Director, Product Development & Innovation

Mattel, Inc.and Subsidiaries; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 186,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Mattel, Inc. seeks a Director of Product Development to lead the development workstream for an assigned portfolio, including a new brand.

This leader aligns technical direction, requirements, manufacturing readiness, cost, quality, safety and schedule from concept through commercialization. Reporting to the SVP, this role partners with Design, Manufacturing, Quality, Sourcing, Finance, Brand, and external partners to resolve risks, strengthen governance, and ensure readiness for production

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years in product development or related roles with leadership experience.
• Strong judgment in specifications, tooling, manufacturing readiness, quality, cost and schedule.
• Deep understanding of product lifecycles, milestones and portfolio financials.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders.
• Ability to establish governance, gates and executive-level reporting.
• Experience partnering with global teams, suppliers and external partners.
• Leadership, communication and analytical problem-solving skills.
• Growth mindset with curiosity and continuous learning.

Responsibilities

• Lead development workstream across a portfolio and new brand with governance and cadence.
• Serve as senior decision-maker for technical trade-offs in feasibility, tooling, and cost.
• Drive production-readiness alignment across cross-functional teams before milestones.
• Establish readiness gates, escalation routines, and executive reporting.
• Resolve high-complexity development issues and manage risks and schedules.
• Partner with Design, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Sourcing, Finance, Marketing.
• Oversee planning and execution from concept through commercialization.
• Drive strategic initiatives like value engineering and process improvement.
• Build and coach a high-performing Development Program Management team.
• Lead through global, cross-functional complexity and supplier networks.
• Represent Development in senior leadership discussions with clear options.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Product development

Cross-functional leadership

Portfolio governance

Strategic decision making

Stakeholder management

Communication

Growth mindset

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Mattel, Inc. seeks a Director of Product Development to lead the development workstream for an assigned portfolio, including a new brand.

This leader aligns technical direction, requirements, manufacturing readiness, cost, quality, safety and schedule from concept through commercialization. Reporting to the SVP, this role partners with Design, Manufacturing, Quality, Sourcing, Finance, Brand, and external partners to resolve risks, strengthen governance, and ensure readiness for production