Director Experiential Design - Live Events

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.

Job Description

The Opportunity: 

Mattel is seeking a highly creative and strategic Director, Experiential Design to join the Global Location Based Entertainment (LBE) team. This role will serve as the creative design lead responsible for translating Mattel's world-class intellectual properties into immersive attractions, hospitality concepts, themed retail, and family entertainment venues around the globe.

The Director will champion experiential storytelling and design excellence from concept through execution, creating memorable guest experiences that bring Mattel brands to life in physical environments. This leader will collaborate closely with internal franchise, commercial, consumer products, marketing, and business development teams, as well as external partners, operators, agencies, and design vendors to ensure every experience delivers on both creative vision and business objectives.

What Your Impact Will Be: 

Creative Leadership & Experience Design

• Lead the creative development of global location-based entertainment projects, translating Mattel intellectual property into compelling, immersive, and guest-centric experiences.
• Create and oversee experience concepts that integrate storytelling, physical environments, attractions, interactive elements, retail, dining, and entertainment.
• Develop end-to-end guest journeys, defining narrative structure, emotional moments, spatial flow, wayfinding, and experiential touchpoints.
• Champion visual and experiential storytelling through environmental design, show design, placemaking, and attraction development.
• Establish creative vision and ensure design solutions authentically reflect the essence of each Mattel brand.

Concept Development & Brand Stewardship

• Develop creative frameworks, concept packages, visual assets, mood boards, presentations, design intent documents, and experiential guidelines for global partners.
• Oversee scalable creative systems that can be adapted across Operations, Marketing and Merchandise arms of Location Based Entertainment while maintaining brand consistency.

• Serve as a key brand steward, ensuring all experiences uphold Mattel's quality standards, franchise objectives, and guest expectations.
• Review and approve creative deliverables throughout the design and development process.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with commercial, licensing, franchise, and business development teams to align creative vision with business goals, operational realities, and market opportunities.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to evaluate new opportunities, attractions, destinations, and experiential concepts.
• Facilitate alignment across multiple disciplines including design, architecture, operations, marketing, retail, and entertainment.
• Present creative strategies and concepts to executive leadership and external partners.

Project Development & Execution

• Guide projects from blue-sky ideation through design development, fabrication, installation, and opening.
• Partner with external agencies, consultants, architects, media developers, fabricators, and attraction vendors to bring concepts and creative systems to life.

• Provide creative oversight throughout production, ensuring fidelity to design intent and storytelling objectives.
• Support creative reviews, design approvals, and milestone presentations while streamlining decision-making processes.
• Conduct site visits, mock-up reviews, vendor evaluations, and field art direction as needed.

Global Partner Management

• Serve as a primary creative liaison for operators, licensees, and development partners across international markets.
• Build strong relationships with external stakeholders to ensure successful execution of Mattel experiences worldwide.
• Evaluate creative proposals and provide strategic guidance to maximize guest engagement and brand impact.
• Support the growth of Mattel's global LBE portfolio through innovative, scalable, and commercially viable experi