Associate Director, Design Research

October 7, 2026

Office

Head

Boston

May rule you out

Office-only work

Worth knowing

Polygraph check required

Description

WHOOP is hiring an Associate Director of Design Research to lead and scale the Design Research practice. The role shapes how user feedback and experiences inform product innovation, from early-stage insights and pre-launch validation studies to post-launch feedback. It combines strategic direction, team development, and leadership evangelism to ensure research rigor, creativity, and impact across the product lifecycle.

Responsibilities

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 to WHOOP senior leadership
Scale research impact by identifying opportunities with cross-functional leaders and positioning mixed-methods research as a critical input to decision-making
Partner 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 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 cross-functional voice of the member for product decision-making with Consumer Insights, Analytics, and Membership Services

Requirements

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 meets the same quality standards

Conditions

Based out of the Boston, MA headquarters with onsite work required Monday-Friday
Competitive base salary, meaningful equity, and benefits package

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Associate Director, Design Research

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