Sr. Research Manager, Design Research

Whoop
Boston
Workplace: OnsiteFull timeUSD 120,000 - 160,000 annuallyFunction: Research & Scientific (R&D)Experience: 5+ yearsEducation: bachelorsSkills: ["Leadership","Coaching","Communication","Presentation","Stakeholder influence"]

Lead and scale design research at WHOOP Labs to ensure early-stage insights drive hardware and product innovation. You’ll set research strategy, define expectations for mixed-methods studies, and partner with program and cross-functional leaders to prioritize research needs. Manage and coach a team of senior researchers while also contributing hands-on to high-impact, hardware-adjacent studies. Partner with external research vendors and communicate findings to leadership.

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Whoop
Whoop
3 weeks ago

Sr. Research Manager, Design Research

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Last checked: 13 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Lead and scale design research at WHOOP Labs to ensure early-stage insights drive hardware and product innovation. You’ll set research strategy, define expectations for mixed-methods studies, and partner with program and cross-functional leaders to prioritize research needs. Manage and coach a team of senior researchers while also contributing hands-on to high-impact, hardware-adjacent studies. Partner with external research vendors and communicate findings to leadership.
Location: Boston
Workplace: Onsite
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Research & Scientific (R&D)
Seniority: Manager level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Provide strategic leadership across design research to align with hardware, product, and organizational priorities.
  • •Scale early-stage mixed-methods research initiatives and ensure research is positioned as a critical input to decision-making.
  • •Partner with program management to intake research needs, assess tradeoffs, and guide prioritization.
  • •Manage, coach, and develop a team of senior researchers, fostering strong research craft and clear communication.
  • •Serve as a senior individual contributor on complex research initiatives and manage external research vendors, including scoping and success criteria.

Pay and Benefits

Salary: USD 120,000 - 160,000 annually
Equity and Bonus:Equity
Perks:Equity

Key Requirements

  • •Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as human factors, design research, UX research, design anthropology, psychology, or a related discipline.
  • •5+ years conducting user research for physical products, ideally in hardware, health, or consumer product environments.
  • •2+ years people management experience, including coaching, feedback, and performance development.
  • •Strong mixed-methods research background using qualitative and quantitative approaches for real-world products.
  • •Experience working within or alongside hardware development lifecycles (not software-only).
Experience:5+ yearsUser researchPhysical productsHardwareHealthConsumer products
Education:Bachelor's in human factors, design research, user experience research, design anthropology, psychology, or a related discipline
Skills:LeadershipCoachingCommunicationPresentationStakeholder influence
Tech Stack:AI

Company Brief

Whoop
Whoop designs and sells a subscription-based wearable fitness tracker and analytics platform that monitors recovery, strain, and sleep to optimize athletic performance and daily health for consumers and professional athletes.
Industry: Wearables
Company Size: Large (251 to 1,000 employees)
Growth: Scaleup
Valuation: Unicorn (USD 1B+)
Funding: Series E+
Headquarters: Boston, United States
Founded: 2012
WebsiteLinkedIn