Associate Manager, Brand Strategy & Marketing - Barbie

Mattel•El Segundo, CA

About The Position

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.

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

Responsibilities

Support annual brand planning, strategic milestones and key business updates across the Barbie brand
Partner with Toy and Franchise Marketing to ensure strategic alignment and brand consistency across products, content, experiences, retail, and franchise initiatives
Partner with Insights to analyze consumer, cultural, competitive, and franchise performance trends and develop strategic recommendations that inform brand strategy
Partner with Brand Creative to develop integrated marketing campaigns that translate brand strategy into compelling consumer experiences
Partner with Mattel Studios to ensure content aligns with brand strategy and business objectives
Serve as the central point of coordination across content, product, experiences, retail and marketing teams
Develop executive-ready presentations and strategic narratives to communicate brand priorities and recommendations
Plan brand “moments” (anniversaries, entertainment launches, retail programs) that support all businesses at retail and work with commercial partners to ensure flawless execution
Translate brand strategy into campaigns, content, and activations
Plan integrated marketing plans (digital, retail, social, influencer, events, PR) and work with commercial partners to execute
Ensure media strategy is executed well across regions, and manage day-to-day creative production
Ensure creative execution stays consistent with brand positioning (via brand guardrails) and product highlights
Ensure brand stories are executed well to drive demand generation, brand love, and consumer loyalty
Manage day-to-day execution of agency scope in partnership with brand creative
Track & report on campaign performance (awareness, engagement, conversion)
Track & report on franchise health through consumer engagement, sales performance, and cultural impact