Director, Human Subjects Research — Wearables & Hardware

WHOOP; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity package

Health benefits

Job summary

WHOOP in Boston seeks an experienced product research leader to direct end-to-end human subjects research across hardware, wearables, sensors, and algorithms. You will manage a team at WHOOP Labs Boston, shaping strategy and research execution for early-stage innovations.

The role emphasizes coaching, integrity, and collaboration with engineering, privacy/legal, and product teams. In-person, 5 days/week in Boston with occasional travel supports WHOOP’s mission and growth.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in a Research Manager or similar leadership role within a technical product development environment.
• 2+ years of direct people management experience.
• Experience supporting research for consumer hardware, sensors, wearables, or other physical products.
• Familiarity with physical product development processes, early-stage prototyping, iterative testing, hardware timelines, or feasibility explorations.
• Data-driven approach to strategic planning and measuring research ROI and impact.
• Experience collaborating across engineering, privacy/legal, research, recruitment, and product functions.
• 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 emphasis on professional development and coaching at multiple levels of seniority.
• Champion research integrity, ensuring data collection tools and team practices are optimized for fast-paced product innovation.
• Advocate for team needs to unlock high-volume, high-quality research on site at WHOOP Labs Boston.
• Define and monitor KPIs to measure program effectiveness and progress toward goals.
• Collaborate with other research leaders to build a strong culture across WHOOP Labs and ensure alignment between research execution and operations.
• Partner with stakeholders across signal engineering, ML, hardware, apparel, and product to coach on working with HSR and enable effective collaboration.
• Promote a culture of trust, support, and clear communication, addressing complexities of public-facing, high-engagement activities.
• Collaborate with the Associate Director of Lab Operations and Associate Director of WHOOP Labs Doha to build the WHOOP Labs brand globally.
• Report to the Sr. Director of Human Subjects Research.

Skills

People management

Research leadership

Data-driven planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Documentation

Job description

WHOOP in Boston seeks an experienced product research leader to direct end-to-end human subjects research across hardware, wearables, sensors, and algorithms. You will manage a team at WHOOP Labs Boston, shaping strategy and research execution for early-stage innovations.

The role emphasizes coaching, integrity, and collaboration with engineering, privacy/legal, and product teams. In-person, 5 days/week in Boston with occasional travel supports WHOOP’s mission and growth.