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Fractional Product Leadership

A seasoned product leader for startups and early-stage teams, without the 6-month search

  • Roadmap clarity within 2 weeks
  • Team shipping in predictable cadences
  • Hiring plan and transition to your permanent hire
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Overview

For startups and early-stage teams that need senior product leadership now, not in 6 months.

I embed with your team as a fractional product leader. I own the roadmap, run the rituals, coach your first PMs, and build the operating model so the team sustains momentum after I leave. I've done this 20+ times across healthcare, defense, and enterprise SaaS.

Who this is for

This works best when you have:

  • A product team that needs direction but isn't ready for a full-time VP of Product
  • A founder who needs to step back from day-to-day product decisions
  • A gap between your last product leader and your next one
  • A seed-to-Series B startup where every hire needs to count

If you're a larger org with an existing product function that needs scaling, Fractional Head of Product is a better fit.

What you get

In the first two weeks, I map your current state: what's shipping, what's stuck, who makes decisions, and where communication breaks down. You get a written assessment and a 90-day plan.

Weeks 3-12, I run the product function. That means roadmap ownership, sprint rituals, stakeholder alignment, and direct coaching for your PMs or product-adjacent team members. I ship alongside your team, not from the sidelines.

Before I leave, I document everything: the operating model, decision frameworks, and a hiring brief for your permanent product leader. The goal is that the team doesn't miss a beat after I exit.

Typical engagement

  • Duration: 3-6 months
  • Commitment: 15-20 hours per week
  • Format: Embedded with your team (remote, with on-site as needed)

Frequently asked questions

What clients say

Mahama
Mahama
Technical Program Manager, Google

Kate is impressive - she provided value right away. She's a 'hell-yes' type of talent.

Jennifer
Jennifer
Design & Strategy Director, Kaiser Permanente

Kate is AMAZING. Her energy, the structure she brings to discussions, the way she deals with difficult conversations.

Rich
Rich
Executive Director, Delivery, Kaiser Permanente

Kate has amazing ideas, is very creative, and highly productive. She brings a lot of great energy, thinking, and leadership to our Delivery practice and is helping me establish and run an effective system for continuous improvement and upleveling our Delivery practices.

From the playbook

Practices I use with teams during this type of engagement

Interested in fractional product leadership?

Let's talk about what you need and how I can help.

Get in touch