Associate Director of Product Development, R&D
About the role
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.
Responsibilities
Lead, develop, and inspire teams across Innovation & Product Strategy and Scientific Product Development while fostering a culture of scientific excellence, innovation, 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 scientific rigor, innovation methodologies, and product development best practices through repeatable processes and capability development.
Arrange strategic business decisions by connecting scientific innovation, product performance, customer insights, regulatory considerations, and market opportunities.
Shape multi-year innovation strategies that balance customer needs, nutritional science, ingredient innovation, market opportunities, margin objectives, and business priorities.
Partner closely with Sourcing, Quality Assurance, Regulatory, and Manufacturing leaders to strengthen ingredient quality, supplier capabilities, commercialization readiness, and long-term product integrity.
Champion customer-centered innovation by ensuring customer needs, pet health insights, and scientific evidence remain primary inputs into product development and portfolio planning.
Translate complex scientific concepts, research findings, and innovation opportunities into clear business recommendations that support customer value and sustainable growth.
Requirements
10+ years of experience in Research & Development, Product Development, Food Science, Animal Nutrition, Consumer Packaged Goods, Product Innovation, or a related scientific field.
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Food Science, Meat Science, Animal Science, Biology, Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary scientific teams across innovation strategy, formulation, and product development.
Strong knowledge of USDA, FDA regulations, AAFCO regulations, and regulatory requirements related to pet or human food products.
Experience developing pet food or human food products from concept through commercialization.
Strong understanding of formulation science, ingredient technologies, manufacturing processes, quality systems, and commercialization.
Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving alignment across complex cross-functional organizations.
Demonstrated ability to connect scientific innovation, customer needs, and business objectives into actionable product strategies.
Strong leadership, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to balance long-term innovation strategy with operational execution and organizational capability development.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including PowerPoint and Excel.
Qualifications
Advanced scientific degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Food Science, Animal Science, Nutrition, Biology, Chemistry, or a related discipline.
Experience within the pet food industry, animal nutrition, human food, or consumer packaged goods.
Experience leading innovation pipelines, long-range product roadmaps, or portfolio strategy initiatives.
Experience partnering with regulatory agencies, ingredient suppliers, contract manufacturers, or external research organizations.
Experience leading organizational transformation, capability development, or continuous improvement initiatives within an R&D environment.
Skills
Strategic thinking and leadership skills.
Strong scientific and technical expertise.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to balance innovation with operational excellence.
Benefits
Chewy is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. Chewy is an equal opportunity employer.
Pay
Chewy is committed to providing a competitive compensation package. Salary range for this position is competitive and based on experience and qualifications.
Schedule
Chewy offers a flexible schedule to accommodate the needs of our employees.