Product leadership at the top
Interim Head of Product, Lead and Director
For when the job is not one backlog but the product function as a whole.
digitario takes on the leadership of the product organisation: several teams, several product managers, reporting at C-level, and the call on where the product goes. Gaps like this open up through growth, through a departure in leadership, or during a period of change.
As needed, that runs interim to bridge a gap, part time on a lasting basis as a fractional lead, or as longer-term support.
01 · What the leadership role covers
Lead the product function, not a single backlog.
A Head of Product owns the interplay: several teams, the link between product strategy and company goals, and the people who build the product.
Product owners work on the backlog, product managers on the strategy and discovery of one product. The level above keeps several teams pulling the same way and makes sure the organisation has the maturity and the staffing to deliver.
Typical situations
The need usually shows up when the organisation grows faster than its leadership.
- Product leadership is vacant after a departure, and decisions across teams stall.
- The company grows but the product organisation does not, and several teams work without a shared strategy.
- There are product managers and owners, but no one to represent the function to the executive team.
- A product organisation has yet to be built, from the roles to the staffing.
What digitario works on
digitario leads the product function with full effect: product strategy across several teams, cross-team prioritisation, and reporting at executive level. On top of that comes building the organisation itself, from defining the roles to hiring and developing the product managers.
- Own product strategy across several teams and products
- Lead and develop several product managers and owners
- Build the product organisation and cut roles clearly
- Hire, onboard, and enable product managers
- Establish product culture, standards, and rituals
- Represent product work at C-level
02 · Engagement models
Three ways to lead and build the product function.
Interim Head of Product
Taking on the full leadership role for a time, including leading several teams and reporting at C-level, until a permanent hire is in place.
- Able to lead at the top from day one
- Full ownership of the function and the teams
- Head of Product experience from Swiss corporates
Fits when: product leadership is vacant or a period of change needs bridging
Fractional, part time
Lasting product leadership within a fixed time budget, senior level without a full-time post.
- Senior leadership without a full-time cost centre
- Steady support rather than a one-off
- Scales with the maturity of the organisation
Fits when: a full-time post is not needed yet, but senior leadership is
Build and staffing
Setting up or extending a product organisation from the ground up: roles, hires, standards, and culture.
- An organisation designed for effect
- Product managers hired and onboarded deliberately
- Culture and standards anchored in practice
Fits when: a product organisation is forming or needs structure as it grows
03 · The difference
From real leadership, not from an org chart.
digitario built and led a product management department at a Swiss media group, reporting at C-level.
A product team of more than 20 people, product managers hired and developed, an organisation built from structure: that is the difference between a box diagram and a function that holds.
Background
- Built and led a product management department
- Led product teams of more than 20 people
- Recruited and grew several product managers
- Reported at C-level in corporate structures
- Owned platforms with millions of users
04 · What improves
From scattered teams to a led product function.
With the leadership role filled, the product organisation works as a whole rather than as a sum of separate teams.
- Several teams work towards a shared strategy
- Roles, standards, and staffing match the size of the company
- Product managers are developed deliberately rather than left alone
- Product work is anchored at C-level and able to decide
05 · FAQ
Common questions about the Head of Product role
An interim Head of Product leads for a time and usually at high intensity, for example to bridge a vacancy. Fractional means lasting product leadership part time, senior leadership within a fixed time budget without a full-time post.
Product owner and product manager each focus on one product. The Head of Product leads the function above them: several teams and managers, reporting at C-level, and building the organisation itself.
Yes, that is a core part of the role. It includes cutting the roles, hiring and onboarding product managers, and anchoring product culture and standards.
Yes. The fractional model fits there especially well: senior product leadership part time that grows with the organisation, without requiring a full-time post from the start.
When leadership is acutely vacant, a period of change is due, or you want clarity on the shape and staffing of the function before recruiting for good. The interim phase moves smoothly into a permanent solution.
Both. digitario is based in Zurich and works across the DACH region, on site, remote, or mixed.
06 · Contact
Lead and build the product function instead of leaving it open.
Which model fits your product organisation, interim, fractional, or long term, can usually be sorted out in a short intro call.