Job Description
The Role
At Green Thumb, continuous innovation is a key focus area as we seek to create the best product experiences for our consumers. As a Director, Product Innovation, you will play a critical role in shaping and executing our end-to-end innovation strategy across select product categories (flower, pre-rolls, vape, concentrates, or edibles). You will drive both the expansion of existing product lines and the connecting and commercialization of new-to-world products. This role requires a unique blend of strategic vision, disciplined project management, and people leadership to deliver a portfolio that both delights our consumers and strengthens our market position.
This is a hybrid role, requiring 2 days per week in our Chicago office; you will also be asked to travel to our production facilities on a periodic basis (~1x/quarter).
Responsibilities
- Lead the development of a multi-year innovation pipeline (select categories), grounded in category and consumer insights, industry trends, and local market needs.
- Lead the continued optimization of our overall innovation processes and systems, in collaboration with the broader Innovation Leadership Team.
- Own the life cycle of your defined product portfolio, evaluating and recommending cost savings opportunities, formulation/packaging optimizations, and/or SKU rationalizations.
- Drive project management excellence across innovation initiatives, establishing frameworks for tracking progress, managing risk, and delivering results.
- Identify and implement process improvements to optimize speed-to-market, increase efficiency, and strengthen team collaboration.
- Maintain intelligence on market dynamics, including competitive landscape, market share, packaging trends, and environmental factors impacting GTI’s optimal product portfolio.
- Support Managers, Product Innovation and/or Product Developers on the cross-functional development of new products, inclusive of business cases, new formulations, new packaging concepts, and overall product launch process
- Lead cross-functional communications to ensure product development and market expansion priorities are clear, aligned to, and disseminated across teams.
- Manage relationships with commercial leadership to ensure clarity and optimized processes surrounding market expansions
- Partner with Consumer Insights to identify research opportunities and/or custom data resources and reporting to inform portfolio and category strategy.
- Coach, develop, and manage a team of Product Innovation Managers, Associates and/or Product Developers.
Qualifications
- 5-10+ years of experience in innovation, product management, or project management.
- Proven track record of leading complex, cross-functional initiatives from strategy to execution.
- Strong understanding of project management methodologies (formal certification like PMP a plus).
- Demonstrated ability to optimize processes and improve efficiency in a fast-paced environment.
- Able to navigate ambiguity and remain focused and effective amidst shifting priorities.
- Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization, including our executive team.
- Strong product acumen and cannabis knowledge.
Additional Requirements
- Must pass any and all required background checks
- Must be and remain compliant with all legal or company regulations for working in the industry
- Must possess valid driver’s license
- Must be a minimum of 21 years of age
- Must be approved by state badging agency to work in cannabis industry
The pay range is competitive and based on experience, qualifications, and/or location of the role. Positions may be eligible for a discretionary annual incentive program driven by organization and individual performance.
Green Thumb Pay Range
$140,000—$180,000 USD
