Senior Manager, Activation

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MGA Entertainment is on a mission to inspire imagination and creativity through innovative toys, entertainment, and experiences that transform play into limitless possibilities. As the largest privately held toy and entertainment company in the U.S., MGA is a global leader in designing and delivering world-class consumer products that spark wonder and drive play forward. Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices worldwide, MGA’s portfolio spans a dynamic range of original and licensed brands — from toys, dolls, games, and electronics to fashion, home décor, and entertainment content including hit movies and TV series. The company is recognized for its bold approach to storytelling, trendsetting design, and deep commitment to quality. The award-winning MGA family includes fan-favorite brands such as L.O.L. Surprise!™, Little Tikes®, Rainbow High™, Bratz®, MGA’s Miniverse™, Yummiland™, CarTuned™, Wonder Factory™, BABY born®, and Zapf Creation®. To learn more, visit www.mgae.com and follow MGA on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.

Role Summary

The Senior Manager, Activation – LOL Surprise & Rainbow High leads the development and execution of North America marketing activation plans for two of MGA Entertainment’s flagship fashion doll brands. This role is responsible for delivering high-impact, culturally relevant, and deeply consumer-driven campaigns that drive awareness, engagement, and sell-through.

Acting as the day-to-day activation leader, the Senior Manager oversees integrated marketing campaigns across media, social, influencer, and experiential channels while ensuring creative excellence, operational rigor, and on-time delivery. The role collaborates closely with the Sr Manager, Media, the Associate Manager, Activation, and the Coordinator, Activation, providing leadership, guidance, and prioritization across the broader activation team.

Key Responsibilities

1. Campaign Leadership & Execution

• Lead the planning and execution of 360° consumer activation campaigns for LOL Surprise and Rainbow High.
• Translate brand strategy and key retail moments into cohesive activation plans.
• Own campaign timelines, workflows, deliverables, and launch readiness.
• Drive clear and actionable briefs for Creative and internal content-producing teams.
• Ensure all activation touchpoints are integrated, consistent, and on-strategy.

2. Media, Social & Influencer Activation

• Partner closely with the Sr Manager, Media to align media plans with campaign goals, audience strategies, and brand priorities.
• Lead social activation planning, including content needs, channel strategy, calendar development, and platform best practices.
• Contribute to short-form content creation and provide creative direction to internal and agency partners.
• Develop and oversee influencer strategies, including talent identification, deliverables, usage rights, logistics, and performance tracking.
• Monitor and analyze performance across all digital and social platforms; recommend optimization strategies.

3. Asset & Creative Management

• Oversee creative briefing, asset routing, approvals, and final toolkit delivery.
• Ensure Creative Teams have clear direction, deadlines, and brand guardrails.
• Manage asset needs for marketing, retail partners, and international toolkits.
• Maintain strong cross-functional alignment with Franchise, Category/Planning, and Creative.

4. Budget Ownership & Vendor Management

• Own activation budgets across both brands, including allocation, pacing, forecasting, and reconciliation.
• Oversee creation and management of purchase orders and partner with Finance on invoice processing and accruals.
• Manage external agencies and vendors across media, influencer, experiential, content production, and social.

5. Experiential & Event Activation

• Lead the planning and execution of brand experiences, events, stunts, retail moments, and trade show activations.
• Oversee logistics, vendor communication, run-of-show documentation, and onsite execution when required.

6. Reporting & Performance Tracking

• Lead development of post-campaign recaps highlighting results, insights, and recommendations.
• Pull cross-channel metrics (in partnership with Media and Influencer partners) to evaluate effectiveness.
• Present findings and strategic guidance to VP-level stakeholders.

7. Team Leadership & Development

• Provide day-to-day leadership, guidance, and prioritization across the Activation team for LOL and RH.
  • Direct partners: Sr Manager, Media
  • Team contributors: Associate Manager, Activation; Coordinator, Activation
• Mentor junior team members, support development plans, and elevate team performance.
• Foster a culture of operational excellence, creativity, and collaboration across the brand pillar.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or related field.
• 6–8 years of experience in integrated marketing, brand activation, digital marketing, or social/influencer management.
• Proven success leading multi-channel consumer marketing campaigns.
• Strong experience managing budgets, agencies, and vendor relationships.
• Expertise in social media ecosystems, influencer marketing, and digital content production.
• Strong creative instincts with comfort overseeing or participating in light content creation.
• Excellent project management, communication, and cross-functional partnership skills.
• Experience managing or mentoring junior team members.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in fashion dolls, toys, youth entertainment, beauty, or youth culture categories.
• Background in retail-driven brands with seasonal marketing cycles.
• Experience working with major retailers (Target, Walmart, Amazon) preferred.
• Familiarity with Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and parent audience behaviors.

Key Competencies

• Strategic Activation: Ability to translate brand strategy into integrated activation plans.
• Creative Leadership: Strong POV on content, social, and influencer opportunities.
• Operational Mastery: Highly organized, detailed, and deadline-oriented.
• Team Leadership: Builds trust, clarity, and momentum across the activation team.
• Consumer Obsessed: Deep understanding of culture, play trends, and kids/parent behaviors.
• Agility: Thrives in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities.

Salary:

$120,000.00 - $140,000.00 /year