-budget delivery on all projects. Ideal candidate should have a project management or producer-type experience at an in-house creative team or creative agency model. This is an in-office position – reporting to Mattel’s headquarters in El Segundo, California four (4) days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) with the ability to work remotely on Fridays.

What Your Impact Will Be: 

• Independently lead day-to-day project management from inception to completion for small-to-mid-level projects (such as, but not limited to): guides, brand identity, 360 campaigns, retail/eComm assets, live events, trade shows, demand creation videos (DCVs), sizzle videos and pitch materials.
• Manage intake and project setup of all briefs in Adobe Workfront​ or similar management tool.
  • Maintain project status dashboards and reports with real-time communication to the team as well as contributing to status meetings or daily stand-ups for assigned projects.
• Coordinate with Creative Team to ensure deliverables are all met from brief
  • Interface and maintain relationships with key cross-functional partners as well as outside design/production resources to complete all project deliverables.
• Develop and maintain timelines for all projects, in support of Account Management ​to deliver on-time
  • Communicate with entire project team to develop project plan and schedule in order to ensure on time delivery within a fluctuating workload and ever-changing business environment
• Tracks resource allocation for all projects and inform resourcing plans & scope​
• Partner with Account Management, Production and Operations Center of Excellence (COE) to open and track budget line-items and tasks at project initiation​
  • Maintain budgets based on available funds, obtain estimates with internal and external sources using various finance/accounting software to track project expenditures, open purchase orders, identify if scope or budget changes are needed, assist with monthly billing processes, and reconcile jobs upon completion.
• Lead all submissions of creative development work through Legal/Standards & Practices in support of Account Management​
• Monitor and document global approvals in Workfront or similar management tool, in support of Account Management​
  • Liaison with client groups, internal creatives and external vendors to facilitate timely and successful completion of creative
• Partner with Channel/Asset Management teams on trafficking of final assets
  • Upload final files to Digital Asset Management (DAM) system for global distribution and archiving.
  • Fulfill and respond to asset requests submitted to department on a daily basis.
  • Gather information from requestors on what assets are being used for, timing, and preferred file format and method of delivery
  • Thorough understanding of all file/asset delivery methods and which method is most appropriate based on request/requestor
• Document and tracks asset utilization, globally
• Assist with prioritization and drive focus for the IMC team.
  • Flexibility and agility to shift priorities quickly to meet the needs of the business

• Assist in identifying project workflow improvements and drive efficiencies.

What We’re Looking For:

• 5+ years of relevant experience in creative/marketing/communications; and/or B.A./B.S. Marketing, Business, Communications or related field (or equivalent). PMP certification a plus, but not required.
• Demonstrated Project Management experience working on creative and production projects at in-house and/or agency environment.
• Experience with a variety of media including print production, broadcast, e-comm, social media, consumer good and/or retail.
• Excellent computer skills: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat/Signature are required; familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud programs (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and Sketch a plus.
• Experience with cloud-based work management software (Adobe Workfront, Asana, Trello, Monday, Wrike, smartsheet etc.).
• Project management knowledge and theory (Agile, Kanban, SCRUM).
• Familiarity with Digital Asset Management (DAM) software and metadata, file taxonomy, nomenclature.
• Demonstrated a growth mindset by staying curious and continuously learning, embracing challenges, and improving themselves.

The annual base salary range for this position is between $88,000 and $105,000
**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.

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.

Videos to watch:
The Culture at Mattel
Mattel Investor Highlights