


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
Impact in practice
Measured outcomes from engagements like this one
FLUXX Health
MVP live in under 6 months. 47% engagement and 800+ quiz completions, above typical early-healthtech benchmarks, driven by intent-based re-engagement rather than guilt-driven notifications. 38% drop in quiz abandonment. Organic search nearly tripled month over month. AI recommendations validated against a 20-member Clinician Advisory Board.
Sperity Health
Took the product from a Wix site to a functioning, HIPAA-compliant MVP validated with an 18-member first cohort. The Sperity Score gave members a single daily metric instead of a data dump. Built 5 member personas, service blueprints, and onboarding journey maps, and left behind delivery rituals the team runs without a fractional leader.
Delivery Leadership, Kaiser Permanente
One portfolio cut 12 weeks of delivery cycle time, traced directly to blockers value stream mapping surfaced. Coached 70+ teams across 9 portfolios. Aligned 300+ product org members on roadmaps, roles, and rituals. Rated 'Excellent' by leadership and called 'a visionary and a person of action.'
Related work
Case studies from engagements like this one
FLUXX Health
Launching FLUXX: An AI-Powered Menopause Platform
MVP live in under 6 months. 47% engagement and 800+ quiz completions, above typical early-healthtech benchmarks, driven by intent-based re-engagement rather than guilt-driven notifications. 38% drop in quiz abandonment. Organic search nearly tripled month over month. AI recommendations validated against a 20-member Clinician Advisory Board.
Sperity Health
Designing a Wellness MVP for Biomarker-Driven Preventative Care
Took the product from a Wix site to a functioning, HIPAA-compliant MVP validated with an 18-member first cohort. The Sperity Score gave members a single daily metric instead of a data dump. Built 5 member personas, service blueprints, and onboarding journey maps, and left behind delivery rituals the team runs without a fractional leader.
Delivery Leadership, Kaiser Permanente
Delivery Transformation: Reduced Cycle Times
One portfolio cut 12 weeks of delivery cycle time, traced directly to blockers value stream mapping surfaced. Coached 70+ teams across 9 portfolios. Aligned 300+ product org members on roadmaps, roles, and rituals. Rated 'Excellent' by leadership and called 'a visionary and a person of action.'
What clients say
MahamaTechnical Program Manager, Google“Kate is impressive - she provided value right away. She's a 'hell-yes' type of talent.”
JenniferDesign & Strategy Director, Kaiser Permanente“Kate is AMAZING. Her energy, the structure she brings to discussions, the way she deals with difficult conversations.”
RichExecutive 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
Try it yourself
Free tools related to this service
Related writing
Posts that go deeper on this topic
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How I Think About AI Product Strategy
AI product strategy is not about what the model can do. It is about what the user needs done. The distinction sounds obvious. It is not. Here is the framework I use to tell the difference.
From the Google Sheet to the AI Toolkit
In 2014, I managed 24 engineers building a car dealership negotiation platform. In 2026, I ship comparable output solo with AI tooling. Here is what transferred and what did not.
You might also need
Services that pair well with this one
Sprint Engagement
A focused 2-4 week engagement to unblock a specific problem: stuck roadmap, team misalignment, AI strategy gap, or delivery stall.
Product Leadership Coaching
1:1 coaching for PMs, directors, and founders navigating AI product decisions, team dynamics, or career transitions.
Team Offsites & Workshops
Custom offsites and hands-on sessions that reset your product practice, spark alignment, and actually change how you work.
Interested in fractional product leadership?
Let's talk about what you need and how I can help.
Get in touch