Director of Product Studio - Future Lab

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 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:

Mattel’s Future Lab is at the forefront of play innovation, expanding beyond traditional toy categories into tech-enabled products, digital experiences, and services. Future Lab is pioneering the future of play by identifying, validating, and launching innovative concepts that meet evolving consumer needs while delivering business growth.

Future Lab operates through four core verticals:

• The Discovery Team: Focused on harvesting, incubating, and validating new ideas.
• The Product Studio: Responsible for the development, launch, and operation of validated products.
• The Strategic Partnerships team: Manages external innovation, strategic partnerships, financial oversight, and business storytelling to drive Future Lab’s success.
• The MDS Digital Strategy: Focused on long-range strategic planning, financial and operational excellence. The team identifies growth opportunities, optimizes portfolio performance, and ensures alignment with Mattel’s enterprise goals.

Job Description

The Opportunity: 

As the Director of Future Lab’s Product Studio, you will play a pivotal role in redefining the future of play. Your leadership will drive innovative product solutions that inspire joy and creativity in millions of fans worldwide. By leading a multidisciplinary team, you will bridge cutting-edge technology with Mattel's iconic brands to deliver transformative digital products, experiences, and services.

You will be responsible for leading and managing the execution arm of Mattel’s Future Lab, taking validated concepts from the Future Lab Discovery Team, transforming them into successful market-ready products, and growing them into commercially successful products (as well as continuing to operate existing products in market). You will oversee a multidisciplinary team of Product Managers, Digital Producers, UI/UX Designers, and Marketers, and coordinate efforts across internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely, high-quality, and cost-effective product launches and growing product performance.

This role requires expertise in Product Management, team leadership, and strategic execution within a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of navigating complex corporate structures, managing diverse stakeholder groups, and delivering best-in-class transformative consumer products.

Do you or someone you know have a passion to create products that inspire, entertain, and delight fans of all ages worldwide?

Join us to create the future of play.

What Your Impact Will Be: 

• Strategic Leadership:
  • Define and drive the strategic direction of the Future Lab Product Studio, ensuring alignment with Future Lab’s mission to pioneer play innovation and Mattel’s overarching digital transformation and business goals.
  • Develop and maintain processes to efficiently transition concepts from validation to execution.
  • Identify and implement innovative go-to-market strategies.
• Execution and Delivery:
  • Foster seamless collaboration with the Future Lab Discovery Team to ensure validated concepts are transitioned effectively into scalable, market-ready products.
  • Oversee the end-to-end product lifecycle, from post-Discovery development to market launch and post-launch operation, ensuring high-quality, timely, and within-budget delivery.
  • Build consensus and maintain alignment with cross-functional teams, including the Discovery Team, Mattel’s Global Brand Teams, the Mattel Digital Studios leadership, Executive Stakeholders, and external partners.
  • Direct and manage a high-performing team, to ensure reliable product operations, iterating based on consumer insights, product metrics, and market trends.
• Team Management:
  • Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team of Product Managers, Digital Producers, UI/UX Designers, and Marketers.
  • Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
  • Cultivate an inclusive, innovative team environment that values diverse perspectives and fosters creative problem-solving.
• Stakeholder Management:
  • Act as a primary liaison between Future Lab and Mattel’s Global Brand Teams and Executive leadership, ensuring clear communication and alignment on priorities.
  • Collaborate with both internal and external technical teams to support seamless execution.
• Innovation and Industry Trends:
  • Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitor products to inform product development strategies.
  • Develop scalable products that meet global consumer needs, leveraging data-driven insights and technology frameworks.
  • Ensure the studio adopts Agile methodologies and leverages modern project management tools.
• Risk and Financial Management:
  • Identify and mitigate potential risks throughout the production process.
  • Manage production budgets, resource allocation, and project costs, ensuring financial targets are met.

Qualifications

What We’re Looking For:

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s degree in business, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Design, or a related field.
  • Advanced degrees (MBA or MS) are strongly preferred.
• Experience:
  • 6+ years post-graduate experience or 8+ years post-undergrad in Product Management or related roles.
  • Proven track record of successfully managing digital product development teams in a fast-paced environment.
  • Demonstrable experience leading cross-functional teams in the development and delivery of digital or tech products.
  • Proven success in navigating complex corporate environments and managing diverse stakeholder groups.
  • Preferred experience with emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), and User-Generated Content (UGC) platforms, to inform and enhance product development strategies.
• Skills:
  • Strategic planning: Ability to articulate a clear product vision and translate it into actionable production plans. Experience creating and executing a clear production roadmap aligned with business goals and user needs.
  • Decision-making and Risk Management: Demonstrated ability to make timely, informed decisions under pressure while proactively identifying and mitigating risks throughout the production process, balancing technical feasibility, budget constraints, and market demands.
  • Execution expertise: Comprehensive understanding of the entire digital / tech product development lifecycle, including design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance across various platforms (web, mobile apps, etc.). Experience with physical/hardware products preferred.
  • Financial Planning and Budget Management: Experience forecasting and planning long-term product business plans, as well as managing multiple P&L statements. Experience in managing production budgets, allocating resources efficiently, and tracking project costs to meet project/product goals
  • Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, as well as executive leadership.
  • Agile Methodology: Demonstrated leadership in implementing and scaling Agile transformations, including PI Planning and cross-functional collaboration within Agile frameworks. Expertise in Agile methodologies and tools such as Jira and Confluence, with the ability to foster a culture of adaptability to evolving priorities and market demands.
  • Data Analysis: Proficiency in using data analytics tools to monitor metrics, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions. Proven ability to derive insights from data and move insights into action.
  • Leadership and Team Building: Exceptional leadership and team-building skills, with a focus on employee growth and development. Ability to build, inspire, and lead a high-performing production team with diverse skill sets.
  • Market Awareness: Staying updated on industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitor landscape to inform product development decisions.

The annual base salary range for this position is between $182,000 and $223,000.
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. Mattel offers competitive total pay programs, comprehensive benefits, and resources to help empower a culture where every employee can reach their full potential.

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.

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 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.

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.

Videos to watch:
The Culture at Mattel
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