Director, Innovation

About Us

At Open Farm we are transforming the way people feed their pets, with a focus on producing premium, healthy food and treats, all ethically sourced from farm-to-bowl. Headquartered in Toronto and with team members across the US, Open Farm is one of the fastest growing CPG companies in North America. We believe that the best foods are made with consciously sourced, top-quality ingredients from farmers and fisheries who believe in doing good for all animals and the environment.

Before you em-bark on this journey with us, learn more about the opportunity:

At Open Farm, we are passionate about sharing our message of sustainable, ethically sourced nutrition with pet parents. We are looking for someone who shares this belief to join as our Director of Innovation. This is an incredible opportunity for a passionate, talented, creative, innovative individual to deliver our multi-year pipeline of consumer-focused and brand-centric new products while improving the lives of pets and the planet.

In this role you will:

• Develop and maintain a robust innovation pipeline that drives sustainable, profitable growth.
• Balance disciplined management practices with an entrepreneurial mindset to make strategic, data-driven decisions while effectively managing risk and uncertainty.
• Build and nurture strong partnerships with co-manufacturers, ensuring Open Farm remains a priority while driving timely, high-impact innovation.
• Lead a cross-functional team through the stage-gate process, transforming concepts into market-ready innovations by evaluating strategic fit, consumer insights, technical feasibility, and business viability.
• Oversee packaging innovation, ensuring breakthrough designs that differentiate each product while maintaining brand integrity.
• Develop compelling business cases by analyzing volume potential, pricing strategies, product costs, and trade/consumer investment scenarios to meet financial targets.
• Champion Open Farm's mission by ensuring every new product and launch component fully aligns with our brand promise.
• Collaborate closely with R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Sales teams to seamlessly integrate new product launches into the business.
• Lead internal training for Sales and Customer Service teams to ensure product knowledge and successful market adoption.
• All other duties, as assigned
  
  

We're paw-sitively excited about you because you have:

• 5–7+ years of experience in the consumer-packaged goods industry, preferably in the pet category, with a proven track record of launching meaningful and disruptive innovations.
• Demonstrated success in driving innovation, whether through new product development, new business models, startup ventures, or entrepreneurial initiatives (food or pet industry experience preferred).
• Strong experience leading innovation strategy, idea development, and business commercialization, with the ability to guide cross-functional teams from ideation to market launch.
• Proven leadership in managing and motivating teams, providing clear direction, and fostering collaboration to deliver breakthrough products through the innovation process.
• A hands-on, impact-driven approach, comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, making strategic decisions with agility, and executing without relying heavily on market research.
  
  

What we offer you - it's the purr-fect package:

• An opportunity to grow, develop, and thrive within a mission-driven, dynamic, and fast-growing company, alongside thoughtful and passionate individuals dedicated to their work and community
• Comprehensive healthcare coverage and 401K with company match
• Great company culture (with lots of adorable pets!) where your pet interrupting video calls is the norm
• Discounted food, apparel and insurance for your furry family members
• In addition to your PTO, we offer company-wide wellness days and personal days to support your wellbeing
• Volunteer days to give back to our community
  
  

Our Values

We Raise the Bar | We Open the Barn Doors | We Graze Lightly | We Are Customer Obsessed | We Are One Team 

To learn more about Open Farm, follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Open Farm values diversity in its workforce and encourages applications from all qualified individuals. Applicants requiring a disability-related accommodation at any stage of Open Farm's recruitment process should contact [email protected]. As required by legislation, Open Farm will consult with applications requesting such an accommodation to ensure that Open Farm's recruitment process takes into account their accessibility needs.