At WHOOP, we are building the future of human performance and healthspan. Our wearable and platform translate continuous physiological data into insights that help millions of members train smarter, recover better, and live longer, healthier lives. As WHOOP enters its next phase of AI-driven innovation, foundation models will sit at the core of how we understand human physiology, personalize guidance, and deliver clinically meaningful insights at scale.
We are seeking a VP, Foundation AI to lead the development of WHOOP’s multimodal foundation models. These systems unify wearable sensor data, language, blood biomarkers, clinical information, and self-reported inputs to power the next generation of health intelligence. This is a rare opportunity to shape foundational technology with direct impact on real-world health outcomes, enabled by one of the world’s richest longitudinal physiological datasets and a clear mandate to deploy AI responsibly in production.
In this role, you will report to the SVP of Research, Algorithms, and Data and serve as WHOOP’s most senior technical leader for in-house foundation model development. You will define modeling and architectural strategy, guide training and scaling decisions, and ensure these models mature into robust, production-grade systems that deliver measurable value to members. Partnering closely with executive leadership, product, engineering, and clinical teams, you will align technical execution with WHOOP’s broader AI strategy and long-term business goals.
The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in large-scale AI with proven experience building and leading high-performing organizations. You bring scientific rigor, strong judgment, and strategic leadership to advance the frontier of applied AI in health while maintaining reliability, integrity, and member trust.
RESPONSIBILITIES:Lead a world-class team in the design, training, evaluation, and deployment of large-scale multimodal foundation models spanning wearable sensor data, language, blood biomarkers, clinical datasets, and self-reported inputsServe as the senior technical authority on foundation model architecture, representation learning, and training strategy, guiding critical design and investment decisionsBuild, grow, and mentor a high-performing AI organization, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, accountability, and continuous learningPartner closely with MLOps, data engineering, and software engineering teams to scale and serve foundation models in high-throughput, production environmentsDefine and drive WHOOP’s long-term AI strategy, ensuring alignment between foundational research, product innovation, and company goals in health, performance, and longevityEstablish rigorous standards for model evaluation, validation, and monitoring, with a focus on robustness, generalization, and real-world performanceCommunicate technical vision, milestones, and tradeoffs clearly to executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure alignment and organizational buy-inQUALIFICATIONS:Deep expertise in modern AI and machine learning, demonstrated through significant professional or academic experience building large-scale learning systems deployed in real-world environmentsAt least 10 years of experience in AI and machine learning, including a minimum of 5 years leading and scaling high-performing technical teams or organizationsProven hands-on experience developing large models from scratch using distributed training frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX, including ownership of data pipelines, training infrastructure, optimization strategies, and evaluation methodologiesDirect experience designing or leading foundation models or similarly generalizable representation learning systems that support multiple downstream tasks or modalitiesDemonstrated ability to translate cutting-edge research into durable, user-facing products that deliver sustained and measurable real-world valueExperience working with complex, high-dimensional, and noisy data sources, including time-series sensor data or multimodal datasetsStrong judgment around model robustness, evaluation, and failure modes, with an understanding of how modeling decisions impact user trust, safety, and outcomes in high-stakes applicationsExperience partnering closely with product, engineering, and infrastructure teams to deliver AI systems that balance scientific ambition with scalability, performance, and maintainabilityTrack record of operating effectively in regulated, safety-critical, or trust-sensitive domains, or of applying equivalent rigor in environments where correctness and reliability are essentialExceptional communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical vision, tradeoffs, and progress to executive leadership and to both technical and non-technical audiencesA leadership style that combines high technical standards with empathy, clarity, and a strong commitment to developing inclusive teams and future technical leadersThis 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 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.
For this position at WHOOP, we view total compensation as the combination of base salary, yearly bonus, 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 $200,000 - $300,000. 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 and competitive benefits, given the strategic importance of this leadership role, we anticipate that a substantial share of total compensation will be delivered through a competitive and generous stock option grant, complementing the base salary.
The base salary 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.
