Head of product salary · national, London and the ladder
What a head of product earns, nationally, in London and against a product manager
A head of product earns £77,000 to £113,250 nationally, with £97,750 at the 50th percentile, in Robert Half’s 2026 salary guide. In London the same seat is £104,750 to £154,000, with £133,000 at the 50th.
The head of product salary depends on the size of the product organisation, the sector, the location and whether the role is the top product seat or reports to a chief product officer. Equity often sits on top at growth-stage businesses. When you hire a head of product through us, permanent, fractional or interim, we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
How a brief runswhat we undertake
- 01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
- 02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
- 03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
- 04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
- 05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief
Shortlist3–5
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to hire a head of product
Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Head of Product candidates, their day rates and availability.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02We scope the role and the days a week
- 03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
- 04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs
Pick a day that suits · live availability
On the board · last 3 months
Head of product jobs on the board
Live product leadership roles
Fractional Quest is a fractional recruitment agency: send a Head of Product brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five vetted candidates.
01/ the role
What a head of product does, and what sets the pay
A head of product owns what gets built and why: the product strategy, the roadmap and the product managers who deliver it. In a start-up or a mid-sized software company it is often the most senior product role; in a larger one it usually sits under a chief product officer. The government’s Digital and Data Capability Framework sets out five product management levels, from associate product manager to head of product. For the role in full, see what a head of product does.
Pay follows the scope. A head of product who is the most senior product leader, owns pricing and sits on the leadership team is paid towards the top of the range; one who runs a product line under a CPO is paid towards the middle. For the seat above, see the CPO salary page.
Robert Half’s figures are projected starting salaries for 2026, base pay only, built from the placements its recruiters have made. Equity and bonus are not in them.
02/ scope
How to hire a head of product
1. Scope the seat
Write down what the role owns: one product or the portfolio, discovery, design, pricing, product operations. Say how many product managers report in, and whether the role reports to the chief executive, the CTO or a CPO.
2. Choose the route
A permanent head of product suits a business whose roadmap needs an owner every day; see the open head of product jobs. If you need senior product judgement for part of the week, see fractional head of product jobs.
3. Set base, bonus and equity together
The CIPD’s introduction to reward separates guaranteed base pay from variable pay, which is not guaranteed. If you offer equity, qualifying companies can grant Enterprise Management Incentive options, which carry tax advantages; EMI has a working-time test, so a part-time head of product may not qualify.
What we do on a head of product brief
We recruit permanent, fractional, interim, part-time and temporary product leaders, and non-executive directors. We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, and every candidate goes through our five-stage vetting first.
03/ rates by stage
Head of product salary national, London and the ladder
Robert Half’s 2026 projected starting salaries (base pay, 25th to 75th percentile, a recruiter’s figures), national and London. Each figure is quoted as the source publishes it.
04/ economics
Salary or day rate: what the seat costs you
A salary is not the whole cost of an employee. For 2026 to 2027, employer’s National Insurance is 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year (HMRC rates and thresholds). Under automatic enrolment, the employer must pay at least 3% into a workplace pension on qualifying earnings, and those earnings include bonuses (GOV.UK).
No source we can verify publishes a day rate for a fractional or interim head of product, so we do not quote one; every shortlist states each candidate’s day rate. A day rate does not compare one for one with a salary. Under the off-payroll working rules (IR35), a medium or large client makes the status determination. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.
05/ vetting
How we vet head of products
What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.
- 01
Qualification screen
Verify Head of Product tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING - 02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING - 03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY - 04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5
06/ head of product salary London
Head of product salary in London: what the capital pays
Robert Half’s 2026 guide puts the head of product salary in London at £104,750 at the 25th percentile, £133,000 at the 50th and £154,000 at the 75th. Its national figures for the same title are £77,000, £97,750 and £113,250.
In London, budget for the package as well as the base, and say in the brief whether the role is office-based or hybrid. Equity is often the largest variable at a London scale-up, so ask for base, bonus and equity to be stated separately.
07/ from product manager
From product manager to head of product: the step in pay
Robert Half puts a product manager at £56,000–£84,250 nationally (£66,750 at the 50th percentile), against £77,000–£113,250 for a head of product. In London the product manager band is £76,250–£114,500. The bands overlap: a senior product manager in London can out-earn a head of product elsewhere.
The step usually brings people management and the roadmap across more than one team. For the seat below, see fractional product manager jobs.
08/ questions
Head of product salary FAQ
The questions people ask before bringing in a head of product.
Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5
Bring the brief. We architect the team.
A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.
