Senior Research Manager, Design Research
Boston, MAOnsite5+ YOE
Summary
Leads and scales design research efforts for hardware product innovation at WHOOP Labs, managing a team of senior researchers, conducting high-impact studies on physical products, and communicating insights to leadership. Requires 5+ years in user research for hardware and bachelor's in relevant field.
About the role
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership across design research, ensuring alignment with hardware, product, and organizational priorities.
- Scale early-stage research initiatives, working closely with cross-functional leaders to identify opportunities for research and set expectations for mixed-methods research.
- Partner closely with Program Management and team members to intake research needs, assess tradeoffs, and guide prioritization and research direction.
- Manage, coach, and develop a team of senior researchers, fostering strong research craft, clear communication, and professional growth.
- Serve as a senior individual contributor on complex, high-impact research initiatives, particularly those adjacent to physical product and hardware development.
- Own relationships with external research vendors, including scoping projects, defining success criteria, and ensuring high-quality execution.
- Communicate research insights clearly and credibly to cross-functional partners and leadership.
Qualifications
- 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.
- 2+ 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.
Skills
Mixed-Methods ResearchQualitative ResearchQuantitative ResearchUser Experience ResearchDesign ResearchHardware DevelopmentAI ToolsUser ResearchPhysical Product ResearchVendor Management