Manager, Global Media

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 Global Media Manager is a category-level execution and governance role responsible for leading development, activation, and performance optimization of media strategy for assigned global categories. Operating within established Global Media Strategy frameworks, this role owns day-to-day media strategy development, agency oversight, and performance delivery while ensuring execution remains aligned with brand objectives and enterprise standards.

This role represents the first fully execution-owning layer in the Global Media organization and is accountable for turning strategy into results.

What Your Impact Will Be:

Category Media Strategy Development & Governance

• Lead development and governance of global media strategy for assigned categories, aligned to Brand Briefs and Integrated Communications Plans.
• Ensure category strategies adhere to global frameworks while addressing specific audience, channel, and performance needs.
• Translate strategic direction into actionable media plans that agencies and partners can execute effectively.

Media Activation & Agency Oversight

• Own the day-to-day media planning, activation, and optimization for assigned categories, supported by IAT agency partners.
• Serve as primary Mattel point of contact for category-specific media agency execution.
• Monitor campaign delivery and ensure activation meets quality, timing, and budget expectations.
• Provide clear guidance to agency teams and ensure deliverables are accurate, complete, and on-strategy.

Performance Management & Optimization

• Monitor campaign performance and drive in-flight optimization to improve efficiency, ROAS, and effectiveness.
• Review performance data, identify trends, and flag risks or opportunities.
• Escalate major performance issues, investment shifts, or executional risks to senior leadership as appropriate.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Global Brand teams to ensure media strategy reflects brand priorities and translates consistently across markets.
• Coordinate with Media Operations, Analytics & Insights, and Finance to support integrated delivery, reporting, and budget management.
• Support major planning moments (e.g., global tentpoles, launches, refreshes) at the category level.

Execution Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure agency execution is on time, in budget, and aligned to performance expectations.
• Contribute to advancement of media best practices
  , learnings, and optimization approaches within assigned categories.
• Support testing, learning agendas, and innovation pilots as defined by Global Media leadership.

Decision Rights

• Owns
  • Media strategy development and execution for assigned global categories.
  • In-flight optimization decisions within approved investment guardrails.
• Approves / Vetoes
  • Agency recommendations that are not aligned with approved Global Media Strategy for the assigned category.
• Influences
  • Category-level investment shifts and optimization decisions.
  • Evolution of category-specific media best practices.

Scope & Impact

• Category-specific global scope.
• Direct accountability for delivery and performance of assigned media investment.
• Impacts category demand creation, brand performance, and media ROI.
• Feeds performance insights and…