Associate Director of Product Design

Job Description:

Associate Director, Product Design, Private Brands

At Chewy, we believe great work starts with great people!

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.

What You'll Do

Leadership & Talent Development

• 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.

Product Development & Innovation

• 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.

Strategic Influence & Stakeholder Partnership

• 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.

Creative & Technical Excellence

• 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.

What You'll Need

• 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.

Bonus

• 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.

What You'll Get

Chewy is committed to equal opportunity. We value and embrace diversity and inclusion of all Team Members.

Our salary range for this position is competitive and based on experience and qualifications. In addition to a competitive compensation package, Team Members may be eligible for a variety of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, a 401(k) with company matching, paid parental leave, employee assistance programs, paid time off, and Team Member discounts.

Chewy is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process.

• The specific salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, education, and work location. In addition, this position is eligible for 401k and a new hire and annual equity grant. C08+ positions may also be eligible for annual bonus.

We offer different types of insurance and benefits, such as medical/Rx, vision, dental, life, disability, hospital indemnity, critical illness, and accident. We offer parental leave, family services benefits, backup dependent care, flexible spending accounts, telemedicine, pet adoption reimbursement, employee assistance program, and many discounts including 10% off pet insurance and 20% off at Chewy.com. 

Exempt salary team members have unlimited PTO, subject to manager approval. Team members will receive six paid holidays per year. Team members may be eligible for paid sick and family leave in compliance with applicable state and local regulations. 

Chewy is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need an accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, or if you need a religious accommodation, please contact

CAAR@chewy.com

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