Hiring a VP Product is one of the most pivotal decisions a tech startup CEO or founder can make. To shed light on this process, The Product Recruiter sat down with Kate McLauchlin, an accomplished product leader with over a decade of experience in roles spanning product companies, innovation labs, and technology consulting.
In this conversation, Kate offers actionable advice for navigating the hiring process, fostering successful leadership transitions, and ensuring a VP Product is set up for success in 2025 and beyond.
Kate's expertise will provide clarity and guidance whether you’re just beginning your search or looking to refine your approach. Let’s dive in…
For any Founder embarking on this journey, these are some considerations you should make for each stage of the hiring process:
Before starting, ask yourself if you’re really ready for the transition from personal ownership to collaborative leadership. Ensure you are ready and able to set up an incoming product leader for success.
There is no typical product leader profile. Most product leaders are generalists by nature and will have the mental agility to succeed in the face of a variety of challenges. Don’t consider a product leader’s experience in isolation. Carefully gauge a product leader’s strengths relative to your broader leadership team and assess how their collaboration will empower the organization to reach new heights.
Providing the product leader with the freedom to explore new perspectives is imperative—remember, you decided to hand over the reins. Focus on articulating a clear vision and desired outcomes while providing your new product leader with the space for innovation to think differently about people, processes, and the product itself.
Like so many product leaders, Kate’s experience was anything but linear, starting out in a more “traditional product role” managing analytics tools before transitioning to an innovation lab and then delivering value as a client-facing technology consultant—before coming back full cycle leading product management, design, and marketing.
These diverse experiences have profoundly influenced her approach and success. Built on foundational knowledge of the software development lifecycle from her early product experience, the blend of experiences in innovation and consulting has equipped her with increased depth and breadth to work through the complexities of a product-led business.
Her time spent in an innovation lab honed her discovery skills, emphasizing user feedback, prototyping, and a fail-fast outlook in which investment is commensurate with risk. Her time in technology consulting sharpened her ability to execute, focusing on implementation, testing, and maintenance. For Kate, each experience was like a crash course in a specific aspect of product leadership.
Domain expertise can be a double-edged sword. A depth of industry knowledge can be a source of instant credibility for an incoming product leader; however, it is also possible that an incoming product leader can lean too heavily on those past experiences and assume they already know your users and their challenges.
Regardless of a candidate’s level of knowledge, effective product leadership requires that they instill a culture of testing assumptions, validating hypotheses, and pivoting as necessary.
While domain expertise can be beneficial, biases can also be brought into the decision-making process. It’s crucial to recognize that effective product leadership goes beyond familiarity with a specific sector, and it should not overshadow the leader’s commitment to rigorous discovery practices.
When hiring a VP Product, don’t overlook a candidate whose industry experience might not perfectly align. Look for those with experience tackling related challenges, a history of adaptability while delivering results, and an openness to continuous learning.
Kate’s insights illuminate the intricate balance of skills, vision, and adaptability required when hiring a VP Product. From assessing organizational readiness to finding a leader who can seamlessly integrate with your team, her advice underscores the importance of intentionality at every stage of the process. For CEOs and founders, hiring a VP Product isn’t just about filling a role—it’s about embracing a partnership that will drive your startup’s product vision and growth.
