Lead Product Designer - Games

About Mattel We empower generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. We treat play as if the future depends on it — because it does. Play is our language, and we speak to our consumers authentically by representing the world as they see and imagine it. Mattel is a leading global play 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, 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 is recognized as a Great Place to Work™ and as one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators.

Mattel

We empower generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.

ToysEntertainmentPlayConsumer ProductsLive ExperiencesDigital GamesPublishingFilmand TV

M

about.mattel.com

10,001+ employees

Manufacturing

El Segundo, California

1945

Public Company

739k LinkedIn followers

Raised $600M

• Mattel is looking for an experienced and imaginative Lead Product Designer to help shape the future of one of the world’s most iconic games portfolios. From UNO, Pictionary, Scrabble, Phase 10, Skip-Bo, Blokus, KerPlunk!, and beyond, you’ll lead the design of play experiences that entertain millions of players around the world.
• This is a senior individual contributor role for a designer who can move fluidly between gameplay systems, physical product design, prototyping, and creative leadership. You’ll take ownership of complex programs, establish clear design direction, and help other designers solve difficult problems while remaining deeply involved in the work yourself.
• Working across Design, Marketing, Engineering, Consumer Insights, Packaging, Licensing, and Operations, you’ll help transform ideas into intuitive, compelling products while raising the creative bar for the broader Games team.
• Design and develop new gameplay experiences across Mattel's portfolio of family, party, strategy, and card games.
• Own complex projects from early concept exploration through prototyping, playtesting, refinement, and final product execution.
• Apply game design principles, player psychology, consumer insights, and a strong understanding of player behavior to create experiences that are simple to learn, rewarding to play, and built for repeat engagement.
• Build and test prototypes quickly, using playtesting and consumer feedback to improve mechanics, pacing, accessibility, and overall player experience.
• Identify opportunities to reinvent established brands while developing entirely new ways to play.
• Translate gameplay into intuitive, beautifully crafted physical products, components, and interactions.
• Develop clear design solutions through sketching, model making, CAD, rendering, prototyping, and other appropriate visualization tools.
• Partner closely with Engineering and Packaging to balance creativity with manufacturing feasibility, quality, cost, and sustainability.
• Make thoughtful decisions around materials, component design, ergonomics, visual hierarchy, tactile interaction, and overall product experience.
• Review prototypes and production samples to help preserve design intent and gameplay integrity through manufacturing.
• Provide creative leadership across projects, establishing clear design direction and helping teams navigate ambiguous or complex design challenges.
• Lead constructive critique and design reviews that strengthen ideas, sharpen decision-making, and raise the quality of the work.
• Mentor and support Product Designers and Senior Product Designers through feedback, collaboration, and hands-on problem solving.
• Communicate design strategy and recommendations clearly to cross-functional partners and senior stakeholders, building alignment around the strongest consumer experience.
• Act as a trusted design partner across the Games organization while remaining a hands-on individual contributor rather than a direct people manager.
• Drive projects from concept through commercialization, managing multiple parallel workstreams while maintaining creative quality and attention to detail.
• Build strong partnerships across Marketing, Consumer Insights, Engineering, Packaging, Licensing, and external development partners.
• Anticipate risks, solve complex design challenges, and make informed tradeoffs throughout development.
• Help improve design tools, workflows, critique practices, and development approaches that enable stronger collaboration and faster iteration.

Required

• 7+ years of experience designing tabletop, card, party, strategy, family games, toys, or related physical consumer products, with demonstrated strength in game and product design.
• Experience leading the complete game development process, including ideation, mechanics, prototyping, playtesting, balancing, iteration, and commercialization.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating sophisticated problem solving, compelling physical product design, and the ability to translate ideas into clear, engaging play experiences.
• Deep understanding of player motivation, game systems, probability, progression, accessibility, and player experience design.
• Knowledge of consumer product development, manufacturing processes, materials, tooling, and production constraints.
• Proven ability to lead through influence, provide meaningful creative direction, and elevate the work of other designers without relying on formal authority.
• Strong communication, storytelling, critique, and presentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects, navigate ambiguity, and maintain momentum in a fast-paced development environment.
• Passion for games, curiosity about how people play, and a desire to create products that bring people together.

Preferred

• Experience shipping commercially successful tabletop or card games.
• Experience facilitating structured playtesting, game balancing, and consumer research.
• Experience working across licensed entertainment brands or global product development organizations.
• Familiarity with modern tabletop gaming trends and mechanics across hobby and mass-market categories.
• Experience mentoring designers or serving as a creative lead across multidisciplinary development teams.
• A genuine love of games and play, whether that’s inventing mechanics, hosting game nights, collecting modern board games, or simply believing that bringing people together through play is one of the best jobs in the world.

• Comprehensive Benefits