Head of Global Experiences

Mattel•El Segundo, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Mattel is seeking a strategic, commercially driven, creative and innovative Head of Global Experiences to lead the global Experiences business and accelerate the growth of Mattel’s brands through compelling physical, immersive, and location-based experiences. Reporting to the Chief Consumer Products & Experiences Officer, this role will set the vision and global strategy for the Experiences portfolio, with responsibility for driving sustainable commercial growth, expanding Mattel’s presence across priority markets and experiential formats, strengthening strategic partnerships, and delivering distinctive consumer experiences that bring Mattel’s iconic brands and franchises to life. The Head of Global Experiences will lead an organization spanning Experiential Design, Experiential Retail, Commercial Operations, Marketing, and regional Experiences leadership, creating an integrated operating model that connects creative vision, commercial opportunity, partner execution, and consumer engagement. A key mandate is to strengthen Mattel's creative leadership in Experiences, ensuring Mattel plays an active role in shaping the stories, worlds and guest experiences that bring its brands to life, while balancing creative ambition with commercial viability, operational feasibility and scalability. This executive will be responsible for evolving the Experiences business from individual opportunities and partnerships into a scalable global growth platform—establishing clear portfolio priorities, identifying new markets and business models, strengthening operational discipline, and ensuring experiences deliver against Mattel’s brand, franchise, consumer, and financial objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
15+ years of progressive experience in location-based entertainment, themed entertainment, attractions, experiential entertainment, licensing, hospitality, consumer experiences, business development, or related industries.
Significant senior leadership experience within a complex global or multi-market Experiences, entertainment, attractions, or IP-driven business.
Demonstrated track record of building and scaling revenue-generating businesses, partnerships, or experiential platforms.
Deep understanding of location-based entertainment and experiential business models, including attractions, theme parks, waterparks, resorts, family entertainment centers, hospitality, live events, touring experiences, and branded destinations.
Extensive experience identifying and evaluating business opportunities, developing commercial strategies, structuring partnerships, and negotiating complex agreements.
Strong financial and commercial acumen with experience managing significant revenue, budgets, forecasts, investment decisions, and long-range business plans.
Experience translating globally recognized brands and intellectual property into physical consumer experiences.
Demonstrated ability to balance commercial growth with brand integrity, creative excellence, operational requirements, safety, and guest experience.
Experience leading multidisciplinary teams across commercial, creative, marketing, operational, and/or regional functions.
Strong understanding of global markets and experience adapting global strategies for regional and local execution.
Proven ability to operate effectively in a highly matrixed global organization and influence senior stakeholders without direct authority.
Exceptional executive communication, negotiation, relationship-management, and decision-making skills.
Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and turn emerging opportunities into clear, scalable business strategies.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required.

Nice To Haves

MBA or other advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the Global Experiences Strategy: Define and lead the long-term global strategy, vision, and growth roadmap for Mattel’s Experiences business. Establish portfolio priorities across attractions, theme parks, waterparks, family entertainment centers, resorts, hospitality, destination experiences, live and touring experiences, events, and emerging experiential formats. Identify and prioritize new markets, formats, partnership models, and business opportunities based on consumer demand, franchise potential, commercial attractiveness, and strategic fit. Build a proactive global business development pipeline that enables Mattel to expand successful concepts and partnerships across brands, formats, and geographies. Determine where Mattel should invest, expand, optimize, or evolve its Experiences portfolio to maximize long-term brand and commercial value. Partner with regional leaders to translate global strategy into market-specific growth plans while maintaining consistent enterprise priorities and standards.
Drive Commercial Growth & Portfolio Performance: Own the overall commercial performance and long-term growth of the global Experiences portfolio, with accountability for delivering against annual operating plan and long-range financial objectives. Establish clear revenue, profitability, growth, and performance expectations across the portfolio. Lead the evaluation of significant new business opportunities, including market attractiveness, business models, investment requirements, partner capabilities, financial returns, and long-term franchise potential. Guide complex commercial negotiations and deal structures in partnership with Legal & Business Affairs, Finance, and other key stakeholders. Maximize the value of existing partnerships by identifying opportunities to expand successful experiences into additional brands, markets, formats, and broader franchise relationships. Establish disciplined portfolio management and operating rhythms, including KPI tracking, business reviews, forecasting, pipeline management, launch readiness, and post-launch performance evaluation. Make recommendations to senior leadership regarding major investments, partnerships, portfolio priorities, and resource allocation.
Build & Lead Strategic Partnerships: Develop and maintain senior-level relationships with leading global and regional operators, developers, venue partners, attraction operators, hospitality companies, live entertainment producers, licensees, and other strategic partners. Serve as a senior Mattel representative with key external partners, establishing relationships that create long-term value beyond individual transactions or projects. Set expectations for partner performance across commercial outcomes, operational execution, safety, brand integrity, guest experience, and consumer engagement. Ensure partners have clear accountability and that risks or performance issues are identified and addressed proactively. Identify opportunities to evolve individual licensing relationships into broader, multi-market or multi-franchise strategic partnerships.
Deliver World-Class Consumer Experiences: Ensure Mattel brands and IP are translated into distinctive, immersive, story-driven physical experiences that deepen consumer and fan engagement. Oversee the development of a strong in-house Experiential Design capability connecting storytelling, physical design, spatial planning, guest flow, and brand expression. Establish clear standards for creative quality, brand integrity, IP authenticity, guest experience, and execution across the Experiences portfolio. Partner closely with Global Brand Teams, Franchise, Creative, Design, and other stakeholders to ensure Experiences strategies support broader franchise ambitions while maintaining the unique DNA of each brand. Create an effective decision-making and approval model that enables high-quality creative development while improving speed, clarity, and accountability. Balance creative ambition with commercial viability, operational feasibility, safety, and long-term scalability.
Expand Experiential Retail: Establish the strategic role of retail and merchandise within Mattel’s Experiences ecosystem, extending consumer engagement beyond the experience itself. Drive development of compelling product and merchandise strategies that strengthen the guest experience while creating incremental commercial value. Partner with Consumer Products, Global Brand Teams, Supply Chain, Finance, licensees, and operators to improve product availability, assortment, planning, and execution. Identify innovative merchandising and delivery models that support both Mattel’s core toy portfolio and the economics of Experiences partnerships. Ensure retail strategies are integrated early into the development of major experiences and attractions.
Build an Integrated Experiences Marketing Strategy: Establish the global marketing strategy for Mattel Experiences, ensuring experiences are effectively positioned and connected to broader brand and franchise priorities. Oversee development of integrated marketing approaches that drive awareness, engagement, attendance, and consumer connection. Partner with attraction operators, licensees, regional teams, and Mattel marketing organizations to align messaging, channels, materials, activations, and launch plans. Ensure marketing plans appropriately reflect both global brand strategy and local market needs. Use consumer insights and performance data to continually strengthen marketing effectiveness and the overall guest experience.
Lead Across the Enterprise: Serve as the senior Experiences leader and subject matter expert across Mattel, representing the function with executive leadership and key internal and external stakeholders. Partner closely with Global Brand Teams, Franchise, Consumer Products, Marketing, Design & Development, Finance, Legal & Business Affairs, Licensing, Supply Chain, Safety, and regional commercial teams. Establish clear decision rights and operating mechanisms across global, regional, functional, and external partner teams. Navigate competing priorities and complex stakeholder relationships to enable timely decisions and execution. Connect Experiences opportunities to Mattel’s broader franchise strategy, ensuring the business strengthens consumer engagement and expands the reach of Mattel IP.
Build Organizational Capability: Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing global Experiences organization across commercial, creative, retail, marketing, operational, and regional capabilities. Establish an organizational model that supports both global strategic leadership and strong regional execution. Define clear roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and accountabilities across the Experiences organization. Build capabilities required to shift the organization toward proactive business development, disciplined portfolio management, stronger creative ownership, and scalable execution. Develop talent and succession plans while creating meaningful growth opportunities across the organization. Foster a culture of innovation, commercial accountability, collaboration, consumer focus, and operational excellence.