Director, Product Innovation

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