Sr Director, Head of AI

Mattel•El Segundo, CA

9h•$220,000 - $275,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Sr. Director, Office of AI is a senior leadership role within Mattel's Global Technology Organization (GTO), reporting directly to the VP of Technology. This role is the company's primary driver for AI adoption strategy, value creation and governance, translating the fast-moving AI landscape into meaningful, responsible, and scalable outcomes for the business. The Sr. Director leads a small team of AI practitioners and engineers and operates at the intersection of strategy, engineering, and cross-functional partnership. They are expected to be both a visionary and an executor, capable of prototyping solutions, managing business relationships, and navigating legal, security, and privacy frameworks, while maintaining a clear lens on enterprise value.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, Information Systems, or a related field.
15+ years of progressive experience spanning AI/ML strategy, enterprise technology, and business enablement.
Proven track record of driving enterprise AI adoption from opportunity identification through governance, prototyping, and production handoff.
Strong command of the AI landscape including generative AI, LLMs, agentic systems, ML platforms, and emerging frameworks and the ability to quickly contextualize them within a consumer products enterprise.
Experience partnering with Legal, Security, and Privacy functions to establish AI governance frameworks and vendor risk assessments.
Hands-on prototyping capability comfortable moving between strategic design and technical execution.
Excellent executive communication skills able to translate complex AI concepts into business value for senior non-technical stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to manage vendor relationships, evaluate third-party AI platforms, and lead structured procurement processes.
Background in consumer products, retail, entertainment, or adjacent industries where AI is applied to physical goods, consumer experience, or global operations.
Exposure to AI use cases across one or more of: supply chain & demand forecasting, quality & manufacturing intelligence, DTC & e-commerce personalization, MarTech & campaign optimization, product development & innovation, or consumer insights & first-party data activation.
AI or Cloud certifications (e.g., Google ML Engineer, AWS ML Specialty, Azure AI Engineer).
Experience with cloud-native AI infrastructure on GCP, AWS, or Azure.
Background in responsible AI, AI ethics, or model governance frameworks.
Prior experience standing up or scaling an Office of AI, Center of Excellence, or AI governance function.

Responsibilities

Define and evolve Mattel's enterprise AI adoption strategy in alignment with GTO and business priorities.
Establish and operate the Office of AI governance model including AI use case intake, prioritization, risk review, and portfolio tracking.
Develop and communicate AI policies, standards, and guardrails in partnership with Legal, Security, Privacy, and Compliance.
Lead responsible AI frameworks covering ethics, bias mitigation, explainability, and regulatory compliance.
Identify AI enablement opportunities across Mattel's business domains, including DTC, marketing, supply chain, product development, and enterprise functions.
Build and maintain relationships with business stakeholders to understand pain points and translate them into high-value AI use cases.
Define and track value realization metrics, ensuring AI investments deliver measurable business outcomes.
Act as an internal AI thought leader: educating business partners, debunking hype, and driving informed decision-making.
Lead or directly contribute to engineering prototypes and proof-of-concept builds that validate AI approaches and establish ROI before committing to production investment.
Partner with Engineering and Platform teams to ensure smooth transition from PoC to production, with clear documentation, architecture alignment, and success criteria.
Evaluate and recommend AI tooling, platforms, and frameworks in alignment with enterprise architecture standards.
Leverage agentic AI, LLMs, and emerging automation paradigms to accelerate solution velocity.
Manage strategic AI vendor and partner relationships including co-development engagements, platform assessments, and contract reviews.
Coordinate with Legal, Security, and Privacy teams to establish compliance frameworks for AI tools and third-party solutions entering the enterprise.
Evaluate AI partner capabilities against Mattel's technology standards and risk tolerance.
Lead and develop a team of AI practitioners, engineers, and program managers both in the US as well as in our India offices.
Report and present AI portfolio progress, governance posture, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
Foster a culture of responsible experimentation, rapid learning, and cross-functional collaboration.