Job Description

The Opportunity:

We are seeking a Director of Talent Partnerships to lead the development of high-impact, global talent collaborations across its iconic portfolio of brands. This role will drive strategic partnerships with celebrities, entertainment talent, athletes, and cultural leaders to expand franchise relevance, unlock new business opportunities, and accelerate brand growth.

Sitting at the intersection of entertainment, licensing, and brand strategy, this leader will identify, structure, and operationalize talent-driven partnerships that extend Mattel's IP into new cultural and commercial spaces. The role requires both sophisticated deal-making capabilities and the ability to translate partnerships into scalable, cross-platform business initiatives.

What Your Impact Will Be:

Strategic Talent Partnerships

• Define and execute a global talent partnerships strategy aligned with Mattel's franchise and brand priorities
• Identify and secure partnerships with celebrities, actors, athletes, and cultural figures that enhance brand storytelling and reach
• Translate cultural insights and entertainment trends into actionable partnership opportunities

Deal Structuring & Negotiation

• Lead end-to-end deal development, including sourcing, valuation, structuring, and negotiation of complex talent agreements
• Partner closely with legal and business affairs on contract development, rights usage, and compliance
• Structure deals that span multiple dimensions, including licensing, content, consumer products, marketing campaigns, and co-created IP

Franchise & IP Expansion

• Leverage talent partnerships to extend Mattel brands into new categories, markets, and platforms (e.g. digital content, collaborations, experiential)
• Identify opportunities for talent-led product lines, co-branded collections, and long-term franchise integrations
• Ensure partnerships are additive to brand equity and consistent with franchise strategy

Cross-Functional Leadership & Execution

• Partner with global brand, franchise, licensing, marketing, PR, and regional teams to bring partnerships to life
• Drive alignment across internal stakeholders and manage complex, multi-market execution plans
• Oversee end-to-end partnership lifecycle from concept through launch and optimization

Relationship Management

• Build and maintain senior-level relationships with talent agencies, management firms, studios, and key industry partners
• Position Mattel as a partner of choice within the entertainment and talent ecosystem

Performance & Operations

• Establish KPIs and measurement frameworks to evaluate partnership impact across brand, cultural relevance, and revenue
• Manage budgets, timelines, and internal processes to ensure operational excellence
• Continuously refine partnership strategies based on performance insights and market dynamics

Qualifications

What We're Looking For:

• 10+ years of experience in talent partnerships, entertainment, licensing, or strategic brand partnerships
• Proven track record of structuring and negotiating high-value, complex deals with talent and their representatives
• Deep network across talent agencies (e.g., CAA, WME, UTA), management firms, and entertainment industry stakeholders
• Strong understanding of IP-driven business models, licensing frameworks, and brand partnerships
• Ability to operate at both a strategic and executional level across global markets
• Exceptional negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Strong cultural fluency and instinct for talent-brand fit
• Both exceptionally creative and business minded. This role sits at the intersection of developing big, clever ideas that must also meet brand and client objectives and sell-through
• Fluent and passionate in entertainment/culture as well as brand advertising/marketing - with a desire to make your mark on both
• Highly creative, organized, strategically minded, resourceful, and an excellent communicator (both verbal and written). Someone with an entrepreneurial mindset and approach to everything they do: self-motivated, forward-thinking, accountable, and committed
• Skilled at receiving, evaluating and implementing feedback
• Experienced with your own POV to bring to the table, possessing career-built knowledge of marketing and entertainment trends, emerging media, consumer insights and the latest digital/social/mobile/video/interactive technologies
• Flexible and enthusiastic to work within a fast-moving and ever-changing organization

*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.

Additional Information

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: At Mattel we always aim to find new and better ways to create innovative products and experiences. No matter where you work in the organization, you can always make a difference and have real impact. We welcome new ideas and value new initiatives that challenge conventional thinking.
• We execute: We are a performance-driven company. We strive for excellence and are focused on pursuing best-in-class outcomes. We believe in accountability and ownership and know that our people are at their best when they are empowered to create and deliver results.