Director, Business Operations -Mattel Digital Studios

Mattel•El Segundo, CA

About The Position

As Director, MDS Business Operations, you will define and institutionalize the operating model for Mattel Digital Studios, establishing the governance, portfolio prioritization frameworks, financial rigor, and business cadence required to operate with the speed and discipline of a modern digital gaming publisher. You will evolve, develop, and implement consistent processes across MDS, including annual operating plans (AOP), portfolio reviews, performance reporting, and collaboration mechanisms with our partners on the Global Brand Team (GBT) and beyond. By creating scalable processes, templates, and decision-making frameworks, you will serve as a strategic bridge between MDS senior leadership and cross-functional teams across Mattel. Your work will ensure clarity of priorities, disciplined resource allocation, and seamless execution of digital strategies. This role will drive operating rhythm, portfolio governance, financial planning, and performance analytics for Mattel Digital Studios. You will establish the annual business calendar, lead quarterly business reviews, develop standardized reporting infrastructure, and drive investment tradeoff decisions across the studio portfolio. Your insights will directly influence capital allocation, greenlight decisions, and long-term studio growth. This role reports directly to the VP, Digital Strategy & Business Operations, and serves as a trusted strategic advisor to MDS leadership. Do you or someone you know have a passion to create products that inspire, entertain, and delight fans of all ages? Join us to create the future of play.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Business Analytics, Marketing, or related field (MBA preferred).
10+ years of experience in strategy, business operations, financial planning, or digital publishing environments, including demonstrated leadership at scale.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience using data-driven insights to make high-impact decisions and resolve complex organizational challenges.
Expertise in managing large-scale projects, ensuring successful execution on time and within budget, while effectively allocating resources across teams.
Strong strategic thinking, communication, and influencing skills across disciplines and leadership levels.
Experience in budget management, cost optimization, and performance tracking, with high proficiency in Excel, Power BI, Tableau, Mixpanel, and other financial analytics tools
Ability to inspire innovation and lead organizational change while aligning with company values and fostering a high-performance, inclusive culture.
Demonstrated a growth mindset by staying curious and continuously learning, embracing challenges, and improving themselves.
Strong collaboration skills with the ability to work cross-functionally across Finance, Product, Marketing, and Business Development.
Proven ability to influence senior executives and drive alignment across diverse stakeholders in fast-paced, digitally driven businesses.

Responsibilities

Define and evolve the MDS operating model, including governance/collaboration forums, decision rights, and executive business cadence.
Develop and manage the MDS annual business calendar, including AOP, quarterly business reviews, portfolio reviews, and executive reporting milestones.
Shape and prioritize key MDS initiatives, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy while maintaining studio-level agility.
Establish portfolio review processes to evaluate performance across titles and initiatives, enabling informed resource reallocation and investment tradeoffs.
Build and maintain an operational infrastructure that scales with business complexity, balancing speed and creative freedom with enterprise accountability.
Identify and remove operational bottlenecks that impact time-to-market, product quality, or financial performance.
Partner with MDS Leadership to define studio priorities, shape integrated roadmaps, and manage capacity against critical business initiatives.
Develop and implement greenlight process for new titles, platform expansions, and strategic initiatives.
Lead cross-functional forums to align Product, Partnerships, Licensing, Marketing, and Finance around portfolio tradeoffs and execution plans.
Develop and implement scalable processes and tools for project intake, prioritization, and cross-functional collaboration.
Ensure operational alignment with external development partners and platform stakeholders, as applicable.
Partner with Digital Strategy, Product, Business Development, Licensing, and Finance to lead annual operating planning and long-range forecasting.
Aggregate, manage, and optimize budget allocations, ensuring financial resources align with business priorities.
Monitor budget performance, track spending, and proactively identify revenue gaps and cost optimization opportunities.
Develop executive dashboards and studio-level reporting infrastructure integrating product analytics and financial performance to support executive decision-making.
Drive executive reporting, providing leadership updates on product, partnerships, and financial health.
Provide clear, actionable insights to MDS leadership on overall business health and performance.