Director of Embedded Software Engineering

WHOOP; United States; On-site; USD 240,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible vacation

Parental leave

Stock options

WHOOP membership

Comprehensive benefits

Wellness stipend

Sleep program bonus

Office in Boston

Job summary

WHOOP seeks a Director of Embedded Software Engineering to lead the Firmware organization central to every WHOOP device. Translate priorities into technical strategy, build and scale multiple firmware teams, and drive architecture decisions balancing power, performance, and quality.

You will collaborate across Hardware, Algorithms, Mobile, and Product to deliver on ambitious roadmaps, improve development practices, and raise the bar for firmware quality and delivery in a high-growth environment.

Qualifications

• Experience leading multiple firmware or embedded software teams through engineering managers and senior leaders.
• Proven track record shipping firmware for high-volume, constrained wearable products.
• Familiarity with embedded security, secure boot, OTA updates, device identity, and provisioning.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale multiple Firmware teams with clear ownership and accountability.
• Set multi-year firmware strategy aligned with product and business priorities.
• Own predictable delivery across new products, platform investments, and sustaining work.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Firmware development

System architecture

C/C++

Strategic planning

Communication

CI/CD

Embedded security

Education

Bachelor's or advanced degree in Computer/Electrical/CS

Tools

Git

CI/CD tooling

RTOS toolchains

Job description

• WHOOP is seeking a Director of Embedded Software Engineering to lead our Firmware organization and the embedded software at the core of every WHOOP device
• This leader will set the technical and organizational direction for Firmware, develop engineering managers and senior technical leaders, and ensure the organization delivers reliably across an ambitious roadmap of new products, platform investments, and continuous improvements to products already in the field
• Firmware sits at the intersection of WHOOP’s hardware, sensing, algorithms, mobile software, manufacturing, and member experience. This role will lead multiple teams responsible for building stable, accurate, and power-efficient firmware platforms that operate continuously in highly constrained wearable devices
• You will translate business and product priorities into clear technical strategies, build an organization capable of executing at scale, and strengthen the processes and platforms through which WHOOP develops and delivers firmware
• Lead and scale multiple Firmware teams with clear ownership and accountability, hiring and developing engineering managers, technical leaders, and senior individual contributors
• Set the multi-year strategy for firmware in alignment with product and business priorities
• Own predictable delivery across new products, platform investments, and sustaining work
• Raise the firmware development and quality bar through strong planning, architecture and design reviews, CI/CD, automated testing, validation, release practices, and field feedback
• Guide system architecture and major technical decisions that account for tradeoffs across member experience, power, performance, quality, cost, schedule, and long-term platform health
• Partner across Hardware, Sensor Intelligence, Algorithms, Mobile, Product, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program Management to bring products from concept through production and continuous improvement
• Establish meaningful engineering metrics and adopt tools and AI-enabled practices that improve quality and productivity

Benefits

• Flexible Vacation: WHOOP has a flexible vacation policy that allows you to unwind, laptop-free, when you need it most.
• Focus on Family: We offer 18 weeks paid parental leave, plus an additional 2 weeks to gradually return to work.
• Get Invested: In addition to a competitive base salary and 401k, you’re eligible to receive stock options to share in the future of WHOOP.
• WHOOP +1: Everyone on the team gets a complimentary WHOOP membership—plus another membership to share with a loved one.
• Health Matters: Our competitive benefits package covers medical, dental, and vision, in addition to mental health services, life and disability insurance, and more.
• Find Your Fit: Full-time employees get $500 a year to spend on wellness in whatever way they see fit, from fitness classes and memberships, to recovery services.
• It Pays to Sleep: Our Sleep Performance Program incentivizes employees to get more sleep. Log an average sleep performance of 85% or higher for the month and get a $100 bonus.
• Location, Location, Location: You can’t beat the views from the rooftop of One Kenmore Square. Feel inspired daily as you work, enjoy free snacks and coffee, and collaborate in the heart of Boston.

• Familiarity with embedded security, secure boot, over-the-air updates, device identity, and production provisioning preferred
• Experience developing battery-constrained wearable products, physiological sensing systems, or other products in which firmware directly affects data accuracy preferred
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to align Product, Hardware, Algorithms, Manufacturing, and senior leaders around clear priorities and decisions
• Extensive experience shipping firmware for high-volume, constrained products
• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
• Proven experience leading multiple firmware or embedded software teams through engineering managers and senior technical leaders
• Track record of setting firmware architecture and improving development practices, including planning, design reviews, CI/CD, automated testing, release management, and quality measurement
• Experience scaling engineering organizations in a high-growth environment and working with global suppliers or contract manufacturers preferred
• Deep technical fluency in C/C++, RTOS-based architectures, microcontrollers, device drivers, connectivity, low-power systems, and hardware-software integration

Nterested in the role, but don’t meet every qualification?

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.