A fractional Chief Product Officer is a seasoned product executive who works part-time as an embedded member of your team. This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution, applying deep product expertise to shape direction, prioritize effectively, and drive outcomes. Rather than advising from a distance, a fractional CPO integrates into your workflows and works directly with your team to solve problems and deliver impact.

When you bring on a fractional CPO, they become an integral part of your leadership team, but on a limited basis. Typically, this means working with your company for two to three days each week over a span of three or more months. This timeframe provides enough room for meaningful progress, whether it's launching a new product, adjusting strategy, or zeroing in on key improvements. The relationship is designed to be adaptable, aligning with the specific goals and challenges of your business.

The primary focus of a fractional CPO is strategic direction. They are able to lean on their deep expertise to tackle high-level issues such as shaping the product vision, refining product-market fit, and developing long-term product roadmaps. Additionally, they can help build out a strong product management function, nurture high-performing teams, and guide go-to-market plans. The aim is to provide clarity, focus, and momentum to your product efforts, all while ensuring alignment with your broader business objectives.

Fractional CPOs focus on strategic leadership and team development, often playing a critical role in setting direction, refining processes, and strengthening product practices. While they typically don’t hold formal people management responsibilities, they work closely with team members through coaching, feedback, and hands-on collaboration. A core part of their role is to elevate the team’s capabilities so it can continue to operate effectively after the engagement ends.

Fractional services are not the right fit for every business and situation. While we can give you a personalized answer if you sign up for a no-strings-attached free consultation, we also recommend that you read our guide on when to hire a fractional CPO.

We work with organizations navigating complex product challenges, whether it’s refining strategy, aligning teams, or driving measurable impact. If your company is struggling to define a clear product vision, experiencing misalignment between product, design, and engineering, or finding that execution isn’t translating into results, we provide the leadership and expertise to get things on track.

Some of the most common challenges we help solve include:

• Unclear product-market fit: You’re shipping, but adoption and retention aren’t where they need to be.

• Execution without strategy: Your teams are delivering, but without a cohesive roadmap or clear success metrics.

• Leadership gaps: You need senior product expertise but aren’t ready for (or don’t require) a full-time CPO.

• Scaling and optimization: Your organization is growing, and processes that once worked are now creating friction.

• Cross-functional disconnects: Product, UX, engineering, and go-to-market teams aren’t operating as a cohesive unit.

One of the biggest advantages of our collective model is our breadth of expertise. We are seasoned product leaders, UX strategists, researchers, product marketers, and operations specialists, spanning different industries, company sizes, and stages of growth. This means we can tailor our approach to meet the unique needs of each business, whether it’s a venture-backed startup, a scaling growth-stage company, or an established enterprise looking to recalibrate its product strategy.

Click here to see if we’re the right partner for your business.

At Rooted in Product, we believe in straightforward, no-surprises pricing. Our fractional executives and product leaders provide senior-level expertise without the overhead of a full-time hire, giving you the flexibility, strategic firepower, and executional support you actually need. We keep things simple and transparent so you can focus on what matters: building great products.

Fractional Leadership (CPOs, VPs & Senior Product Leaders)

• Monthly retainer (prepaid, flexible commitment).

  What determines the rate? Seniority, scope of client needs, and weekly time commitment.

• Every fractional engagement includes:

  • A dedicated, experienced product executive fully embedded in your team.

  • High-impact strategy, execution oversight & team development.

  • Support from the entire Rooted in Product community: fractional leaders benefit from shared best practices, strategic insights, and access to peer networks (without sharing any confidential client information).

  • BONUS: Up to 5 hours/month of client-facing support from Rooted In Product founder and Fractional CPO Brian Root at no extra cost, providing executive coaching, product strategy reviews, or additional direct advisory support as needed.

Limited Scope & Advisory Engagements

• Hourly rate.

  What determines the rate? The level of expertise required, project scope, and timeline.

• Ideal for:

  • Product strategy workshops & leadership coaching.

  • Roadmap audits & execution reviews.

  • Go-to-market strategy & product marketing.

  • Team structuring & hiring.