Posting Title: Director, Business Operations - Mattel Digital Studios
Requisition Number: R
Company: Mattel Sales Corp.
Location: El Segundo, California
Address: 333 Continental Blvd, 90245
Job Category: Finance
Pay Range: USD $195,200 - $244,000 Yearly (base pay determined by location, skills and experience)
CREATIVITY IS OUR SUPERPOWER. It’s our heritage and also our future. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire fans, entertain audiences, and develop children through play. Mattel thrives when every team member feels respected, included, and heard.
The Team
Mattel Digital Studios (MDS) leverages digital innovation across gaming, interactive experiences, and emerging technologies. The Strategy and Operations team is the hub for strategy, business operations, financial planning, partnerships, and licensing, ensuring MDS operates as “One Team” with data‑driven, proactive alignment to corporate priorities.
The Opportunity
As Director, MDS Business Operations, you will define and institutionalize the operating model for Mattel Digital Studios, establishing governance, portfolio prioritization frameworks, financial rigor, and business cadence to operate with the speed and discipline of a modern digital gaming publisher.
You will evolve, develop, and implement consistent processes across MDS, including annual operating plans (AOP), portfolio reviews, performance reporting, and collaboration mechanisms with the Global Brand Team (GBT) and beyond.
By creating scalable processes, templates, and decision‑making frameworks, you will bridge senior leadership and cross‑functional teams across Mattel, ensuring clarity of priorities, disciplined resource allocation, and seamless execution of digital strategies.
What Your Impact Will Be
Drive operating rhythm, portfolio governance, financial planning, and performance analytics for Mattel Digital Studios. Establish the annual business calendar, lead quarterly business reviews, develop standardized reporting infrastructure, and drive investment trade‑off decisions across the studio portfolio. Your insights will directly influence capital allocation, green‑light decisions, and long‑term studio growth.
This role reports directly to the VP of Digital Strategy & Business Operations and serves as a trusted strategic advisor to MDS leadership.
What We’re Looking For
Operational Leadership
- Define and evolve the MDS operating model, including governance/collaboration forums, decision rights, and executive business cadence.
- Develop and manage the MDS annual business calendar, including AOP, quarterly business reviews, portfolio reviews, and executive reporting milestones.
- Shape and prioritize key MDS initiatives, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy while maintaining studio‑level agility.
- Establish portfolio review processes to evaluate performance across titles and initiatives, enabling informed resource reallocation and investment trade‑offs.
- Build and maintain an operational infrastructure that scales with business complexity, balancing speed and creative freedom with enterprise accountability.
- Identify and remove operational bottlenecks that impact time‑to‑market, product quality, or financial performance.
Strategic Program Management
- Partner with MDS Leadership to define studio priorities, shape integrated roadmaps, and manage capacity against critical business initiatives.
- Develop and implement green‑light processes for new titles, platform expansions, and strategic initiatives.
- Lead cross‑functional forums to align Product, Partnerships, Licensing, Marketing, and Finance around portfolio trade‑offs and execution plans.
- Develop and implement scalable processes and tools for project intake, prioritization, and cross‑functional collaboration.
- Ensure operational alignment with external development partners and platform stakeholders, as applicable.
Financial Planning and Budget Management
- Partner with Digital Strategy, Product, Business Development, Licensing, and Finance to lead annual operating planning and long‑range forecasting.
- Aggregate, manage, and optimize budget allocations, ensuring financial resources align with business priorities.
- Monitor budget performance, track spending, and proactively identify revenue gaps and cost‑optimization opportunities.
Business Analytics and Performance Measurement
- Develop executive dashboards and studio‑level reporting infrastructure integrating product analytics and financial performance to support executive decision‑making.
- Drive executive reporting, providing leadership updates on product, partnerships, and financial health.
- Provide clear, actionable insights to MDS leadership on overall business health and performance.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Business Analytics, Marketing, or related field (MBA preferred).
- 10+ years of experience in strategy, business operations, financial planning, or digital publishing environments, with demonstrated leadership at scale.
- Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with experience using data‑driven insights to make high‑impact decisions and resolve complex organizational challenges.
- Expertise in managing large‑scale projects, ensuring successful execution on time and within budget while effectively allocating resources across teams.
- Strong strategic thinking, communication, and influencing skills across disciplines and leadership levels.
- Experience in budget management, cost optimization, and performance tracking, with high proficiency in Excel, Power BI, Tableau, Mixpanel, and other financial analytics tools.
- Ability to inspire innovation and lead organizational change while aligning with company values and fostering a high‑performance, inclusive culture.
- Demonstrated growth mindset by staying curious, continuously learning, embracing challenges, and improving themselves.
- Strong collaboration skills with the ability to work cross‑functionally across Finance, Product, Marketing, and Business Development.
- Proven ability to influence senior executives and drive alignment across diverse stakeholders in fast‑paced, digitally driven businesses.
Inclusivity Statement – Mattel welcomes all job seekers and encourages applications from diverse backgrounds. If your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification, we still encourage you to apply.
Mattel is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran or protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment pursuant to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act.
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