Staff Systems Engineer

About the role

WHOOP is on a mission to unlock human performance and healthspan, and this role sits at the heart of that ambition by defining and driving system architecture across current and future wearable platforms. The hire will own the end-to-end technical strategy for hardware programs, ensuring that product goals remain aligned with technical feasibility and long-term platform evolution. They will serve as a senior technical leader, solving complex cross-disciplinary challenges that span electrical, mechanical, firmware, and signal processing domains. Through deep systems thinking and collaborative leadership, this individual will establish engineering best practices and influence the direction of WHOOP hardware for years to come. They will partner closely with Electrical, Mechanical, Firmware, Signal Processing, Product, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to turn ambitious product visions into reliable member experiences. The role requires ownership of system requirements, interface definitions, and architecture documentation with strict traceability across the entire product lifecycle. Ultimately, the hire will mentor engineers and elevate systems engineering practices across the organization while guiding system verification, validation, and risk mitigation strategies.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Define and drive system architecture across multiple hardware programs, ensuring alignment between product goals, technical feasibility, and long-term platform strategy.
• Lead cross-functional technical decision-making across Electrical, Mechanical, Firmware, Signal Processing, Manufacturing, and Product teams to resolve complex system-level challenges.
• Own the development and evolution of system requirements, interface definitions, and architecture documentation, ensuring traceability throughout the product lifecycle.
• Develop system verification and validation strategies that confirm product performance, reliability, and compliance with system requirements.
• Lead architecture and design reviews, providing technical guidance that improves system performance, scalability, manufacturability, and reliability.
• Identify technical risks early, develop mitigation strategies, and influence product roadmaps through data-driven engineering recommendations.
• Serve as a technical mentor and trusted advisor across the hardware organization, elevating systems engineering practices and helping develop engineers through design reviews, coaching, and technical leadership.
• Partner with external suppliers, manufacturing partners, and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure successful execution from concept through production.
• Travel up to 15% domestically and internationally to collaborate with partners, suppliers, and manufacturers.
• Establish and maintain traceability between system-level requirements and lower-level implementations to ensure design integrity.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and platform opportunities to inform future hardware roadmaps and capability expansion.
• Drive consistency in systems engineering processes, templates, and tools to improve efficiency and clarity across programs.
• Collaborate closely with regulatory and quality teams to ensure system designs meet applicable standards and compliance requirements.
• Translate member insights and product objectives into clear system specifications that balance performance, cost, and manufacturability.
• Act as the primary systems integrator for complex initiatives, coordinating dependencies and resolving interface conflicts proactively.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in electrical systems engineering, hardware design, or a related domain.
• Demonstrated experience defining system architecture for complex, highly integrated electronic products from concept through production, ideally in high-volume manufacturing environments.
• Deep understanding of hardware system integration and V&V testing across electrical, firmware, mechanical, sensing, and algorithm domains.
• Proven ability to lead technical direction across multiple cross-functional teams without direct organizational authority.
• Experience developing system requirements, interface definitions, verification strategies, and validation plans for complex hardware systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence technical and business stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Experience with schematic/layout reviews, and laboratory equipment for hardware bring-up, debugging, and validation.
• Experience mentoring senior engineers and establishing systems engineering best practices across an organization.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States and not require work authorization sponsorship for this position.
• Must be willing and able to relocate to Boston, MA to fulfill the requirements of this role.
• Must be able to travel up to 15% domestically and internationally as described in the key facts section of this job description.
• Must meet all stated qualifications by the time an offer is extended for this role.
• Must adhere to WHOOP policies and employment terms as outlined during the hiring process and throughout employment.
• Must demonstrate alignment with WHOOP's mission, values, and expectations for ethical behavior in all professional interactions.

Practical notes

• Travel up to 15% domestically and internationally is required for this role.
• The successful candidate must be prepared to relocate to Boston, MA.
• This role is authorized for full-time employment in the United States only.
• Candidates must meet all listed qualifications to be considered for this position.