Director of Development, Accessories & Apparel

WHOOP; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

WHOOP is seeking a Director of Development, Accessories & Apparel to steer development across bands, apparel, and materials, translating design concepts into manufacturable products from concept to production readiness.

You will lead a growing team, collaborate with Design, Product Marketing, Sourcing, Quality, and global manufacturing partners to deliver high-quality, scalable products for WHOOP's wearable ecosystem.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in product development, materials development, or a related role within performance apparel, footwear, wearables, accessories, consumer products, or adjacent categories.
• 3+ years of experience leading and developing high-performing product development and/or materials teams, with experience building teams or organizational capabilities preferred.
• Proven track record of developing physical products through the full lifecycle, from early concept and prototyping through testing, commercialization, and mass production.
• Deep understanding of materials, construction methods, manufacturing processes, product testing, and supplier capabilities.
• Experience working directly with global factories, mills, suppliers, and manufacturing partners to develop and commercialize innovative products.
• Demonstrated ability to translate ambitious design concepts into high-quality, scalable, and manufacturable products.
• Strong technical judgment with the ability to navigate tradeoffs across design intent, innovation, performance, quality, cost, timing, and manufacturability.
• Experience managing complex development calendars and multiple product programs across different categories simultaneously.
• Proven ability to establish and improve product development processes, tools, and ways of working within a growing organization.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence, drive alignment, and make decisions across teams without direct authority.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end product development across bands, apparel, accessories, materials, and emerging product categories, driving execution from early concept through commercialization and production readiness
• Lead, coach, and grow the Accessories & Apparel development team, initially spanning materials and product development, while building the organizational capabilities needed to support an expanding product portfolio
• Partner closely with Design to translate creative vision and product intent into technically feasible, manufacturable solutions while preserving the integrity of the original concept
• Establish clear development strategies, timelines, milestones, and decision points across multiple concurrent product programs, ensuring teams have visibility into priorities, risks, and dependencies
• Partner with Sourcing, Quality, and manufacturing partners to drive product feasibility, costing, testing, validation, commercialization, and successful transition into mass production
• Lead materials development and innovation in partnership with internal teams, mills, suppliers, and factories, identifying new materials, constructions, manufacturing processes, and technologies that create differentiated product experiences
• Develop strong relationships with factories, suppliers, mills, and technical partners, leveraging their capabilities while pushing partners toward solutions.
• Identify technical and manufacturing risks and improvements early and drive cross-functional teams to improve
• Build the long-term development organization, processes, tools, and supplier capabilities required to support WHOOP's growing physical product ecosystem

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Product development

Materials development

Manufacturing

Project management

Strategic planning

Problem solving

Job description

Director of Development, Accessories & Apparel

At WHOOP, we're on a mission to unlock human performance and healthspan. WHOOP empowers members to perform at a higher level through a deeper understanding of their bodies and daily lives.

WHOOP is hiring a Director of Development, Accessories & Apparel to lead the development of a growing portfolio of products across bands, apparel, accessories, materials, and future product categories. This role will lead the team responsible for translating ambitious design concepts into high-quality, manufacturable products, driving development from concept through production readiness.

The Director of Development will lead and grow a team across product and materials development and work closely with Design, Product, Product Marketing, Sourcing, Quality, and global manufacturing partners. This leader will establish the processes, technical capabilities, and external partnerships needed to deliver innovative products at scale while maintaining an exceptional bar for quality, performance, and execution.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead end-to-end product development across bands, apparel, accessories, materials, and emerging product categories, driving execution from early concept through commercialization and production readiness
• Lead, coach, and grow the Accessories & Apparel development team, initially spanning materials and product development, while building the organizational capabilities needed to support an expanding product portfolio
• Partner closely with Design to translate creative vision and product intent into technically feasible, manufacturable solutions while preserving the integrity of the original concept
• Establish clear development strategies, timelines, milestones, and decision points across multiple concurrent product programs, ensuring teams have visibility into priorities, risks, and dependencies
• Partner with Sourcing, Quality, and manufacturing partners to drive product feasibility, costing, testing, validation, commercialization, and successful transition into mass production
• Lead materials development and innovation in partnership with internal teams, mills, suppliers, and factories, identifying new materials, constructions, manufacturing processes, and technologies that create differentiated product experiences
• Develop strong relationships with factories, suppliers, mills, and technical partners, leveraging their capabilities while pushing partners toward solutions.
• Identify technical and manufacturing risks and improvements early and drive cross-functional teams to improve
• Build the long-term development organization, processes, tools, and supplier capabilities required to support WHOOP's growing physical product ecosystem

QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years of experience in product development, materials development, or a related role within performance apparel, footwear, wearables, accessories, consumer products, or adjacent categories
• 3+ years of experience leading and developing high-performing product development and/or materials teams, with experience building teams or organizational capabilities preferred
• Proven track record of developing physical products through the full lifecycle, from early concept and prototyping through testing, commercialization, and mass production
• Deep understanding of materials, construction methods, manufacturing processes, product testing, and supplier capabilities
• Experience working directly with global factories, mills, suppliers, and manufacturing partners to develop and commercialize innovative products
• Demonstrated ability to translate ambitious design concepts into high-quality, scalable, and manufacturable products
• Strong technical judgment with the ability to navigate tradeoffs across design intent, innovation, performance, quality, cost, timing, and manufacturability
• Experience managing complex development calendars and multiple product programs across different categories simultaneously
• Proven ability to establish and improve product development processes, tools, and ways of working within a growing organization
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence, drive alignment, and make decisions across teams without direct authority

This role is based in the WHOOP office located in Boston, MA. The successful candidate must be prepared to relocate if necessary to work out of the Boston, MA office.

WHOOP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-verify to determine employment eligibility

The WHOOP compensation philosophy is designed to attract, motivate, and retain exceptional talent by offering competitive base salaries, meaning