Director, Product Innovation

Director, Product Innovation Green Thumb Industries United States, Illinois, Chicago 325 West Huron Street (Show on map) May 14, 2026
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 passany and allrequired 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