Sr Manager, Brand Strategy & Marketing - Barbie

The Opportunity:

The Sr. Manager, Brand Strategy & Marketing will lead the development of Barbie’s long-term brand strategy, positioning, and cross-category growth with a strong emphasis on engaging and expanding Barbie’s global adult fan community. This role will drive strategies that deepen emotional connection, cultural relevance, and brand affinity among adult fans, while continuing to strengthen Barbie’s appeal across generations.

The Sr. Manager will shape and execute initiatives that elevate Barbie as a lifestyle and cultural icon through digital storytelling, premium collaborations, fandom engagement, entertainment, cultural moments, and immersive brand experiences that grow the full Barbie ecosystem globally.

What Your Impact Will Be:

Brand Strategy

Partner with leadership to define Barbie’s long-term brand vision, positioning, and cultural role with a focus on lifelong fandom and adult audience engagement

Steward brand equity across all categories (toys and franchise verticals)

Lead consumer insights and trend analysis to understand evolving behaviors, motivations, and passion points of adult fans, collectors, gift givers, parents, and pop culture audiences

Develop portfolio strategy in partnership with leadership to expand Barbie across categories and consumer segments

Establish global brand guardrails to ensure consistency while enabling creative expression

Partner with Toy and Franchise Marketing to ensure cohesive brand expression across products, experiences, and retail

Serve as the cross-functional integrator across content, product, experiences, retail, and marketing

Brand Activation

Plan and lead culturally relevant brand “moments” (collaborations, tentpole campaigns, retail programs)

Translate brand strategy into breakthrough campaigns, content, and activations that resonate globally

Develop and execute integrated marketing plans (digital, retail, social, influencer, events, PR)

Manage media strategy in partnership with regional marketing teams and creative production with internal/external partners

Ensure all creative execution aligns with Barbie’s brand guardrails, purpose, and storytelling standards

Create compelling brand narratives that drive engagement, brand love, and lifelong loyalty

In partnership with Brand Creative, manage external agencies’ scope, strategy, and performance

Track and report on campaign performance (awareness, engagement, conversion)

Monitor brand health across consumer engagement, sales performance, and cultural relevance

What We’re Looking For:

8+ years of experience in marketing, with 3–5 years in brand marketing

Experience in franchise marketing, entertainment/content marketing, retail/commercial marketing, social media, PR, and influencer strategy preferred

Experience managing a multi-category portfolio (toys, fashion, publishing, entertainment, etc.)

Strong strategic thinking with the ability to define brand vision and multi-year growth roadmaps

Deep understanding of consumer insights, cultural trends, and brand equity drivers; ability to translate data into actionable strategies

Strong grasp of marketing mix and KPIs

Culturally attuned, bold thinker who can balance creativity with data-driven decision-making

Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly creative environment

Proven cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority

Financial acumen with experience managing brand or category-level P&L

Excellent communication and storytelling skills; ability to influence senior leadership

Strong PowerPoint and presentation skills; proficiency in Outlook, Word, and Excel

Experience leading and developing high-performing teams

*The pay range is indicative of projected hiring range, however base pay will be determined based on a candidate’s work location, skills and experience. Mattel offers competitive total pay programs, comprehensive benefits, and resources to help empower a culture where every employee can reach their full potential.

Don’t meet every single requirement? At Mattel, we are dedicated to an inclusive workplace and a culture of belonging. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. Join Mattel's Talent Community and start receiving exciting updates about our company, our employees, and our culture. Also, interested in signing up for job alerts? Do so here!

How We Work:

We are a purpose driven company aiming to empower generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. We live up to our purpose employing the following behaviors:

We collaborate: Being a part of Mattel means being part of one team with shared values and common goals. Every person counts and working closely together always brings better results. Partnership is our process and our collective capabilities is our superpower.

We innovate:…