Business Development Manager, Digital Games - Mattel Digital Studios

Mattel•El Segundo, CA

About The Position

Mattel Digital Studios is seeking a strategic and results-oriented Business Development Manager, Digital Games, to play a leadership role in managing developer relations, first-party platform relations, and technology partnerships. This individual will help drive growth across Mattel’s expanding digital games portfolio through the identification, negotiation, and management of high-impact strategic partnerships. As a manager-level contributor, this role requires strong business judgment, executive presence, and the ability to independently lead complex partnership discussions across internal and external stakeholders. The Business Development Manager will serve as a key representative of Mattel Digital Studios within the gaming ecosystem and will be expected to influence strategic decisions, drive alignment across cross-functional teams, and help shape long-term digital growth initiatives. The Business Development Manager will be responsible for creating long-term value by sourcing and evaluating new business opportunities, supporting go-to-market initiatives, and managing key external relationships across the gaming ecosystem. This role requires strong strategic thinking, creative problem solving, negotiation skills, partnership management, and direct experience within the mobile games ecosystem — preferably at a publisher, developer, platform, or gaming technology company. The ideal candidate is passionate about games and interactive entertainment, highly collaborative, analytically driven, and has a strong understanding of mobile game publishing, platform strategy, user acquisition trends, monetization models, and live-service operations. They should be comfortable operating autonomously, presenting to senior leadership, and managing partnerships that have meaningful business impact across the organization.

Requirements

5+ years of professional experience within the mobile games, gaming, or interactive entertainment ecosystem
Demonstrated experience operating at a manager level within business development, strategic partnerships, publishing, platform relations, or account management
Proven ability to independently manage complex partnership discussions and drive initiatives from strategy through execution
Strong understanding of mobile game publishing strategies, platform ecosystems, monetization models, live operations, and user acquisition trends
Exceptional relationship management, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders internally and externally
Strong project management capabilities with keen attention to detail and ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously
Proven negotiation skills and experience structuring and closing strategic partnership agreements
Passion for gaming and understanding of global games market trends
Proactive in identifying opportunities, highly curious, and driven to rapidly iterate and improve processes and outcomes
Strong quantitative and analytical skills with an emphasis on data-driven decision-making
Experience creating presentations, business cases, forecasts, and partnership recommendations for executive audiences
Strong sense of ownership, accountability, professionalism, and collaboration
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving, and highly collaborative environment
BA/BS degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or related field

Responsibilities

Lead strategic business development initiatives that support the long-term growth of Mattel Digital Studios’ digital games portfolio
Own and manage high-value external relationships across developers, platforms, licensors, and technology partners
Identify strategic growth opportunities across mobile, cross-platform, and emerging digital game segments
Source, evaluate, and manage partnerships with game developers, publishing partners, middleware providers, and technology vendors
Drive partner success across Mattel Digital Studios through effective relationship management and cross-functional collaboration
Cultivate and maintain senior-level relationships with first-party platforms
Act as a key stakeholder in evaluating new game concepts, licensing opportunities, and co-development partnerships aligned with Mattel’s global portfolio strategy
Lead cross-functional alignment on deal terms, scope, business models, strategic priorities, and execution plans across legal, finance, marketing, product, and leadership teams
Lead contract negotiations in coordination with executives and legal teams
Build business cases, forecasts, and financial models to support partnership decisions and investment opportunities
Analyze market trends, competitive activity, player behavior, and platform opportunities to inform strategic recommendations and leadership decisions
Develop compelling presentations, partnership proposals, and executive-ready reports for internal and external stakeholders
Operate and maintain an active pipeline of partnership leads and opportunities aligned with Mattel’s digital growth strategy
Support launch planning and ongoing partner management to ensure successful execution and long-term value creation
Represent Mattel Digital Studios at industry events, conferences, and partner meetings to expand strategic relationships and identify emerging opportunities