WHOOP

Associate Director of Product Development Research

WHOOP$140K — $180K *
Consumer Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years in a human subjects research leadership role in technical product development.
  • 2+ years of direct people management experience with a focus on coaching and developing researchers.
  • Strong preference for experience in consumer hardware, wearables, or sensor research.
  • Familiarity with physical product development, including prototyping and hardware testing processes.
  • Ability to develop metrics that measure research effectiveness and impact.
  • Experience collaborating with engineering, product, and privacy/legal teams.
  • Strong organizational and communication skills.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and scale the human subjects research team, focusing on professional development.
  • Ensure research integrity with optimized data collection practices.
  • Advocate for team needs to facilitate high-quality on-site research.
  • Define and monitor KPIs to gauge program effectiveness.
  • Collaborate with other research leaders to foster a strong organizational culture.
  • Coach stakeholders on effective human subjects research collaboration.
  • Promote a culture of trust and communication within the team.
  • Work with lab operations to enhance the WHOOP Labs brand globally.

Benefits

  • Generous equity package aligned with company success.
  • Emphasis on employee development and coaching.
  • Access to a diverse and inclusive work environment.
  • Opportunity to be part of a team focused on health and wellness innovations.
Full Job Description
We are looking for an experienced product research leader to support product development across WHOOP's hardware, wearables, algorithms, sensors, 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.

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.
  • Reports to the Sr. Director of Human Subjects Research

QUALIFICATIONS
  • 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.


Interested in the role, but don't meet every qualification? We encourage you to still apply! At WHOOP, we believe there is much more to a candidate than what is written on paper, and we value character as much as experience. As we continue to build a diverse and inclusive environment, we encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply.

The WHOOP compensation philosophy is designed to attract, motivate, and retain exceptional talent by offering competitive base salaries, meaningful equity, and consistent pay practices that reflect our mission and core values.

At WHOOP, we view total compensation as the combination of base salary, equity, and benefits, with equity serving as a key differentiator that aligns our employees with the long-term success of the company and allows every member of our corporate team to own part of WHOOP and share in the company's long-term growth and success.

The U.S. base salary range for this full-time position is $140,000 - $180,000. Salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within each range, individual pay is based on factors such as job-related skills, experience, performance, and relevant education or training.

In addition to the base salary, the successful candidate will also receive benefits and a generous equity package.

These ranges may be modified in the future to reflect evolving market conditions and organizational needs. While most offers will typically fall toward the starting point of the range, total compensation will depend on the candidate's specific qualifications, expertise, and alignment with the role's requirements.

About WHOOP

WHOOP is a wearable technology company that specializes in fitness tracking. The company was founded in 2012 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. WHOOP's flagship product is a wristband that tracks various metrics related to fitness and health, such as heart rate variability, sleep quality, and recovery time. The company also offers a subscription service that provides personalized insights and recommendations based on the data collected by the wristband. WHOOP has raised over $200 million in funding and has partnerships with several professional sports leagues and teams.
Learn more about WHOOP
Size
500 employees
Industry
Founded
2011

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