Lead Director - Product Development

We're building a world of health around every individual - shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you'll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger - helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.

If you're driven to build and lead the strategy behind CVS' Own Brands physical product portfolio - from household essentials to consumables - this is where your leadership shapes real, tangible outcomes for millions of shoppers. As the Lead Director, Product Development for General Merchandise & Consumables (GMC), you will lead a team accountable for the end-to-end development of physical, consumer packaged goods (CPG) across a broad portfolio spanning multiple brands, 20+ product categories, and hundreds of items generating over $0.5B in annual revenue.

You will translate shopper insights, market trends, competitive intelligence, and CVS' internal total business strategies into compelling, data-driven category strategies and product roadmaps, and ensure your team's tactical execution ladders directly to those strategic priorities. Reporting to the Executive Director of Store Brands Product Development, you will lead, coach, and grow a high-performing team of Product Development Managers, serve as a credible and influential cross-functional partner across the organization, and operate as a general manager of your portfolio - equally comfortable navigating granular retail math and executive-level storytelling.

Please note: this role is focused on the development and management of physical, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) - such as food, beverage, candy, bath tissue, paper towels, household cleaners, and other general merchandise products. This is not a Digital, Web, or App product management role, and candidates whose experience is limited to software, digital, or app-based product development will not meet the qualifications for this position.

• Category Management & Business Performance: Act as the general manager of your portfolio and the principle partner of your cross-functional colleagues driving effective day-to-day operations, vendor management and negotiations, business case development, and aligning product development with Own Brand, Category, and Planogram strategy.
• Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Product Lifecycle: Lead strategic decision-making across the full product lifecycle - discovery, concept, development, launch, in-market management, and discontinuation - while identifying whitespace opportunities within each brand.
• Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs: Partner closely with these CVS teams to ensure product, formulation, and factory compliance with internal standards and external regulations.
• Packaging, Brand, Business, and Consumer Experience Teams: Collaborate closely & frequently with cross-functional Own Brand teams throughout the product lifecycle to ensure success within product, packaging, price, and placement.
• Supplier Management: Develop, set, and oversee the strategy for an effective vendor portfolio, vendor selection and relationship management, with strategic negotiations as a core responsibility.
• Inventory and Supply Chain: Serve as an escalation point to maintain consistent product availability and resolve complex supply-related challenges.
• People Leadership: Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team of Product Development Managers, creating the conditions for their continued growth and success.

• Owns the end-to-end product strategy and roadmap for a portfolio spanning multiple brands, 20+ product categories, and hundreds of SKUs generating $0.5B+ in annual revenue, translating shopper insights, market trends, and competitive intelligence into a compelling and successful strategic framework
• Builds and defends data-driven business cases rooted in retail math (P&L, margin analysis, pricing tiers, penetration rates, market share, etc...) to prioritize whitespace opportunities, guide investment decisions, and secure leadership alignment.
• Partners with Category Management to align product development priorities with assortment and category strategy across the portfolio.
• Establishes and continually refines quality, formulation, consumer experience, and packaging standards to ensure products meet brand positioning, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations.
• Connects strategic priorities to the team's day-to-day tactical execution, ensuring the roadmap translates into clear, prioritized work for Product Development Managers and their teams.
• Monitors key performance indicators (sales, market share, profitability, customer feedback)…