Senior Licensing Manager – FMCG, HBA & Promotions

Mattel•El Segundo, CA

3h•$148,000 - $186,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Licensing Manager – FMCG, HBA & Promotions is responsible for building and executing a category growth strategy that expands Mattel’s iconic brands through consumables, health & beauty aids, and promotional partnerships. This role owns key partner relationships and commercial negotiations, drives new business and innovation, and delivers against annual royalty revenue and profit expectations. This leader brings strong financial acumen and a consumer-first mindset to translate brand strategy into scalable product programs and high-impact retail/promotional activations—creating marketplace buzz, strengthening brand relevance, and accelerating incremental growth across the portfolio.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive experience in consumer products licensing, brand partnerships, CPG/FMCG, beauty/personal care, or promotions (agency, brand owner, or licensee side).
Proven track record of delivering and exceeding financial targets (royalty revenue, profit contribution, MGs/advances) and building high-impact partner portfolios.
Strong commercial negotiation skills with experience structuring licensing and promotional agreements (including term sheets, marketing commitments, and retail requirements).
Deep understanding of go-to-market for FMCG/HBA and promotional programs or similar categories
Excellent partner management skills: ability to influence, align, and problem-solve across senior external stakeholders and highly matrixed internal teams.
Analytical and strategic mindset with strong forecasting, business planning, and performance management capabilities; comfortable with data and insights storytelling.
Strong presentation and communication skills (written and verbal); able to represent the business with credibility in executive and partner forums.
Experience leading category strategy, including retailer collaboration, promotional planning, and integrated marketing activation.
Demonstrated ability to build and manage a high-performing team (people leadership and coaching).
Strong working knowledge of FMCG/HBA compliance considerations (packaging, labeling, claims substantiation, product safety/quality, and retailer requirements).

Responsibilities

Own the FMCG, HBA and Promotions category and sub-category strategy (multi-year vision and annual plans), identifying white space and priority partners to scale Mattel brands across everyday consumer touchpoints.
Deliver against annual financial forecasts (royalty revenue, profit contribution, and key KPI targets) through disciplined forecasting, opportunity/risk management.
Lead business development: prospect, pitch, and secure new licensing and promotional deals that expand distribution, trial, and brand visibility—prioritizing partners that can create cultural relevance and retail momentum.
Negotiate and close complex partner agreements, aligning to global guidelines while optimizing long-term business needs to deliver maximum brand and financial impact
Develop joint business plans with licensees and promotional partners and partner with cross functional partners on product line development, go-to-market calendars, and integrated marketing/PR activations to drive buzz.
Champion product and program excellence—provide global thought leadership on best in class category guidelines, while ensuring products are consumer-relevant, differentiated, and on-trend.
Partner closely with Retail Development to ideate and align programs for key accounts, shopper priorities, and seasonal moments; unlock incremental placement and in-store visibility.
Drive promotional strategy and execution across channels (e.g., QSR, CPG co-promos, on-pack, loyalty, experiential, digital), ensuring clear objectives, measurement, and post-mortem learnings.
Collaborate with Marketing, PR, Digital, Creative, and Franchise teams to create cohesive storytelling and amplification plans that support product launches and promotional moments.
Provide category insights—track consumer, cultural, and competitive trends (including HBA/FMCG regulatory and retailer requirements) - to drive strategy, innovation, and partner selection
Lead the regional/global internal alignment process for your categories (line reviews, approvals, forecast cadence, and leadership updates), ensuring transparency and decision-ready insights.
Manage and develop a team (Manager and Associate Marketing Manager), setting clear goals, coaching for performance, and creating growth opportunities while fostering an inclusive, high-accountability culture.
Represent Mattel with external partners, retailers, and industry stakeholders; deliver compelling presentations that strengthen relationships and position Mattel as a best-in-class licensing partner.
Own the end-to-end portfolio and operating rhythm for the categories: long-range planning, annual budget/AOP, quarterly business reviews, and partner performance governance.