The RoleWe're looking for a
Director of Clinical Research who will own Eight Sleep's clinical research organization - the data collection and scientific backbone of the company. Reporting to the VP of R&D, you will lead a team of 10+ research associates, data scientists, and data engineers. You'll serve as the company's senior physiological authority across every human research study that powers our hardware, sensing, and AI/ML teams.
You will also own program management across the full breadth of the clinical team's verticals - hardware studies, AI/ML development studies, and women's sleep studies - while also acting as Eight Sleep's public-facing voice on the science of sleep, from peer-reviewed publications to press and podcast appearances. This is a hands-on leadership role: you'll be as comfortable defining statistical criteria and reviewing raw data as you are managing people, budgets, and cross-functional stakeholders.
What You'll Do- Own the clinical research & science organization - lead, mentor, and grow a team of 10+ spanning clinical operations, data engineering, and data science
- Direct all human research studies supporting our Hardware, Sensing, and AI/ML teams, from protocol development & study ideation, to IRB submission, data collection, analysis, and reporting
- Uphold the company's scientific validation standard by applying rigorous statistical and testing criteria (e.g., MAE, TOST equivalence testing, Bland-Altman analysis) to evaluate hardware and algorithm performance before launch
- Translate research into product features by partnering with Product, Growth, Design, and Engineering teams to develop science-backed features such as Pregnancy Mode, Rapid Cooling Mode, and Jet Lag Mode
- Provide scientific input on marketing claims, press releases, and journalist articles by reviewing web, social, and app content for accuracy and ensuring every public-facing claim and document is backed by data
- Lead scientific communications - author and direct blog posts, white papers, and peer-reviewed publications, and represent Eight Sleep in press interviews, podcasts, and conference talks
- Manage team growth and performance, including hiring, compensation strategy, mentorship, and formal performance management processes
- Drive new research exploration, identifying and pursuing external collaborations and new areas of sleep science relevant to the company's roadmap
- Own budget and vendor management for clinical studies
What You Bring- A PhD in physiology, neuroscience, sleep science, or a related field
- 10+ years of human research experience, including at least 5 years at high-growth startups or consumer health / hardware technology companies
- 5+ years of people management experience, with a track record of managing and developing teams, including hiring, compensation decisions, and formal performance management
- Experience with biosensing devices or consumer health technology pursuing clinical validation
- A strong record of peer-reviewed publications and experience serving as an author or Principal Investigator on IRB-approved clinical studies
- Advanced statistical fluency - you can define statistical criteria, run power calculations, and dig into raw data directly alongside data scientists and biostatisticians
- Experience managing cross-functional programs to launch new features and products spanning hardware validation, sensing, AI/ML, product, and marketing teams
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience writing for both scientific (white papers, publications) and consumer (blog posts, social, press) audiences
- A hands-on, execution-oriented mindset, comfortable owning studies end-to-end in a fast-moving environment
Bonus Points- Experience with women's health initiatives
- Media training as a public-facing science spokesperson, with experience in press interviews, podcasts, and conference speaking engagements
- Experience supporting medical device regulatory studies
Compensation*Compensation is based on experience, qualifications, and market benchmarks for the respective location you will be based in (i.e. SF or Boston). Equity and performance-based incentives are a significant component of total compensation at Eight Sleep.
