Sr Manager, TV Animation

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.

Mattel Studios is seeking a Sr. Manager, Adult & Four-Quad TV Animation to help drive the development and execution of a slate of premium animated programming based on Mattel's dynamic portfolio of brands. This role serves as a key creative lead across assigned projects, partnering closely with internal stakeholders and external creative partners to deliver compelling, brand-defining storytelling for television, streaming, and emerging digital platforms.

Reporting to the Sr. Director, Mattel Studios Animation Creative (Adult & Four-Quad), this position requires an experienced creative executive with a proven ability to manage projects across development and production, provide strong creative leadership, and collaborate across multiple business functions. The ideal candidate is proactive, highly organized, and passionate about animation, with exceptional storytelling instincts and a deep understanding of the evolving entertainment landscape, particularly within adult and four-quadrant programming.

• Lead the creative development and execution of assigned long-form and short-form animated projects across television, streaming, and digital platforms.
• Serve as the primary creative executive on select projects while partnering closely with senior creative leadership on priority franchise initiatives.
• Drive compelling story development in collaboration with writers, producers, studios, show runners, and creative talent to ensure engaging, brand-aligned storytelling.
• Provide creative leadership and thoughtful editorial feedback throughout all stages of development and production, including pitches, outlines, scripts, visual development, casting, animatics, edits, and final delivery.
• Partner cross-functionally with Franchise, Consumer Products, Marketing, Publishing, Digital, and other internal teams to ensure content supports broader franchise and business objectives.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with production studios, creators, agents, writers, and other industry partners.
• Identify emerging creative talent, new storytelling opportunities, and innovative content formats that support future franchise growth.
• Manage multiple concurrent productions and development projects while maintaining creative excellence, brand consistency, and alignment with business priorities.
• Collaborate closely with production and studio teams to proactively solve creative and production challenges while maintaining schedules and quality expectations.
• Contribute to greenlight discussions, franchise planning conversations, and creative reviews by providing thoughtful recommendations and creative insight.
• Monitor trends in animation, streaming, comedy, digital media, and audience behavior to inform creative recommendations and identify opportunities for innovation.
• Develop presentations, pitch materials, creative summaries, and executive-facing documents that effectively communicate project vision and progress.
• Serve as a key liaison for creative asset requests, project communication, and coordination across internal and external partners.
• Mentor and provide day-to-day guidance to junior team members and coordinators, fostering collaboration and creative excellence.

• 8+ years of experience in animation, television, streaming, or digital content development and production.
• Demonstrated success managing creative projects across multiple stages of development and production.
• Strong understanding of storytelling fundamentals, including character development, structure, pacing, comedy, and emotional…