Associate Director of Product Development Research

Whoop•Boston, MA

23h•$140,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

At WHOOP, we’re on a mission to unlock human performance. WHOOP empowers members to perform at a higher level through a deeper understanding of their bodies and daily lives. We are looking for an experienced product research leader to support product development across WHOOP's hardware, wearables, algorithms, and advanced technology portfolio. You’ll manage a team of research staff that own end-to-end research for early-stage innovation, physical products and apparel, and algorithm development out of WHOOP Labs Boston. You will also contribute to the broader WHOOP Labs research strategy, bringing your research expertise to the Human Subjects Research leadership team. The ideal candidate brings experience leading researchers in a fast-paced technical product environment, with particular preference for experience supporting hardware, sensors, wearables, or other physical products through iterative development cycles. This position is in-person in Boston, MA 5 days per week with travel 2-3 times per year.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in a Research Manager, Research Lead, or similar human subjects research leadership role within a technical product development environment.
2+ years of direct people management experience, with a demonstrated ability to coach and develop researchers across disciplines and levels.
Experience supporting research for consumer hardware, sensors, wearables, connected devices, or other physical products strongly preferred.
Familiarity with physical product development processes, including early-stage prototyping, iterative testing, hardware development timelines, and/or feasibility explorations.
Data-driven approach to strategic planning, comfortable reviewing metrics and identifying ways to measure research ROI and impact
Experience collaborating across multiple functions including engineering, privacy/legal, research, recruitment, and product.
Passion for building a strong team culture and coaching future research leaders.
Strong organizational, communication, and documentation skills.
Passion for health, wellness, and WHOOP’s mission.

Responsibilities

Develop, manage and scale the human subjects research team with an emphasis on professional development and coaching at multiple levels of seniority.
Champion research integrity, including ensuring that data collection tools and team practices are optimized for the fast-paced, complex nature of product innovation work.
Advocate for the needs of your team and their work to unlock high-volume, high-quality research on site at WHOOP Labs Boston.
Define and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of program initiatives and track progress towards goals.
Collaborate closely with other research leaders to build a strong culture across WHOOP Labs and ensure strong ways of working between research execution and operations teams.
Partner with stakeholders across signal engineering, machine learning, hardware, apparel, and product to coach on working with HSR and facilitate effective collaboration between teams.
Champion of culture of team trust, support, and communication, emphasizing the complexities of conducting public-facing, high-engagement activities.
Partner with the Associate Director of Lab Operations and Associate Director of WHOOP Labs Doha to build the WHOOP Labs brand across the global organization.