Senior Design Research Leader — Hardware & Health

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

Job summary

WHOOP, headquartered in Boston, is seeking a Design Research Leader to drive the research strategy for our hardware products. You will lead a team, champion user insights, and partner with stakeholders across Consumer Insights, Analytics, and Membership Services to embed the voice of the member in product decisions.

The role requires 5+ years in user research for hardware/health devices and 5+ years in people management, with strong executive communication skills. On-site in Boston, MA.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a field such as human factors, design research, or psychology.
• 5+ years of user research for physical products, ideally hardware/health/consumer.
• 5+ years of people management experience with coaching and development.
• Strong mixed-methods background applying qualitative and quantitative approaches.
• Experience with hardware development lifecycles (not software-only).
• Experience managing external research vendors and scoping projects.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams, navigate ambiguity, and influence cross-functional teams.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills for executive audiences.
• Commitment to leveraging AI tools to augment high-quality work.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the design research team aligned with stakeholders.
• Advocate for user insights in product and hardware development lifecycle to WHOOP senior leadership.
• Scale research impact, set expectations for mixed-methods research as input to decisions.
• Guide prioritization and research direction with senior team members.
• Manage, coach, and develop design researchers and growth.
• Own relationships with external vendors, scoping projects and defining success criteria.
• Build cross-functional 'voice of the member' for product decisions with insights and analytics.

Skills

Leadership

Mixed-methods research

Communication

AI tools usage

Stakeholder influence

People management

Hardware lifecycle experience

Vendor management

Executive presentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Job description

WHOOP, headquartered in Boston, is seeking a Design Research Leader to drive the research strategy for our hardware products. You will lead a team, champion user insights, and partner with stakeholders across Consumer Insights, Analytics, and Membership Services to embed the voice of the member in product decisions.

The role requires 5+ years in user research for hardware/health devices and 5+ years in people management, with strong executive communication skills. On-site in Boston, MA.