Responsibilities

• The Opportunity: The Associate Manager, Brand Strategy & Marketing will assist with defining the long-term brand equity, positioning, and cross-category strategy while also driving day-to-day brand activations, in partnership with internal cross-functional teams and external agencies. The Associate Manager will focus on the Barbie kid business, developing and executing strategies that define the brand strategy, accelerate brand awareness, drive launches and grow the full franchise business.
• Brand Strategy - Support annual brand planning, strategic milestones and key business updates across the Barbie brand
• Brand Strategy - Partner with Toy and Franchise Marketing to ensure strategic alignment and brand consistency across products, content, experiences, retail, and franchise initiatives
• Brand Strategy - Partner with Insights to analyze consumer, cultural, competitive, and franchise performance trends and develop strategic recommendations that inform brand strategy
• Brand Strategy - Partner with Brand Creative to develop integrated marketing campaigns that translate brand strategy into compelling consumer experiences
• Brand Strategy - Partner with Mattel Studios to ensure content aligns with brand strategy and business objectives
• Brand Strategy - Serve as the central point of coordination across content, product, experiences, retail and marketing teams
• Brand Strategy - Develop executive-ready presentations and strategic narratives to communicate brand priorities and recommendations
• Brand Activation - With leadership, plan brand “moments” (anniversaries, entertainment launches, retail programs) that support all businesses at retail and work with commercial partners to ensure flawless execution
• Brand Activation - Translate brand strategy into campaigns, content, and activations

Requirements

• 5+ years (3 years with MBA) experience in brand strategy/marketing (on brand or agency side), franchise management/marketing, content marketing, or purpose-driven strategy/marketing
• Experience managing a portfolio spanning multiple categories (toys, apparel, publishing, etc.)
• Self-starter who is detail oriented, driven, focused, pro-active and collaborative
• Strategic thinking: Ability to define brand vision and multi-year roadmaps
• Consumer insights & research: Strong understanding of consumer psychology, brand equity drivers, and cultural trends. Ability to synthesize data and pull insights to create recommendations
• Thorough understanding of marketing mix and KPIs
• Portfolio management: Balancing toys and non-toy CP categories under a unified brand
• Cross-functional leadership: Skilled at influencing Design, Product, Marketing, and Franchise teams without direct authority
• Financial acumen: Experience with P&L at the brand or category level