Designer - Publishing

Mattel•El Segundo, CA

1d•$80,000 - $100,000•Onsite

About The Position

Mattel, Inc. is seeking an experienced and self-motivated Designer to join its publishing group, reporting to Senior Designer. The team focuses on creating high-quality books and other publishing assets for brands including Barbie, Barney, Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels, Little People, Masters of the Universe, Monster High, Polly Pocket, Thomas and Friends, and more. The ideal candidate will be extremely creative and possess the ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously.

Requirements

3+ years experience in children’s publishing, preferably licensed publishing.
A thorough understanding of the entire publishing process and of the children’s book market.
A strong portfolio of print work and outstanding book cover designs.
Proficient in InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
Experienced in prepress, particularly the 4-color printing process, and PDF workflow.
A creative and detailed-oriented person with excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to work with minimal supervision with a wide degree of creativity and independent thinking.
Ability to multitask, adjust quickly, organize, and re-prioritize.
Ability to give and take creative direction and embrace change.
Self-motivated and able to work independently as well as collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
Ability to work calmly and maintain high standards in a fast-paced work environment and approach projects with flexibility and resourcefulness.
Excellent attention to detail and proven ability to meet deadlines.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Teams, Smartsheets, and Workfront is a plus.
Optimistic attitude and love of toys appreciated.

Responsibilities

Manage and independently design a list of 30+ original and tie-in titles per year (may include board books, 8x8s, readers, activity books, workbooks, chapter books, middle grade, YA, novelty) plus the creation of assets to support licensees including art pools.
Responsible for all stages of book design from sourcing and hiring artists/freelance designers to providing art direction, routing and making changes to layouts, creating title and series logo designs, and releasing final files to printer.
Collaborate with Editorial, Production, and Operations as needed to meet deadlines and ensure high quality.
Ensure all materials have been routed to any necessary internal and external partners for approval at key milestones and make any appropriate changes.
Review creative development from licensees on a case-by-case basis.
Identify new illustrator and format opportunities for vertical and licensee publishing lists.
Represent the publishing team at internal cross-category brand meetings and speak to the publishing team’s needs and strategy as needed.
Present asset development plans to global partners as well as covers at internal review meetings.