Associate Manager Graphic Design

CREATIVITY IS OUR SUPERPOWER. It’s our heritage and it’s also our future. Because we don’t just make toys. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire fans, entertain audiences and develop children through play. Mattel is at its best when every member of our team feels respected, included, and heard—when everyone can show up as themselves and do their best work every day. We value and share an infinite range of ideas and voices that evolve and broaden our perspectives with a reach that extends into all our brands, partners, and suppliers.

The Opportunity

The Associate Graphic Design Manager will act as a key leadership partner to the Senior Design Manager, driving excellence across our packaging and graphic design work. In this role, you will lead a small, high-performing design team while remaining hands-on with creative execution. You will bridge the gap between creative strategy and production reality—managing licensor relationships, streamlining workflows with regional factories, and fostering a collaborative, high-energy environment.

Technical Toolkit

- Highly proficient in PowerPoint (PPT) for creating clear, professional presentations for internal stakeholders and external partners.

- Excellent foundational knowledge of packaging print processes, color management, and working directly with production plants

Additional

- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and other design software. – these are our standard tools. Familiarity with other design software is a plus, not a requirement.

- Experience with AI platforms is also highly valued.

Responsibilities

Direct Management: Lead and mentor a small team of graphic designers, supporting their career growth and ensuring the team hits its collective performance objectives.; Relationship Building: Actively build strong, trusting connections within your own team, while partnering smoothly with cross-functional stakeholders (Product Development, Engineering, Costing...etc).; Culture Catalyst: Bring high energy to the studio, fostering an environment of collaborative innovation and creative problem-solving. Role model the growth mindset for the community and team you will be serving.; Collaborate with global cross-functional teams to understand business objectives and translate them into innovative creative solutions.; Workflow Optimization: Maintain an intimate understanding of end-to-end design and packaging workflows, ensuring deadlines are hit efficiently.; Progress Tracking & Risk Management: Actively participate in tracking project timelines. Proactively identify project risks, bottleneck issues, or delays, and execute solutions before they impact production.; Managing projects from concept to completion, while delivering high-quality work within efficient project management and team support.; Work closely with ES counterparts through clear communication, scheduled touch bases, and regular collaboration to not only help the business to keep moving forward, but to also understand front end business needs.; Licensor Brand Stewardship: Ensure all graphic assets, style guides, and package layouts directly align with strict global Licensor branding standards.; Toy Industry Expertise: While preferred, not mandatory. Apply deep knowledge of the toy industry/CPG industry, market trends, and child-safe product/packaging standards to all design outputs.; Regulatory Knowledge: Understanding regulations requirements and how it applies to packaging, working closely with QE to meet these legal requirements; Vendor & Factory Collaboration: Partner closely with external printing vendors, local manufacturing plants, and regional cross-functional partners (e.g., Vietnam, PTMI Indonesia, China and Mexico (Montoi)).; Technical Quality Control: Apply strong print production and pre-press knowledge to ensure files are optimized for flawless physical production.; Travel: Willingness and flexibility to travel to regional factories, vendors, or partner offices when necessary to oversee production quality or align teams.

Requirements

Experience: at least 3 - 5 years of working experience at a management level, with a proven track record of leading a small creative team.; Industry Knowledge: Solid background in the toy industry or global consumer goods sector, with a deep understanding of standard industry design workflows.; Licensor Familiarity: Strong portfolio showcasing experience working within strict licensor branding parameters or global entertainment brands.; Proficiency in English: Strong proficiency and comfort level communicating in English, as this is a global team with headquarters located in the US.; Strong presentation skills: Can command a room presenting/speaking publicly in both languages