Manager, Run Research Mental Performance & Experience

Brooks Run Research Lab Manager

The mission of the Brooks Run Research Lab is to unlock the future of the run by transforming human movement and runner experience into innovations that help runners go faster, run longer and feel more alive.

At Brooks, we believe the future of running depends on understanding not only how runners move, but how they think, feel and experience every mile. As the Manager of Run Research Mental Performance & Experience, you will unlock the mind – how runners perceive, experience, and perform. You will lead researchers responsible for uncovering emotional, behavioral, and psychological drivers of the running experience.

Your team will transform complex human experiences with product, by turning the voice, motion and emotion of runners into actionable scientific insights that shape the future of running gear and experiences.

You will oversee research spanning the full spectrum of product, physical and mental experience on the run. You will investigate how runners think, feel, and perform – from elite athletes pursuing peak performance to everyday runners seeking enjoyment, motivation and emotional well-being.

Working alongside biomechanics, physiology and data science your team will help build Brooks' holistic understanding of the runner and unlock entirely new opportunities to improve product and runner experience. You will develop actionable insights that influence future footwear and apparel. You will study how product, environment, sensory inputs and psychological factors influence enjoyment, motivation, confidence, and emotional connection to the run.

The ideal candidate is an accomplished researcher with experience designing and executing rigorous laboratory and field studies, developing behavioral models, and translating scientific findings into product solutions. They are equally comfortable working with quantitative and qualitative methods, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and communicating research findings to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Lead the project work of up to seven Run Research team members throughout the product creation and research cycle.
• Provide direction, coaching and training for direct reports. Monitor team performance, promote career development and be proactive on team dynamics within the group.
• Provide coaching, feedback and performance management.
• Establish a highly effective and collaborative team culture across Brooks.
• Collaborate with the Senior Managers and Director of the Brooks Run Research Lab to create a long-range talent management plan addressing the growth and development of the team while planning for future demand.

• Oversee a single team and project portfolio with influence across the team and immediate cross-functional partners. Align team's work to near-term product needs and understand the interdependencies across projects.
• Plan and execute Run Research studies that align with product and innovation priorities.
• Display an expert understanding of mental experience and performance and the interaction with performance athletic product.
• Lead and manage novel research programs that capture physical and emotional dimensions of running including movement, usage patterns and subjective feedback.
• Discover the effect of product on the interconnected mental and physical experience on the run.
• Apply and ensure rigorous study design and evaluate data quality and relevance for project decisions.
• Translate quantitative and qualitative runner experiences with product and on the run into measurable scientific constructs.
• Develop research frameworks to understand attention, confidence, motivation, emotional regulation and mental fatigue.
• Develop scientifically rigorous approaches to measuring cognitive and emotional responses during real-world running associated with peak performance and positive running experience for elite athletes and recreational runners. Support advancements in data collection and data analysis opportunities that will advance the ability to evaluate mental experience and performance data. Drive initiatives that take the mental performance and experience data collection out of the laboratory and onto the road with the runner.
• Drive advancements in data collection and data analysis opportunities that will advance the ability to evaluate mental experience and performance data.
• Drive initiatives that take the mental experience and performance data collection out of the laboratory and onto the road with the runner.
• Lead project management of owned research projects across multiple business objectives, utilizing project management tools to track project development, tasks, deadlines, and budgets.
• Initiate and lead meetings with senior level Run Research members to identify growth opportunities for run research and how they support the multi-year business objectives.

• Work collaboratively with…