Technical Lead, ML Operations

About the role

You will own the strategy, roadmap, and execution for a critical component of the WHOOP ML platform as a senior engineer operating as a Technical Lead on the MLOps team. This is a hybrid individual contributor and leadership role where you will set technical direction and lead a small team while driving architectural decisions. You will partner closely with Data Science, AI, and Engineering teams to scale WHOOP's machine learning capabilities and define the long-term vision of your domain. In this position, you will be responsible not only for building and optimizing ML infrastructure but also for aligning stakeholders and ensuring successful delivery through both hands-on contributions and technical leadership. You will establish the technical foundation that allows WHOOP to deliver reliable, scalable, and performant machine learning experiences to our members.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Own the technical vision, roadmap, and delivery for a core component of WHOOP's ML platform, aligning with product and business priorities.
• Lead and manage a small team of engineers by setting direction, prioritizing work, and ensuring high-quality execution against roadmap goals.
• Drive end-to-end delivery of the team, including planning, unblocking, and maintaining a high bar for reliability, scalability, and performance.
• Act as a player-coach by contributing hands-on to system design and critical components while mentoring engineers and supporting their growth through regular feedback and coaching.
• Design and evolve scalable ML infrastructure and CI/CD systems, enabling efficient model deployment, monitoring, and lifecycle management.
• Partner cross-functionally with Data Science, AI, Product, and Engineering to translate ambiguous requirements into robust platform solutions.
• Establish and enforce best practices for architecture, observability, and operational excellence across ML systems.
• Contribute to hiring and team building, helping to scale a high-performing ML platform team.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent practical experience.
• 7+ years of software engineering experience, including deep experience in ML infrastructure and cloud-based systems, and prior experience leading or managing engineers.
• Proven track record of owning and delivering complex systems end-to-end, including driving execution through a team.
• Experience managing or formally leading engineers, including mentoring, performance feedback, and supporting career development.
• Strong technical expertise in AWS and distributed systems, with experience building scalable, production-grade ML platforms.
• Proficiency in programming (e.g., Python, Java) and experience building APIs, data pipelines, and real-time inference systems.
• Demonstrated ability to balance hands-on technical work with team leadership responsibilities.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with experience working across cross-functional stakeholders.

This role is based in the WHOOP office located in Boston, MA. The successful candidate must be prepared to relocate if necessary to work out of the Boston, MA office.

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.

WHOOP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-verify https://www.e-verify.gov/to determine employment eligibilityThe WHOOP compensation philosophy is designed to attract, motivate, and retain exceptional talent by offering competitive base salaries, meaningful equity, and consistent pay practices that reflect our mission and core values.

At WHOOP, we view total compensation as the combination of base salary, equity, and benefits, with equity serving as a key differentiator that aligns our employees with the long-term success of the company and allows every member of our corporate team to own part of WHOOP and share in the company's long-term growth and success.

The U.S. base salary range for this full-time position is $150,000 - $215,000. Salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within each range, individual pay is based on factors such as job-related skills, experience, performance, and relevant education or training. In addition to the base salary, the successful candidate will also receive benefits and a generous equity package. These ranges may be modified in the future to reflect evolving market conditions and organizational needs. While most offers will typically fall toward the starting point of the range, total compensation will depend on the candidate's specific qualifications and may be adjusted accordingly.