Associate Director of Product Design

Chewy•Minneapolis, MN

5d•$151,000 - $241,500

About The Position

At Chewy, our mission is to be the most trusted and convenient destination for pet parents and partners everywhere. We are passionate about creating innovative products and experiences that strengthen our connection with customers and improve the lives of pets and pet parents. As part of our Private Brands team, you'll have the opportunity to shape distinctive products and experiences that drive differentiation, growth, and long-term brand equity. Your Opportunity As the Associate Director of Product Design, you will define and lead the product creation vision for Private Brands Hard Goods, ensuring teams deliver differentiated products, compelling customer experiences, and innovative solutions that strengthen brand equity and drive business growth. You will lead a multidisciplinary organization spanning Product Design, Technical Design, and Trend Design, connecting future-focused trend direction, customer-centered design, and technical execution into a cohesive product strategy. Working across a diverse portfolio of brands, categories, and customer needs, you will guide teams from early opportunity identification and concept development through commercialization and launch. Through strong leadership, strategic thinking, and cross-functional influence, you will help shape how Private Brands evolves through innovation, product experiences, quality execution, and customer relevance. About The Team The Product Design organization is responsible for translating customer needs, business priorities, trend intelligence, and brand strategy into original products, collections, and experiences that differentiate Private Brands in the marketplace. The team brings together expertise across Product Design, Technical Design, and Trend Design to create products that balance innovation, aesthetics, functionality, manufacturability, quality, and customer value. Working closely with Category Management, Brand Strategy, Portfolio Strategy, Sourcing, Quality Assurance, Compliance, Marketing, and executive leadership, the team plays a critical role in shaping product roadmaps, innovation pipelines, and long-term portfolio growth. Success in this role requires balancing long-term vision with executional excellence while developing the talent, capabilities, and partnerships needed to support continued business growth.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in Product Design, Industrial Design, Fashion Design, Trend Design, Technical Design, Product Development, or a related field.
Bachelor's degree in Product Design, Industrial Design, Fashion Design, Trend Design, Technical Design, or equivalent professional experience.
Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary teams across creative, technical, and product development functions.
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, XD, or similar design software.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including PowerPoint and Excel.
Strong understanding of product development processes from concept creation through commercialization.
Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving alignment across complex cross-functional organizations.
Demonstrated ability to connect customer needs, innovation opportunities, and business objectives into actionable product strategies.
Strong leadership, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to balance long-term strategic vision with operational execution and organizational development.

Nice To Haves

Experience in retail, consumer products, hard goods, private brands, pet industry, or lifestyle categories.
Experience leading organizations that combine creative, technical, and innovation-focused disciplines.
Experience building product innovation pipelines, portfolio strategies, or long-range product roadmaps.
Experience partnering with sourcing, quality, compliance, and manufacturing teams to bring products to market.
Experience leading organizational transformation, capability development, or operating model improvements.

Responsibilities

Lead, develop, and inspire teams across Product Design, Technical Design, and Trend Design while fostering a culture of creativity, technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Build a sustainable leadership pipeline through succession planning, talent reviews, and targeted development of future leaders.
Establish clear priorities, development plans, and growth opportunities that strengthen individual capabilities and overall team performance.
Scale design excellence, technical rigor, and innovation practices across teams through repeatable processes, standards, and capability development.
Attract, develop, and retain exceptional creative and technical talent while fostering an inclusive, high-performing team environment.
Build strategic partnerships with suppliers, external partners, and industry experts that strengthen innovation, capability development, and product execution.
Promote mentorship, knowledge sharing, and cross-functional collaboration to elevate organizational effectiveness.
Establish and communicate a clear product and design vision that aligns customer needs, brand strategy, and business objectives.
Guide teams in creating differentiated products, collections, and customer experiences that strengthen customer preference and brand equity.
Lead end-to-end product creation efforts from opportunity identification and concept development through commercialization and launch.
Ensure trend direction, product design, and technical execution work together to deliver meaningful customer experiences and differentiated products.
Drive alignment between innovation priorities, customer insights, design excellence, technical feasibility, and business goals.
Champion customer-centered product development by ensuring customer needs remain a primary input into product prioritization, design decisions, and portfolio planning.
Support future innovation planning and product opportunities that strengthen portfolio growth and competitive differentiation.
Shape multi-year product portfolio strategies that balance customer needs, innovation opportunities, brand differentiation, margin objectives, and business priorities.
Influence strategic business decisions by connecting product innovation, design vision, customer needs, quality expectations, and market opportunities.
Lead alignment across Design, Technical Design, Trend Design, Sourcing, Quality Assurance, Compliance, Category Management, and Marketing teams.
Partner closely with Sourcing, Quality Assurance, and Compliance leaders to strengthen supplier capabilities, product quality, commercialization readiness, and long-term product integrity.
Serve as the primary advocate for Product Design, Technical Design, and Trend Design capabilities across the organization.
Influence organizational decision-making through customer-centered thinking, product expertise, creative leadership, and business acumen.
Translate complex product, design, and innovation opportunities into clear recommendations that support business growth and strategic objectives.
Establish high standards for product innovation, design quality, technical execution, and customer experience across the portfolio.
Champion original, differentiated, and brand-right solutions that strengthen customer trust and long-term brand equity.
Bring a strong point of view on design, quality, and customer experience that guides product development and decision-making.
Drive strong collaboration with supplier partners to elevate innovation, execution quality, and long-term capability development.
Continuously improve design practices, technical standards, development processes, and ways of working across the organization.
Ensure products consistently balance creativity, functionality, manufacturability, quality, and customer value.

Benefits

medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
a 401(k) with company matching
paid parental leave
employee assistance programs
paid time off
Team Member discounts
hospital indemnity
critical illness
accident insurance
family services benefits
backup dependent care
flexible spending accounts
telemedicine
pet adoption reimbursement
10% off pet insurance
20% off at Chewy.com
unlimited PTO, subject to manager approval
six paid holidays per year
paid sick and family leave in compliance with applicable state and local regulations
new hire and annual equity grant
annual bonus