Wrong stage experience
A big-tech VP can look perfect and still stall a Series B. Pedigree is not stage-fit. Most searches never score the difference.
Product leadership search · Series A–C
Hire the product leader who can actually ship at your stage.
TalentLayer is a specialist search firm for CPO, VP Product and Head of Product roles. We don’t send CV piles. We score every candidate on stage-fit, shipping DNA and founder chemistry — then a partner runs the search and the close with you.
Why this exists
Most product leadership hires fail for predictable reasons.
Not because the person looked weak on paper — because the search never tested the things that matter at your stage.
CV theatre, not shipping DNA
Traditional shortlists reward narrative. You need evidence of building, deciding, and shipping under constraint — not polished career stories.
Chemistry left to chance
Founder–product leader fit decides whether the hire compounds or becomes expensive churn. Most firms discover this after the offer.
What TalentLayer does
A productised search, not a black box recruiter.
You buy a defined process with defined deliverables. Analysis is systematic. A partner owns the relationship, judgment and close.
1
Define the role properly
We turn your instincts into a Product Leader Spec: success in 12 months, non-negotiables, scope, and what “great” means here.
2
Find people who won’t apply
We map and approach high-fit product leaders who are rarely on the open market — not the usual LinkedIn spray.
3
Score fit before you meet them
Every serious candidate gets a Fit Card: stage-fit, shipping DNA, founder chemistry, scope ownership, plus material risks.
4
Run process and close
References, interview design, offer architecture, and a 90-day onboard loop after they start. We stay through the hard part.
How it works
Four stages. Clear timeline. No mystery.
From first brief to first Fit Card in roughly three to four weeks, then we earn the rest of the hire with you.
Days 0–3
Brief & Spec
Deep intake with the founder. We lock the Product Leader Spec so the company is aligned before anyone is contacted.
Days 4–12
Search & Fit Cards
Targeted outreach and analysis. You receive scored Fit Cards on a short set of high-fit people — not a pile of CVs.
Days 13–21
References & interviews
Structured references and an interview kit built around the dimensions that predict success in this role.
Day 22 onward
Close & 90 days
Partner-led close on compensation and decision. Then a light operating rhythm for the first critical quarter.
What you receive
Fixed deliverables you can hold us to.
You are not paying for “access to a network.” You are paying for work product and a managed process.
Product Leader Spec
The single source of truth for the hire: outcomes, scope, non-negotiables, and how success will be judged at 12 months.
Fit Card
Scored dimensions, flagged risks, and the next conversation we recommend — before you invest interview time.
Reference Dossier
Structured references aimed at patterns that matter: shipping under pressure, team building, commercial judgment, founder working style.
Interview Kit
A process and question set designed to test the dimensions your current interviews usually miss.
Close support
Offer framing, objection handling, and decision support so the hire doesn’t die in the last mile.
90-day onboard loop
A light cadence between the new leader and the company after start date — so early drift gets caught early.
Why founders choose this
Not a generalist firm. Not a software tool.
You need specialist product-leadership judgment and a process that produces evidence — not more noise.
Typical search firm
- Broad executive coverage, shallow product depth
- Shortlist of CVs and narrative bios
- Chemistry discovered late
- Process ends at signed offer
AI sourcing tools
- Faster LinkedIn search
- Keyword match without judgment
- No one owns the outcome
- You still run the hard work alone
TalentLayer
- Only product leadership, Series A–C
- Fit Cards before interviews
- Partner-led process and close
- Defined artifacts + 90-day loop
Engagements
Two ways to work with us.
Clear commercial model. No “let’s hop on a call and invent a package.”
Primary
Retained search
£95k–£145k
Full search for CPO, VP Product or Head of Product. Spec through close, with the full deliverable set and 90-day loop.
- Product Leader Spec
- Search + Fit Cards
- References, interview kit, close
- 90-day onboard loop
Focused
Fit Dossier project
From £28k
Already have candidates, or need a hard pressure-test on a shortlist. We deliver Fit Cards and reference work without a full market search.
- Role Spec (light)
- Fit Cards on your list
- Reference dossier
- Partner readout
For founders & CEOs
If you are hiring product leadership in the next quarter, this is for you.
Best fit when you are Series A–C, UK/EU-based or hiring into those markets, and you need a CPO, VP Product or Head of Product who can operate at your stage — not a polished generalist.
Start with a Brief. A partner reviews every one personally. If we are not the right firm, we will say so quickly.
For product leaders
We do not spam.
We only reach out when there is a genuine high-fit brief. You get context, stakes, and real decision-makers — not a blind InMail.
No public job board. No volume outreach. If the right role appears, a partner introduces it properly.
Become a client
Start with a Brief.
This is the intake we actually use. Fill it carefully. It becomes the first draft of your Product Leader Spec.
Within four hours you get an acknowledgement. Within one business day a partner reviews it and tells you whether we should proceed, and on which engagement type.
- No obligation until we agree scope in writing
- We only take work we can staff well
- If we pass, we will say why
Brief received.
Thank you. A partner will review this and respond within one business day with a clear next step — proceed, refine, or pass.
Prefer email? Write to brief@talentlayer.com with the same details.
How we operate
No invented proof. No volume theatre.
We are building this practice carefully. We will publish real 12-month outcomes — retention, impact, regret — when the cohort is large enough to mean something. Until then, judge us on the clarity of the process, the quality of the Fit Card, and how we show up on your Brief.