Sr. Manager Product Design - Games

Sr. Manager Product Design - Games Full-time Company Description 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: Mattel is looking for an experienced and imaginative Senior Manager, Product Design to help shape the future of one of the world's most iconic games portfolios. From UNO, Pictionary, Scrabble, Phase 10, Skip-Bo, Blokus, KerPlunk!, and beyond, you'll lead the design of play experiences that entertain millions of players around the world. This is a leadership role for someone who understands that great games don't happen by accident. They are built through thoughtful mechanics, relentless iteration, meaningful playtesting, and exceptional product design. You'll lead a team responsible for transforming ideas into physical products that are intuitive to learn, rewarding to master, and unmistakably Mattel. Working across Design, Marketing, Engineering, Consumer Insights, Packaging, Licensing, and Operations, you'll help define what families and friends will be playing for years to come. What Your Impact Will Be: Gameplay & Innovation • Lead the design and development of new gameplay experiences across Mattel's portfolio of family, party, strategy, and trading card games. • Guide projects from early concept exploration through prototyping, playtesting, refinement, and final product execution. • Apply game design principles, player psychology, behavioral science, and consumer insights to create experiences that are simple to learn, rewarding to play, and built for repeat engagement. • Champion rapid prototyping and iterative development, using playtesting and consumer feedback to continuously improve mechanics, pacing, accessibility, and overall player experience. • Identify opportunities to reinvent classic brands while developing entirely new ways to play. Product Design Excellence • Lead the physical design of products, translating gameplay into intuitive, beautifully crafted components and experiences. • Partner closely with Engineering and Packaging to balance creativity with manufacturing feasibility, quality, cost, and sustainability. • Drive thoughtful decisions around materials, component design, ergonomics, visual hierarchy, and tactile interaction. • Review prototypes and production samples to ensure the integrity of the gameplay experience is preserved through manufacturing. Creative Leadership • Lead, coach, and develop a team of Product Designers, creating an environment where curiosity, experimentation, and creative excellence thrive. • Establish clear priorities while balancing multiple development programs across varying timelines and levels of complexity. • Foster a culture of constructive critique, collaboration, and continuous learning. • Build strong partnerships across Marketing, Consumer Insights, Engineering, Packaging, Licensing, Operations, and external development partners. Execution & Continuous Improvement • Drive projects from concept through commercialization, ensuring products launch on time, on budget, and at the highest quality standards. • Anticipate risks, solve complex design challenges, and make informed tradeoffs throughout development. • Improve design processes, workflows, and best practices that enable faster innovation and stronger collaboration across the Games organization.

What