Head of Product
What is a head of product?
Head of product is a leadership role responsible for setting product direction and outcomes across product teams, equivalent to titles like Chief Product Officer (CPO) or Vice President of Product. The head of product negotiates outcomes with product teams, communicates business priorities, and is involved in strategic decisions about what outcomes teams should pursue.
This is a senior executive position, distinct from the product manager role. While product managers work within product trios to make day-to-day product decisions, the head of product operates at the organizational level.
What does a head of product do?
The head of product plays a critical role in bridging business strategy and product execution. Key responsibilities include:
- Negotiating outcomes with product teams through two-way conversations about what's valuable and achievable
- Communicating business priorities so teams understand how their work connects to company goals
- Setting strategic direction for the product organization
In a 2023 survey of product teams, 60.4% of respondents said their head of product was involved in choosing outcomes for their teams, making this one of the most common approaches to outcome-setting.
How is this role different from a product manager?
The head of product is an executive leadership role focused on strategy and organizational outcomes. The product manager is a member of the product trio, working alongside a designer and tech lead to discover and deliver solutions that drive their team's outcome.
Think of it this way: the head of product helps teams understand what outcome to pursue, while the product manager determines how to achieve that outcome.
Learn more:
- Why There’s No Single “Right” Way to Do Discovery: Part 1
Related terms:
- Product Manager
- Product Trio
- Outcome
- Product Outcome
Last Updated: October 25, 2025