Sr Manager, Activation

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.