Fisher Price Early Childhood Development Graduate Summer Intern (Play Lab)

Mattel 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, entertain 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 Opportunity: 

 The Fisher-Price Play Lab internship program in East Aurora, NY is set-up to provide a real-world Early Childhood Development qualitative research experience for students, one that will prepare them for post-graduation employment in the profession of early childhood development. As an Intern, you will work alongside a diversified team of highly experienced early childhood development experts and have daily interaction with multiple cross functional teams of Designers, Product, Electrical, and Audio Engineers, Educational Content Producers, Marketers, Artists, and Product Safety experts. This exposure to various disciplines allows our interns to learn and understand the role of early childhood development experts in a multi-disciplinary team that is required in the process of designing developmentally appropriate and successful products for our 21st century children and parents alike!

 What Your Impact Will Be:  

• Assist the on-going Play Lab toy-testing sessions with preschool-aged children.
• Assist with playgroups of infants and toddlers.
• Assist with product testing projects: on-site, web-based, and in-home testing.
• Assist with testing new research technologies, i.e. eye-tracking; facial recognition.
• Compile, analyze and generate report summaries based on product development testing sessions and related research.
• Assist with ethnographic observational research in collaboration with Play Lab Research Staff to observe and analyze play patterns and physical, cognitive, and social interaction of infants, toddlers and preschoolers regarding selected topics.
• Conduct parenting, educational and/or developmental trend research reviews across all target age groups and product categories.

What We’re Looking For: 

• Current student enrolled in graduate program related to the education and development of young children (e.g.  Early Childhood Education /Elementary Education/ Educational Psychology/Literacy/Technology/Media/Special Needs/) with an anticipated graduation date in 2026
• Experience teaching, researching, and observing, and/or working with young children.
• Strong observational research skills.
• Experience conducting qualitative research
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Web-based research, data collection.

What It’s Like to Work Here: 

We are a purpose driven company aiming to empower the next generation 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 company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Thomas & Friends, UNO and MEGA, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music and live events. We operate in 35 locations and our products are available in more than 150 countries 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 children to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.

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

Mattel is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer where we want you to bring your authentic self to work every day. We welcome all job seekers including minorities, females, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and those of all sexual orientations and gender identities.