Role overview

WHOOP is seeking an experienced research leader to direct human subjects research activities across the company’s hardware, wearables, algorithms, and advanced technology development. You will manage a team of researchers conducting end-to-end research for early-stage innovation, physical products, and algorithm development at WHOOP Labs Boston, while also contributing to the broader research strategy across the organization.

Key responsibilities

Build and scale the human subjects research team, focusing on professional development and coaching staff across different experience levels.
Maintain and champion research integrity by ensuring data collection practices and team workflows are optimized for fast-paced, complex product innovation.
Advocate for team needs and work to enable high-volume, high-quality research execution on site at WHOOP Labs Boston.
Establish and monitor key performance indicators to measure program effectiveness and progress toward organizational goals.
Collaborate with other research leaders to strengthen culture across WHOOP Labs and improve coordination between research and operations teams.
Partner with stakeholders in signal engineering, machine learning, hardware, apparel, and product teams to facilitate effective collaboration and coach internal partners on working with human subjects research.
Partner with the Associate Director of Lab Operations and counterpart in WHOOP Labs Doha to strengthen the WHOOP Labs brand globally.

Requirements

At least five years of experience in a research management or leadership role within a technical product development environment.
Minimum two years of direct people management experience with demonstrated ability to coach and develop researchers across disciplines and experience levels.
Experience supporting research for consumer hardware, sensors, wearables, connected devices, or other physical products.
Familiarity with physical product development processes, including early-stage prototyping, iterative testing, hardware development timelines, and feasibility exploration.
Data-driven mindset with comfort reviewing metrics and measuring research return on investment.
Experience collaborating across multiple functions including engineering, privacy and legal, research, recruitment, and product teams.
Strong organizational and communication skills, with a commitment to building team culture and developing future research leaders.

What makes this role worth considering

This position offers the opportunity to lead a research team at the center of product innovation in performance technology, working directly with cross-functional engineering and product teams. The role is based in Boston with an in-person schedule of five days per week and occasional travel, allowing you to build deep relationships with your team and collaborate closely with colleagues at a company focused on unlocking human performance.