Head of Accessories & Apparel Development

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

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.