Associate Manager Project Mgmnt

Mattel•El Segundo, CA

24d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Project Manager will be a key member of the Portfolio Planning team within Global Supply Chain. The role leads strategic projects and new product launch initiatives from early planning through launch readiness, establishing clear plans, ownership, milestones, and decision points across functions. The successful candidate brings structure to complex and ambiguous initiatives, develops scalable processes, and influences cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority. The Associate Project Manager serves as a central coordination point across Brand, Product Development, Commercial, Demand Planning, Supply Planning, and other partners. The role ensures risks are identified early, decisions are made at the appropriate level, and teams stay aligned to launch objectives. This is an in-office role Monday through Thursday, with work from home on Fridays.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Project Management, Operations, Product Development, or a related field.
At least 5 years of relevant experience in project/program management, supply chain, product development, operations, or related functions.
Demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional projects from planning through execution.
Strong project management skills, including project planning, milestone management, dependency management, risk mitigation, and issue resolution.
Ability to create structure and establish processes in ambiguous or evolving environments.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple initiatives, priorities, and stakeholders simultaneously.
Strong facilitation skills, including leading cross-functional discussions, navigating differing perspectives, and driving teams toward decisions.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including communication with working teams and senior leadership.
Strong business judgment and problem-solving skills, with the ability to distinguish critical issues from routine execution and escalate appropriately.
Comfort working across global teams, functions, and time zones.
Proficiency with project management and business tools such as Workfront, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Demonstrated growth mindset and focus on continuous improvement, learning, and developing more effective ways of working.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
Consumer products experience.
Experience with Tableau or other visualization tools.

Responsibilities

Lead complex cross-functional projects and new product launch initiatives, defining objectives, scope, deliverables, milestones, ownership, and governance.
Develop and maintain integrated project and launch plans connecting activities and dependencies across relevant functions.
Coordinate stakeholders to drive alignment, resolve issues, and maintain accountability against agreed plans.
Establish project management processes, operating rhythms, tools, and governance that provide visibility into status, risks, dependencies, and required decisions.
Identify project and launch risks, assess business impact, develop mitigation plans, and facilitate timely escalation and resolution.
Lead cross-functional meetings and working sessions, establishing objectives, decisions, actions, owners, and follow-through.
Influence stakeholders without direct authority to drive decisions, accountability, and execution across functions and organizational levels.
Partner with functional teams to clarify roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and handoffs throughout the project and launch lifecycle.
Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, and improve processes, and lead implementation of sustainable solutions across brands and functions.
Translate complex project information into concise updates and recommendations for senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
Capture project learnings and establish repeatable processes and best practices that can scale across future launches.
Partner with Portfolio Governance & Intelligence to use portfolio metrics, analytics, and reporting to inform project priorities, risks, and decisions.