Director of Innovation & Product Development

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc.; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

15% employee discount for you and one+

401(K) retirement plan with company-mÃ

Company paid life insurance

DailyPay access

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. is seeking a Director of Innovation & Product Development to lead Sprouts Brand's product development and act as the innovation leader for the organization.

The role combines strategic vision with hands-on development of high-impact products while building scalable processes and partnerships. Based at the Store Support Office in Phoenix, this hybrid role reports to senior leadership and collaborates with Strategy, Merchandising, Brand, Packaging, Quality, and Supply

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Product Development, Consumer Science, Business, Marketing, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in product development, innovation, category management, merchandising, private brand, or related functions
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing teams and cross-functional business initiatives
• Demonstrated success developing and commercializing innovative consumer products and driving measurable business growth
• Experience presenting strategic recommendations and business performance updates to senior and executive leadership teams
• Requires long-term strategic and financial planning skills
• Ability to preserve confidentiality of information, communicate with all levels of management and work within strict time frames and deadlines
• Complete understanding of P/L statements, general ledgers, and margins

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the multi-year innovation strategy for the Sprouts Brand portfolio, establishing priorities that drive sustainable growth, competitive differentiation, and long-term brand equity
• Own the enterprise innovation pipeline, ensuring a balanced portfolio of breakthrough innovation, platform expansion, renovation initiatives, and future growth opportunities aligned to business objectives.
• Identify and translate emerging consumer, health and wellness, culinary, ingredient, sustainability, and marketplace trends into innovation platforms, category opportunities, and strategic growth initiatives.
• Partner with executive and cross-functional leaders to define innovation priorities, allocate resources, and align product development investments with enterprise growth strategies.
• Lead the development and commercialization of high-impact, strategically significant products and innovation platforms that strengthen Sprouts Brand differentiation and market position.
• Establish and govern innovation portfolio management processes, evaluating opportunities through customer, competitive, operational, and financial lenses to maximize ROI and business impact.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, ingredient partners, and external innovation networks to accelerate innovation, access emerging capabilities, and identify future growth opportunities.
• Champion product development excellence by establishing scalable innovation frameworks, best practices, stage-gate processes, and commercialization standards that improve speed-to-market and launch effectiveness.
• Drive continuous improvement in innovation and product development processes, increasing organizational agility, reducing development cycle times, and enhancing commercialization success rates.
• Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert for product innovation and development, influencing category, merchandising, sourcing, and brand strategies through deep consumer and market insights.
• Lead, develop, and build organizational capability within the Product Development team through coaching, succession planning, talent development, and creation of a high-performance innovation culture.
• Communicate innovation strategy, portfolio performance, business cases, and growth opportunities to senior leadership, influencing strategic decisions that support long-term organizational success.

Skills

Product development

Innovation

Leadership

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science / Product Development / Consumer Science / Business / Marketing or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. is seeking a Director of Innovation & Product Development to lead Sprouts Brand's product development and act as the innovation leader for the organization.

The role combines strategic vision with hands-on development of high-impact products while building scalable processes and partnerships. Based at the Store Support Office in Phoenix, this hybrid role reports to senior leadership and collaborates with Strategy, Merchandising, Brand, Packaging, Quality, and Supply