Lead Trend & Design Strategist, Private Brands (Hard Goods)

Chewy•Minneapolis, MN

3d•$145,000 - $232,500

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. As the Lead Trend & Design Strategist, you will own the future creative vision of our Private Brands portfolio by translating cultural shifts, customer behaviors, portfolio strategy, and trend intelligence into actionable creative vision that drives innovation, assortment evolution, and long-term growth possibilities. You will operate at the front end of the product creation process, identifying future opportunities that inspire innovation, influence assortment strategies, and strengthen brand differentiation. Through a combination of trend forecasting, creative storytelling, and strategic thinking, you will help teams visualize what is next and transform emerging opportunities into meaningful product and customer experiences. Your work will influence product innovation, seasonal storytelling, assortment evolution, and long-term portfolio growth across one of the most diverse product portfolios in the pet industry. This role establishes the creative frameworks, trend methodologies, and aesthetic standards that guide Product Design and Technical Design teams across everyday and seasonal product development and innovation.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in Trend Strategy, Trend Forecasting, Creative Strategy, Product Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Brand Strategy, or a related field.
Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Product Design, or equivalent professional experience.
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, XD, or similar design software.
Experience leveraging trend forecasting, customer insights, cultural intelligence, and market research to influence product or brand strategies.
Strong visual communication and storytelling skills, including development of trend reports, mood boards, concept presentations, and strategic narratives.
Experience translating future-focused opportunities into actionable creative direction and business recommendations.
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and build alignment around emerging opportunities and innovation strategies.
Strong strategic thinking, presentation, communication, and collaboration skills.

Nice To Haves

Ability to define and elevate trend strategy, creative methodologies, and organizational design capability across multiple brands and categories
Recognized authority capable of influencing executive leaders through future-focused vision, compelling storytelling, and strategic creative leadership
Experience developing seasonal trend strategies, aesthetic frameworks, or innovation roadmaps.
Familiarity with trend forecasting platforms, consumer research tools, and market intelligence resources.
Experience partnering with creative, product development, marketing, or brand teams to bring trend direction to life.
Knowledge of color, material, graphic, print, and pattern development processes.

Responsibilities

Establish the trend forecasting methodologies, intelligence sources, and strategic frameworks used to guide future product innovation.
Anticipate emerging cultural, consumer, and industry shifts to proactively position our product pipelines ahead of changing customer expectations and competitive landscapes.
Continuously monitor and synthesize trend forecasting services, consumer insights, cultural shifts, market intelligence, competitive landscapes, and emerging industries to identify future opportunities.
Identify macro trends, emerging customer behaviors, and cultural movements that may influence future product, category, and portfolio direction.
Connect trend intelligence, portfolio priorities, customer insights, and business objectives to identify opportunities for innovation and growth.
Translate evolving customer needs and market dynamics into actionable opportunities that support future assortment and portfolio strategies.
Integrate trend intelligence, strategic priorities, and customer insights into future-focused creative direction.
Service as the organization’s recognized authority on future consumer trends, cultural movements, and aesthetic direction.
Influence business and cross-functional decision making by connecting future trends to business strategy, customer growth, and product innovation pipelines.
Partner with Brand Strategy teams to identify where brands have permission to evolve, expand, and remain culturally relevant over time.
Serve as a future-focused creative voice within Product Development, helping teams understand emerging opportunities and future customer needs.
Influence innovation and assortment direction by translating future-focused trends into actionable creative opportunities.
Develop compelling presentations, strategic narratives, and visual storytelling that help stakeholders understand opportunities that do not yet exist.
Translate trend opportunities into recommendations that influence assortment planning, innovation priorities, and growth strategies.
Educate and influence cross-functional partners by connecting trend, culture, and customer behavior to clear business implications.
Establish creative standards, trend frameworks, and aesthetics principles that ensure consistency in brands, categories, and future product development.
Guide and review the work of Product Design, print, illustration, and external creative partners to ensure trend concepts are consistently translated into differentiated customer experiences.
Create inspirational and actionable trend direction including color palettes, material direction, print and pattern concepts, illustration guidance, iconography, and form language.
Develop future-focused trend concepts, seasonal stories, and creative frameworks that guide product innovation and assortment planning.
Translate trend intelligence into creative direction that aligns with established brand principles, portfolio strategies, and customer expectations.
Build compelling visual tools including mood boards, concept stories, inspiration frameworks, and design narratives that guide creative teams.
Establish seasonal and long-term aesthetic direction that creates consistency across products, collections, and customer experiences.
Provide creative direction to design, graphic, illustration, and pattern development partners to support concept execution.
Lead creative alignment across Product Design, Technical Design, Brand Strategy, Category Management, Marketing, and enterprise partners to bring future-focused opportunities to life.
Build strategic partnerships with external trend agencies, forecasting services, creative partners, and industry experts to continuously strengthen the organization trend capabilities
Partner with Portfolio Strategy teams to translate long-term business opportunities into trend concepts, creative frameworks, and future product direction.
Establish trend direction and creative frameworks that provide a clear foundation for Product Design and Technical Design teams.
Build strong relationships across creative and business teams to ensure opportunities are actionable, aligned, and strategically relevant.
Influence decision-making through compelling storytelling, customer insights, trend expertise, and strategic recommendations.
Establish scalable trend methodologies, creative processes, and best practices across the organization
Build the organization’s trend capability through mentorship, coaching, and knowledge sharing
Elevate the creative quality and consistency of trend direction across brands, categories, and product experiences
Continuously evolve trend tools, forecasting resources, and creative frameworks to strengthen innovation capabilities

Benefits

401k
new hire and annual equity grant
medical/Rx
vision
dental
life
disability
hospital indemnity
critical illness
accident
parental leave
family services benefits
backup dependent care
flexible spending accounts
telemedicine
pet adoption reimbursement
employee assistance program
discounts including 10% off pet insurance and 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