Head of Total Rewards

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.

This is an opportunity to shape the future of Total Rewards at one of the world's most recognized companies during an exciting period of business evolution. You'll partner directly with senior leadership and the Board to influence how Mattel rewards performance, develops leaders and competes for talent globally.

You'll help build a rewards strategy that reflects where our business is headed—not where it has been.

Job Description

The Opportunity: 

Mattel is seeking an accomplished and forward-thinking executive to serve as our Head of Total Rewards. Based at our corporate headquarters in El Segundo, California and reporting to the Chief People Officer, this leader will shape the next generation of our global rewards strategy—ensuring our compensation, benefits and mobility programs evolve alongside the company's strategic transformation.

As Mattel expands its portfolio across toys, entertainment, gaming, live experiences, and digital play, and continues its evolution into a more brand-led organization, we are attracting new talent profiles, new capabilities and new ways of creating value. This role represents a unique opportunity to design reward strategies that support this evolution—helping Mattel compete for world-class talent while reinforcing a high-performance culture that drives innovation, creativity and business results.

This is a highly visible executive leadership role with direct engagement with the CPO, CFO, CEO, Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in broad-based and executive compensation within a publicly traded company, balanced with a modern perspective on rewards, global benefits, and employee value proposition.

As Mattel continues to evolve its business strategy, portfolio and global workforce, this leader will play a critical role in reimagining how we reward performance, strengthen leadership accountability, and create differentiated employee experiences that support long-term growth.

What Your Impact Will Be: 

Lead the enterprise Total Rewards strategy across Mattel's global organization, ensuring alignment with business priorities, talent strategy and shareholder expectations.

Serve as the company's senior advisor on executive compensation, partnering closely with the CPO, CFO, CEO, Board of Directors and Compensation Committee on executive pay philosophy, incentive design, governance and disclosure.

Lead the development of Board and Compensation Committee materials, providing thoughtful analysis, market insights and recommendations while presenting confidently on complex compensation matters.

Design and evolve executive compensation programs, annual and long-term incentive plans, equity programs, succession-related compensation strategies and employment arrangements that align pay with performance.

Modernize Mattel's global compensation philosophy and architecture, ensuring market competitiveness while enabling organizational agility and supporting a high-performance culture.

Oversee broad-based compensation programs, including salary structures, annual merit processes, incentive programs, job architecture and pay equity strategies across global markets.

Provide strategic leadership for global benefits, well-being and recognition programs that enhance the employee experience while balancing cost effectiveness and market competitiveness.

Lead the company's global mobility function, including relocation, immigration and international assignment strategy, supporting the movement of talent across Mattel's worldwide operations.

Partner closely with Finance, Legal, Tax, Payroll, Investor Relations and senior business leaders to ensure rewards strategies are operationally sound, compliant and aligned with enterprise objectives.

Build and develop a high-performing global Total Rewards organization while fostering innovation, operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Monitor emerging trends in executive compensation, governance, workforce expectations and rewards innovation to ensure Mattel remains an employer of choice and a leader in responsible pay practices.

Qualifications

What We’re Looking For:

A proven executive with significant experience leading Total Rewards within a complex, global, publicly traded company.

Deep expertise in executive compensation, including direct partnership with Boards of Directors and Compensation Committees, executive pay design, governance, proxy disclosure and shareholder considerations.

Demonstrated success presenting to executive leadership teams and Board-level audiences with credibility, executive presence and sound judgment.

Experience leading global compensation, broad-based rewards, benefits and mobility strategies across multiple regions and regulatory environments.

Strong understanding of the evolving relationship between business strategy, workforce strategy and Total Rewards.

A strategic thinker who is equally comfortable setting enterprise direction and driving execution through a high-performing team.

Exceptional analytical capability paired with strong business acumen and the ability to translate complex issues into practical recommendations.

A collaborative enterprise leader who builds trusted partnerships across Human Resources, Finance, Legal and business leadership.

Experience leading organizational transformation and modernizing legacy programs to better support future business needs.

Leadership Characteristics

Strategic and commercially minded, with the ability to connect rewards philosophy to business performance.

Trusted advisor who exercises sound judgment in highly confidential and sensitive matters.

Comfortable operating in complexity and ambiguity while driving clarity and alignment.

Data-driven, intellectually curious and externally informed.

Influential leader with the executive presence to engage confidently with senior leaders, Board members and external advisors.

Passionate about building modern, equitable and performance-oriented reward strategies that help organizations attract, motivate and retain exceptional talent.

*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.

Who We Are:
Mattel is a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world. We engage consumers and fans through our franchise brands, including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Thomas & Friends, UNO, Masters of the Universe, Matchbox, Monster High, MEGA and Polly Pocket, as well as other popular properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include toys, content, consumer products, digital and live experiences. Our products are sold in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.

Mattel’s award-winning workplace culture has been recognized by Forbes, Fast Company, Newsweek, Great Place to Work, TIME, and more.

Visit us at https://jobs.mattel.com/ and www.instagram.com/MattelCareers.

Mattel is an Equal Opportunity Employer where we want you to bring your authentic self to work every day. We welcome all job seekers, and 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 and protected veteran status, disability status, and or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

Pursuant to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment.

Videos to watch:
The Culture at Mattel
Corporate Philanthropy