Manager, Brand Creative (Art Director)

El Segundo, CA, United States

Company 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, entertain 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.

Job Description

The Opportunity:

…Are you a passionate creative who is ready to be part of a world class creative team?

…Are you a visionary storyteller who can challenge the status quo and think beyond the brief?

…Are you a pop culture nostalgia nerd who gets excited about remixing iconic brands and collaborating with leading partners across entertainment, fashion, art and design?

If you answered yes, you may be looking at your dream job, my friend.

Mattel’s in-house brand creative team is looking for a seasoned Design focused Art Director to create impactful work for Mattel Creations, a premier adult collector and shopper destination for Mattel’s iconic portfolio of brands. The ideal candidate is a dreamer and a doer; they’re gifted in conceptualizing brand and product stories while collaborating to express them across the entire consumer journey. Must be an entrepreneurial self-starter who can cut through a matrixed organization with unwavering class, a collaborative spirit, and a relentless pursuit of what’s next. Success will be measured not just by tangible business metrics, but also intangible metrics around the health and productivity of our creative studio culture that we value.

What Your Impact Will Be:

The scope of responsibilities encompasses full brand stewardship across the Mattel Creations brand including the Adult Collector DTC website, social channels, and events. Specific duties and responsibilities including, but not limited to:

Instigate and elevate strategic thought leadership and creative excellence for all marketing communications assets; purpose-driven platforms, brand and product campaigns, product collaboration narratives, merchandising assets, CRM, experiential, content, retail/ecommerce.

Lead development and execution of a consistent, compelling creative strategy and visual identity that elevates the Mattel Creations brand and engages our adult audiences.

Ensure global consistency, relevance, and effectiveness as we expand Mattel Creations collector site to new markets and audiences.

High-touch collaboration with eCommerce, Marketing, PR, and Product Design to drive long-term strategy with short-term nimbleness to activate trend-driven collaboration opportunities, both owned and with external creators, artists, and leading brands. Check out MattelCreations.com to see our most recent work.

Develop a strong editorial stance and non-drop content development strategy for Mattel Creations.

Work with internal experiential team to strengthen Mattel Creations global event presence and activation strategies.

Inspire and guide creative output across a multi-functional team of art directors, designers, copywriters, still and motion graphic artists.

Drive excellence in execution today, while charting a course for what’s next.

Actively prioritize multiple projects at any given time to enable team to efficiently deliver on time and on budget.

Effectively and clearly communicate with both internal team and key stakeholders to clearly articulate a creative POV for all work.

Qualifications

What We’re Looking For:

A portfolio demonstrating solid experience in graphic design and art direction

At least 8 years’ of experience in Visual Communications, Graphic Design or similar field, leading creatives across multiple discipline

Experience, passion, and deep knowledge of the industry (Branding, Design, Advertising, eCommerce, and Digital Marketing experience)

Excellent organizational and communication skills

Strong interpersonal skills that encourage team cooperation

Demonstrated a growth mindset by staying curious and continuously learning, embracing challenges, and improving themselves.

SKILLS:

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

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

Must be an expert in brand expression; voice & tone, design principles and guidelines

Must have experience in all forms of creative; print, digital, video, animation, copy writing, packaging, environments and experiential

Must have discerning taste and a progressive approach to design

Must have experience in digital marketing best practices

Must have experience in photo / video shoot oversight

INTANGIBLES:

Because we’re seeking experience and expertise in so many dimensions, the candidate must have passion and persistence to continually develop and nurture an already amazing team and must:

BE COLLABORATIVE with a focus on team empowerment and accountability.

BE ACCOUNTABLE for everything you touch, modeling that behavior for all.

BE RELENTLESS in your obsession to learn, grow and inspire yourself and your team.

BE ENTREPRENEURIAL, self-motivated, and relentlessly overcome challenges quickly.

BE A LEADER who understands it’s not about being in charge , rather taking care of those in your charge.

BE EMPATHETIC by taking your work seriously, but not taking yourself too seriously.

BE FLEXIBLE with ability to charter a course but be willing to pivot on a dime.

The annual base salary range for this position is between $96,000 and $144,000.

**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.

Additional Information

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.

What It’s Like to Work Here:

We are a purpose driven company aiming to empower the next generation 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 company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Thomas & Friends, UNO and MEGA, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music and live events. We operate in 35 locations and our products are available in more than 150 countries 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 children to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.

Mattel is recognized for the second year in a row 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.

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