Job description

At WHOOP, we're on a mission to unlock and inspire performance for life. WHOOP empowers members to perform at a higher level through a deeper understanding of their bodies and daily lives. WHOOP is hiring a Embedded Engineering Manager to build and lead a new embedded team for a next-generation wearable. The team owns the firmware that members interact with directly on the device: how it responds to them, how it presents their data, and how it feels to use every day. It takes that firmware from early prototypes through new product introduction and into production. This role combines technical leadership with people management. You will lead a team of full-time and contract firmware engineers and grow it as the program scales. You will take part in architecture decisions with the program's technical leads, review the team's code, and own its delivery schedule. You won't be the team's primary developer, but you will be close enough to the code to step in when it helps. You will work closely with Product, Design, Hardware, and Quality, and with the firmware teams building sensors, connectivity, and power on the same device. RESPONSIBILITIES - Build, manage, and mentor a team of embedded engineers through hiring, onboarding, feedback, performance management, and career development. - Direct the work of contract engineers alongside full-time staff, holding both to the same design and code quality bar. - Lead the team's delivery of the member's on-device experience firmware, from prototype through production release. - Partner with the program's technical lead and senior engineers on architecture for responsive, power-efficient firmware on resource-constrained multi-core hardware. - Serve as a player-coach who reviews code and shapes designs, contributing directly when the team needs it. - Own the team's planning and delivery cadence, keeping scope, dependencies, and risk visible to partners and leadership. - Partner with Product and Design to turn member experience goals into firmware requirements that fit the hardware's memory, compute, and power budgets. - Set engineering practices for testing, hardware-in-the-loop validation, release readiness, and field diagnostics. - Foster a culture of high standards, direct feedback, accountability, psychological safety, and continuous learning. QUALIFICATIONS - 5+ years of embedded firmware development in C or C++, including experience as an engineering manager or team lead responsible for mentorship, feedback, and career development. - Experience shipping firmware in a consumer electronics product, from early hardware bring-up through production. - Hands-on experience with an RTOS (Zephyr, FreeRTOS, or similar) on microcontrollers or embedded SoCs. - Experience optimizing firmware for performance, memory, and power on constrained hardware. - Demonstrated ability to plan and deliver in ambiguous environments, including early-stage hardware programs where requirements are still forming. - Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain technical tradeoffs to Product, Design, and leadership. - Strong commitment to embracing and leveraging AI tools in day-to-day tasks, ensuring AI-assisted work meets the same quality bar as personal contributions. 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 e-verify.gov to determine employment eligibility. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. The 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, expertise, and alignment with the role’s requirements. Learn more about WHOOP whoop.com.

Requirements

Must-haves

At WHOOP, we're on a mission to unlock and inspire performance for life. WHOOP empowers members to perform at a higher level through a deeper understanding of their bodies and daily lives.
Build, manage, and mentor a team of embedded engineers through hiring, onboarding, feedback, performance management, and career development.
Direct the work of contract engineers alongside full-time staff, holding both to the same design and code quality bar.
Lead the team's delivery of the member's on-device experience firmware, from prototype through production release.
Partner with the program's technical lead and senior engineers on architecture for responsive, power-efficient firmware on resource-constrained multi-core hardware.
Serve as a player-coach who reviews code and shapes designs, contributing directly when the team needs it.
Own the team's planning and delivery cadence, keeping scope, dependencies, and risk visible to partners and leadership.
Partner with Product and Design to turn member experience goals into firmware requirements that fit the hardware's memory, compute, and power budgets.
Set engineering practices for testing, hardware-in-the-loop validation, release readiness, and field diagnostics.
Foster a culture of high standards, direct feedback, accountability, psychological safety, and continuous learning.
5+ years of embedded firmware development in C or C++, including experience as an engineering manager or team lead responsible for mentorship, feedback, and career development.
Experience shipping firmware in a consumer electronics product, from early hardware bring-up through production.
Hands-on experience with an RTOS (Zephyr, FreeRTOS, or similar) on microcontrollers or embedded SoCs.
Experience optimizing firmware for performance, memory, and power on constrained hardware.
Demonstrated ability to plan and deliver in ambiguous environments, including early-stage hardware programs where requirements are still forming.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain technical tradeoffs to Product, Design, and leadership.
Strong commitment to embracing and leveraging AI tools in day-to-day tasks, ensuring AI-assisted work meets the same quality bar as personal contributions.

Nice-to-haves

None flagged.

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

Platform: ashby
Effort: quick