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.

The Team:

At the heart of our company, the Global People & Culture (P&C) team partners with employees across the business to deliver a meaningful, end-to-end employee experience. We live our values every day and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they truly belong. As part of our team, you’ll be encouraged to challenge the status quo, bring fresh, progressive thinking, and help drive impactful change. With a presence in over 30 countries and supporting more than 30,000 employees globally, our work has real scale and influence. We’re passionate about building an environment that amplifies purpose, passion, and play in every aspect of the employee experience. We value meaningful work, personalized career growth, and the opportunity to shape a world-class People & Culture organization.

Everyday, our Global People & Culture team role models the following strategic pillars:

• Performance and Growth: Attract and retain the best of the best. Support and inspire them to grow and contribute at the highest level
• Leadership Development: Cultivate skills and capabilities that make exceptional, innovative leaders
• Total Rewards: Reward and incentivize our people when and how it matters
• People Systems: Create integrated systems and processes that are intuitive and effective, and that yield actionable insights, designed with our people at the center
• Operational Excellence: Execute with excellence, fostering a culture of collaboration while empowering our people

The Opportunity: 

The Senior Manager, People & Culture is responsible for leading Talent Acquisition, Internship &
MGIP programs, foreign workforce management, Industrial Relations, and Employee Relations
for Mattel Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (MMSB). The role also oversees the overall delivery of People &
Culture functions and services for Mattel Development & Tooling Sdn. Bhd. (MDT).

The incumbent leads and manages the recruitment of Direct Labour (DL), Indirect Labour (IDL),
and Staff employees, including foreign worker recruitment, quota applications, workforce intake
planning, work permit renewals, and related workforce administration. The role also oversees the
Internship and MGIP programs, including recruitment, placement, onboarding, coordination with
educational institutions, program administration, and engagement with participating departments.
In addition, the role is responsible for maintaining positive employee and industrial relations,
managing disciplinary and workplace matters, and ensuring compliance with applicable
employment legislation, Company policies, statutory requirements, and audit standards.

As a senior member of the People & Culture team, the incumbent partners closely with business
leaders, government authorities, educational institutions, recruitment partners, and other key
stakeholders to meet workforce requirements, develop future talent pipelines, strengthen employee
experience, and support overall organizational performance.

What Your Impact Will Be: 

1. Talent Acquisition – Local Direct Labour
• Lead local Direct Labour recruitment to meet operational and production manpower
requirements.
• Develop short- and long-term hiring plans and sourcing strategies based on approved headcount and business needs.
• Partner with Production and business leaders to forecast manpower requirements and identify workforce risks.
• Oversee sourcing, screening, selection, documentation, and onboarding activities.
• Develop effective recruitment channels, including career fairs, community partnerships, recruitment campaigns, walk-in interviews, and employee referral programmes.

• Monitor recruitment performance, quality of hire, new-hire retention, recruitment cost, and time to fill.
• Ensure recruitment practices comply with Company policies, budgets, responsible hiring standards, and applicable requirements.
• Provide regular workforce updates and recruitment recommendations to management.

2. Foreign Workforce Management
• Lead foreign worker recruitment and workforce planning to meet operational and production requirements.
• Manage applications for new quotas, replacement quotas, and other required manpower approvals.
• Develop foreign worker intake plans based on approved headcount and business needs.
• Maintain effective relationships with government authorities, embassies, recruitment agencies, and service providers.
• Oversee work permit, passport, employment contract, insurance, medical examination, and statutory document renewals.
• Monitor foreign worker headcount, quota utilization, permit expiry dates, contract status, retention, and related costs.
• Ensure the effective arrival, onboarding, accommodation, transportation, and integration of foreign workers.
• Ensure recruitment agencies and service providers meet Company, ethical recruitment, social compliance, and audit standards.
• Monitor foreign workforce KPIs and implement improvement actions where required.

3. Staff and Indirect Labour Recruitment
• Lead the end-to-end recruitment of Staff and Indirect Labour employees for MMSB and MDT.
• Partner with hiring managers to identify workforce needs, define job requirements, and establish recruitment plans.
• Oversee candidate sourcing, screening, interviews, assessments, offer management, and onboarding coordination.
• Ensure vacancies are filled within approved headcount, budget, and agreed timelines.
• Build talent pipelines for critical, specialized, and difficult-to-fill positions.
• Develop partnerships with universities, colleges, technical institutions, professional bodies, and recruitment agencies.
• Represent the Company at career fairs, campus recruitment programmes, and employer branding activities.
• Guide hiring managers in making fair and informed selection decisions.
• Monitor recruitment KPIs and implement improvements to hiring quality and efficiency.
• Promote the Company’s employer brand and employee value proposition.

Industrial Relations
• Lead and oversee Industrial Relations matters to maintain a fair, compliant, and harmonious workplace.
• Advise management on disciplinary matters, misconduct, grievances, disputes, and other Industrial Relations issues.
• Oversee investigations, show-cause processes, Domestic Inquiries, and disciplinary actions to ensure fairness, consistency, and compliance.
• Review complex cases and recommend appropriate disciplinary, corrective, or preventive actions.
• Ensure Industrial Relations practices, policies, and procedures comply with applicable employment laws and Company requirements.
• Liaise with legal counsel, government authorities, labour agencies, employee representatives, and other relevant stakeholders.

• Represent or support the Company in conciliation meetings, labour disputes, Industrial Court matters, and other official proceedings where required.
• Monitor Industrial Relations trends and risks and recommend appropriate preventive or corrective actions.
• Provide guidance to managers and supervisors on disciplinary procedures, grievance handling, and Industrial Relations practices.
• Ensure proper documentation, confidentiality, and record-keeping for all Industrial Relations matters.

Employee Relations
• Lead and oversee Employee Relations matters to promote a positive, respectful, and productive workplace.
• Advise management, managers, and supervisors on employee conduct, grievances, attendance, performance concerns, workplace conflicts, and related employee matters.
• Oversee employee grievances, workplace investigations, counselling, corrective actions, and case resolution.
• Ensure Employee Relations matters are handled fairly, consistently, confidentially, and in accordance with Company policies and applicable employment legislation.
• Monitor employee concerns, workplace trends, and recurring issues and recommend appropriate improvement or preventive actions.
• Promote open communication and positive working relationships between employees and management.
• Support business leaders in strengthening employee engagement, workplace culture, trust, and overall employee experience.
• Provide guidance on the interpretation and consistent application of Company policies and employee-related procedures.
• Maintain effective relationships with relevant government authorities, legal advisers, employee representatives, and other stakeholders.
• Monitor and report key Employee Relations indicators and ensure proper documentation and confidentiality of employee-related cases.

Internship Program & Mattel Graduate Internship Program (MGIP)
• Lead and oversee the overall Internship Program and Mattel Graduate Internship Program (MGIP), ensuring alignment with business needs, workforce planning, and talent development objectives.
• Develop and implement the annual Internship and MGIP recruitment strategy, including intake planning, target disciplines, headcount requirements, timelines, and departmental placements.
• Partner with business leaders and hiring managers to identify internship and graduate talent requirements and ensure appropriate assignments, learning opportunities, and supervision are provided.
• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with universities, colleges, and higher learning institutions to strengthen the Company’s early-career talent pipeline.
• Oversee campus engagement activities, career fairs, university collaborations, recruitment campaigns, and employer-branding initiatives to strengthen the Company’s visibility and attract high-potential students and graduates.
• Oversee the end-to-end recruitment and selection process for interns and MGIP participants, including sourcing, screening, interviews, selection, offers, placement, and onboarding.
• Ensure structured onboarding, development plans, learning objectives, and performance expectations are established for Internship and MGIP participants.
• Monitor participant performance, development, engagement, and overall program experience in collaboration with department managers and assigned supervisors or mentors.
• Establish a structured performance evaluation and feedback process to assess participants’ capabilities, potential, and suitability for future employment opportunities.
• Identify high-performing interns and MGIP participants for potential conversion into contract or permanent positions, supporting the Company’s future talent pipeline.
• Monitor program effectiveness through key metrics such as intake achievement, completion rates, conversion rates, participant feedback, and hiring manager satisfaction, and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure Internship and MGIP administration, documentation, allowances, agreements, records, and related processes comply with Company policies, statutory requirements, budget controls, and audit standards.

4. MDT People & Culture
• Serve as the lead People & Culture Business Partner for MDT.
• Oversee the overall delivery of P&C functions, programs, and services for MDT.
• Advise MDT management on workforce planning, recruitment, employee relations, industrial relations, policies, and workplace matters.
• Monitor recruitment activities to ensure approved workforce requirements are met.
• Act as the key liaison between MDT management, employees, and the wider P&C function.
• Identify workforce concerns, employee issues, and people-related risks and recommend
appropriate actions.
• Oversee employee services, including canteen and housekeeping operations, to ensure quality, compliance, cost effectiveness, and employee satisfaction.
• Monitor relevant P&C indicators and provide updates and recommendations to MDT management and the Director, People & Culture.

5. General Responsibilities
• Lead and support People & Culture programmes, Company events, employee activities, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects, organizational initiatives, and continuous improvement activities, including Kaizen.
• Support and participate in relevant internal and external audits and ensure timely closure of audit findings. Ensure compliance with applicable statutory, regulatory, safety, audit, and Company requirements within the assigned areas of responsibility.
• Lead, manage, coach, and develop team members to strengthen performance, capability, accountability, and service delivery.
• Ensure the accurate and timely completion of administrative activities, management reports, records, and documentation.
• Provide leadership and guidance to the People & Culture function and contribute as a member of the MMSB management team.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the effective delivery of P&C programmes and services.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities assigned by the Company from time to time.

What We’re Looking For: 

• Demonstrated a growth mindset by staying curious and continuously learning, embracing challenges, and improving themselves.
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Psychology,
  Management, or a related discipline.
  • Minimum 12 years of progressive Human Resources experience, with strong exposure to
  Talent Acquisition, foreign workforce management, Employee Relations, and Industrial Relations.
  • At least 6 years of managerial or team leadership experience.
  • Experience in a manufacturing or high-volume operational environment is highly desirable.
  • Proven experience managing local and foreign worker recruitment, manpower planning,
  disciplinary matters, employee cases, and government liaison activities.
  • Strong knowledge of Malaysian employment legislation, industrial relations practices,
  immigration requirements, and relevant statutory regulations.
  • Strong leadership, stakeholder management, negotiation, influencing, and conflict-resolution
  skills.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Strong analytical, organizational, planning, and problem-solving capabilities.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced and changing environment.
  • High level of integrity, professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality.

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.

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.

Our Approach to Flexible Work:
We embrace a flexible work model designed to empower a culture of growth, optimism, and wellbeing, where every employee can reach their full potential. Combining purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility, our focus is to optimize performance and drive connection for moments that matter.

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.

Videos to watch:
The Culture at Mattel
Corporate Philanthropy