Sr. Manager, Design Insights & Member Experience

About Us

Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. We have over 2,700+ stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico, Australia, and Spain. 90% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent franchisees.

 

At Planet Fitness, our unique mission has always been to enhance people’s lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment. And we’re proud of the amazing Planet Fitness team that supports our clubs and team members. They are comprised of dynamic, dedicated, and talented individuals who represent our values of integrity, transparency, passion, respect, and excellence (while having fun!) in everything they do.

 

Joining the PF family means being part of a company that cares about bettering the health and wellbeing of our communities. It means being a part of a supportive, engaging workforce with an inclusive culture that values diversity and creates an environment where everyone can feel they belong. It means encouraging professional growth and development. It means making true, lasting connections with your co-workers with celebrations, team building activities and engaging corporate events! It means creating a positive impact in our local communities through our Judgement Free Generation® philanthropic initiative. It means being part of a brand that you can be proud of!

 

For the past 30 years, we’ve helped millions of people in their fitness journey and revolutionized the industry along the way. And we’re just getting started!

Overview

As the Senior Manager, Design Insights & Member Experience, you are a strategic design leader responsible for applying the core principles of Design Thinking and Service Design directly to the member experience innovation pipeline. Your mandate is two-fold: to strategically frame complex problems and to tactically validate and refine the usability and desirability of design concepts across digital and physical touchpoints.

Reporting to the Director or VP of Member Experience & Innovation, you will drive the practical execution of Human-Centered Design (HCD). This role is distinguished by its heavy design focus—it partners with the central Consumer Insights team for broad context but owns the deep dive into design-specific research, journey mapping, and concept testing to ensure a high-quality, resonant member experience. 

 

This role is based out of our Hampton, NH office and expected to follow our hybrid work schedule.

Responsibilities

Strategic Design & Design Thinking Leadership

Apply foundational design strategy skills to scope, define, and manage innovation projects: 

 

• Strategic Framing & Problem Definition: Utilize Design Thinking methodologies to strategically frame complex member problems, define opportunity spaces, and establish the research agenda for experience innovation projects. 
• Service Design Tools: Lead the development of comprehensive current-state and future-state service blueprints and detailed journey maps to articulate the strategic intent, user experience, and operational dependencies of new service models. 
• External Partner Leadership: Lead and manage external research or design consulting firms on specific, high-priority projects, owning the project's insights direction, methodology, and final deliverable quality. 
• Workshop Facilitation: Plan and lead high-impact design thinking workshops and ideation sessions with cross-functional partners and franchisees to collaboratively generate and align on strategic solutions.

 

Tactical Design Validation & Experience Testing

Lead hands-on, evaluative research to ensure successful design execution. This is the core tactical output of the role: 

 

• Evaluative Design Testing: Design and execute rapid, iterative testing methodologies (e.g., usability testing, A/B testing, concept testing) on specific wireframes, digital prototypes, visual designs, and physical mockups to gather actionable feedback on design feasibility and user flow. 
• In-Gym Pilot Testing: Conduct contextual inquiries, observations, and interviews directly within clubs to rigorously test and evaluate the real-world operational and member experience of pilot programs (e.g., new layouts, self-service kiosks, operational processes). 
• Actionable Recommendations: Translate qualitative and quantitative testing data into clear, prioritized design recommendations that directly inform the next iteration cycle for designers and product managers. 

 

Collaboration & Partnership

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