Associate Director of Design Research, WHOOP
$140-180k
Plus equity
More information about location
5 days a week in office
Wearable health and fitness devices
Be an early applicant
Wearable health and fitness devices
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$140-180k
Plus equity
More information about location
5 days a week in office
1001+ employees
Company mission
To unlock human performance and Healthspan.
Role
Who you are
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as human factors, design research, user experience research, design anthropology, psychology, or a related discipline
- 5+ years of experience conducting user research for physical products, ideally within hardware, health, or consumer product environments
- 5+ years of people management experience, including coaching, feedback, and performance development
- Strong mixed-methods research background, with demonstrated application of qualitative and quantitative approaches to real-world products
- Experience working within or alongside hardware development lifecycles (not software-only)
- Experience managing or partnering with external research vendors, including project scoping and execution
- Ability to manage multiple workstreams, navigate ambiguity, and influence without direct authority across cross-functional teams
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex insights to executive audiences
- Strong commitment to embracing and leveraging AI tools in day-to-day tasks, ensuring AI-assisted work aligns with the same high-quality standards as personal contributions
- Interested in the role, but don’t meet every qualification? We encourage you to still apply! 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, we encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply
What the job involves
- 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, behaviors, and daily lives
- WHOOP is hiring an Associate Director of Design Research to lead and scale the Design Research practice at WHOOP
- This role will oversee Design Research, shaping how user feedback and experiences inform product innovation from early-stage insights to pre-launch validation studies to post-launch feedback. As a people-first leader, you will balance strategic direction, team development, and leadership evangalism—ensuring research rigor, creativity, and impact across the product lifecycle
- Provide strategic leadership for the design research team, ensuring alignment with key stakeholders and organizational priorities
- Evangelize the importance of user insights and the role of design research in the product and hardware development lifecycle to WHOOP senior leadership
- Scale research impact, working closely with cross-functional leaders to identify opportunities for research and set expectations for mixed-methods research, ensuring research is positioned as a critical input to decision-making
- Partner closely with senior team members to review research needs, assess tradeoffs, and guide prioritization and research direction
- Manage, coach, and develop a team of design researchers, fostering strong research craft, clear communication, and professional growth
- Own relationships with external research vendors, including scoping projects, defining success criteria, and ensuring high-quality execution
- Build a strong, cross-functional “voice of the member” for product decision-making in partnership with Consumer Insights, Analytics, and Membership Services
Our take
WHOOP develops wearable health-tracking devices designed to help athletes optimise their performance. Its technology continuously monitors recovery, sleep, and training hours to fine-tune both individual and team performance. Unlike competitors that primarily track exercise data, WHOOP's holistic approach includes metrics like heart rate variability, which can influence more effective and healthier exercise routines.
By focusing on a subscription model that includes the cost of the physical device, WHOOP differentiates itself from competitors that charge a higher one-time fee for their products. This model provides ongoing value and encourages users to stay engaged with their health data.
WHOOP's comprehensive monitoring of strain and recovery has given it a competitive edge, even as other brands like Fitbit have incorporated similar features. Beyond sports performance, WHOOP has conducted extensive research on predicting premature births, aiming to integrate these findings into its app. This commitment to broader health applications demonstrates WHOOP's dedication to advancing wearable health technology.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
1% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 9 rounds)
Mar 2026
$575m
SERIES G
Aug 2021
$200m
SERIES F
Total funding: $979.8m
Company 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.
Company HQ
West Fens, Boston, MA
Leadership
Will Ahmed
(Founder & CEO)After graduating from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Economics, Will went on to hold Summer Analyst roles at Allen & Company and Lindsay Goldberg before founding WHOOP in 2012.
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