Lead Trend & Design Strategist, Private Brands (Hard Goods)

Job Description:

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 Lead Trend & Design Strategist, you will own the future creative vision of our Private Brands portfolio by translating cultural shifts, customer behaviors, portfolio strategy, and trend intelligence into actionable creative vision that drives innovation, assortment evolution, and long-term growth possibilities. You will operate at the front end of the product creation process, identifying future opportunities that inspire innovation, influence assortment strategies, and strengthen brand differentiation.

Through a combination of trend forecasting, creative storytelling, and strategic thinking, you will help teams visualize what is next and transform emerging opportunities into meaningful product and customer experiences. Your work will influence product innovation, seasonal storytelling, assortment evolution, and long-term portfolio growth across one of the most diverse product portfolios in the pet industry.

This role establishes the creative frameworks, trend methodologies, and aesthetic standards that guide Product Design and Technical Design teams across everyday and seasonal product development and innovation.

About The Team

The Trend & Design Strategy team owns the development of future-focused trend concepts, aesthetic direction, seasonal stories, and creative frameworks that inspire product innovation and guide design direction across Private Brands. The team translates portfolio strategy, customer insights, cultural shifts, market intelligence, and emerging aesthetics into actionable creative direction that influences product design, innovation priorities, and assortment evolution.

Working closely with Product Design, Technical Design, Brand Strategy, Category Management, Marketing, and enterprise partners, the team helps identify future growth opportunities, create differentiated customer experiences, and establish creative frameworks that guide future product development. Success in this role requires balancing creativity, strategic thinking, customer understanding, and business acumen to influence how brands remain relevant, differentiated, and connected to evolving customer needs.

What You'll Do

Trend Intelligence & Future Forecasting

• Establish the trend forecasting methodologies, intelligence sources, and strategic frameworks used to guide future product innovation.
• Anticipate emerging cultural, consumer, and industry shifts to proactively position our product pipelines ahead of changing customer expectations and competitive landscapes.
• Continuously monitor and synthesize trend forecasting services, consumer insights, cultural shifts, market intelligence, competitive landscapes, and emerging industries to identify future opportunities.
• Identify macro trends, emerging customer behaviors, and cultural movements that may influence future product, category, and portfolio direction.
• Connect trend intelligence, portfolio priorities, customer insights, and business objectives to identify opportunities for innovation and growth.
• Translate evolving customer needs and market dynamics into actionable opportunities that support future assortment and portfolio strategies.
• Integrate trend intelligence, strategic priorities, and customer insights into future-focused creative direction.

Strategic Influence & Future Vision

• Service as the organization’s recognized authority on future consumer trends, cultural movements, and aesthetic direction.
• Influence business and cross-functional decision making by connecting future trends to business strategy, customer growth, and product innovation pipelines.
• Partner with Brand Strategy teams to identify where brands have permission to evolve, expand, and remain culturally relevant over time.
• Serve as a future-focused creative voice within Product Development, helping teams understand emerging opportunities and future customer needs.
• Influence innovation and assortment direction by translating future-focused trends into actionable creative opportunities.
• Develop compelling presentations, strategic narratives, and visual storytelling that help stakeholders understand opportunities that do not yet exist.
• Translate trend opportunities into recommendations that influence assortment planning, innovation priorities, and growth strategies.
• Educate and influence cross-functional partners by connecting trend, culture, and customer behavior to clear business implications.

Creative Direction & Concept Development

• Establish creative standards, trend frameworks, and aesthetics principles that ensure consistency in brands, categories, and future product development.
• Guide and review the work of Product Design, print, illustration, and external creative partners to ensure trend concepts are consistently translated into differentiated customer experiences.
• Create inspirational and actionable trend direction including color palettes, material direction, print and pattern concepts, illustration guidance, iconography, and form language.
• Develop future-focused trend concepts, seasonal stories, and creative frameworks that guide product innovation and assortment planning.
• Translate trend intelligence into creative direction that aligns with established brand principles, portfolio strategies, and customer expectations.
• Build compelling visual tools including mood boards, concept stories, inspiration frameworks, and design narratives that guide creative teams.
• Establish seasonal and long-term aesthetic direction that creates consistency across products, collections, and customer experiences.
• Provide creative direction to design, graphic, illustration, and pattern development partners to support concept execution.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Influence

• Lead creative alignment across Product Design, Technical Design, Brand Strategy, Category Management, Marketing, and enterprise partners to bring future-focused opportunities to life.
• Build strategic partnerships with external trend agencies, forecasting services, creative partners, and industry experts to continuously strengthen the organization trend capabilities
• Partner with Portfolio Strategy teams to translate long-term business opportunities into trend concepts, creative frameworks, and future product direction.
• Establish trend direction and creative frameworks that provide a clear foundation for Product Design and Technical Design teams.
• Build strong relationships across creative and business teams to ensure opportunities are actionable, aligned, and strategically relevant.
• Influence decision-making through compelling storytelling, customer insights, trend expertise, and strategic recommendations.

Trend Capability & Creative Leadership

• Establish scalable trend methodologies, creative processes, and best practices across the organization
• Build the organization’s trend capability through mentorship, coaching, and knowledge sharing
• Elevate the creative quality and consistency of trend direction across brands, categories, and product experiences
• Continuously evolve trend tools, forecasting resources, and creative frameworks to strengthen innovation capabilities

What You'll Need

• 8+ years of experience in Trend Strategy, Trend Forecasting, Creative Strategy, Product Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Brand Strategy, or a related field.
• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Product Design, or equivalent professional experience.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, XD, or similar design software.
• Experience leveraging trend forecasting, customer insights, cultural intelligence, and market research to influence product or brand strategies.
• Strong visual communication and storytelling skills, including development of trend reports, mood boards, concept presentations, and strategic narratives.
• Experience translating future-focused opportunities into actionable creative direction and business recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and build alignment around emerging opportunities and innovation strategies.
• Strong strategic thinking, presentation, communication, and collaboration skills.

Bonus

• Ability to define and elevate trend strategy, creative methodologies, and organizational design capability across multiple brands and categories
• Recognized authority capable of influencing executive leaders through future-focused vision, compelling storytelling, and strategic creative leadership
• Experience leading consumer products, retail, private brands, pet, home, lifestyle, fashion, or related industries.
• Experience developing seasonal trend strategies, aesthetic frameworks, or innovation roadmaps.
• Familiarity with trend forecasting platforms, consumer research tools, and market intelligence resources.
• Experience partnering with creative, product development, marketing, or brand teams to bring trend direction to life.
• Knowledge of color, material, graphic, print, and pattern development processes.

• 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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