As teams scale quickly, so do their problems. Priorities compete, UX becomes inconsistent, and product strategy gets muddled under delivery pressure. Hiring a full-time Head of Design or Product might seem like the answer, but it's often a long, expensive process. There's another way.

Fractional leadership gives growing product teams access to senior expertise — without the full-time overhead.

Over the past few years, I've worked with a range of SaaS, HealthTech, FinTech, Marketplaces and non-profit teams, to help them unlock clarity, consistency and strategic momentum in weeks, not quarters. Here’s how it works — and what it can do for your team.

What is Fractional Design, Research & Product leadership?

It's a flexible engagement model: typically 1–2 days a week of senior leadership embedded into your team. Think of it as a strategic partner who helps you:

• Scale your UX and design practice with the right systems and standards

• Build and coach your team while keeping delivery aligned to business goals

• Bring insight and research maturity into product decision-making

• Align your AI, data, or innovation efforts with customer needs

• Unblock momentum when you're in a mid-growth fog

You get access to high-level thinking, hands-on collaboration, and deep experience — without the cost or risk of hiring full-time.

Why it works (especially for startups and scale-ups)

Fractional leadership is ideal for:

• Seed to Series C companies scaling fast but lacking strategic UX/product guidance

• SaaS teams hitting complexity walls — inconsistent UX, unclear ownership, design debt

• Product orgs who want to build, not just maintain — mature their team and approach while shipping

It works because it’s not consulting from the outside — it’s embedded, collaborative, and designed to move with your team.

What it looks like in practice

Every engagement is shaped to the team’s needs, but here are some common plays:

1. Strategic UX overhaul

• Audit product journeys and identify blockers

• Introduce scalable design systems

• Align UX with product vision and OKRs

2. Team coaching & maturity building

• Mentor designers and UX researchers

• Support hiring and onboarding

• Shift the team from reactive to proactive

3. Insight-led product decisions

• Establish or sharpen research practices

• Integrate insights into planning and prioritisation

• Make customer-understanding a team habit

4. AI & innovation enablement

• Identify where AI can enhance UX or product value

• Help design pilots and align technical capability with customer need

• Avoid the trap of tech-first solutions

A smarter path to senior leadership

Hiring full-time might still be your long-term goal. But in the meantime, fractional leadership gives you a fast, flexible, and effective way to:

• Set direction

• Raise quality

• Unblock growth

And when it’s time to hire, you’ll do it with far more clarity.

Let’s talk

If your team needs experienced leadership across design, research or product — without waiting months to hire — I’d love to help.

Reach out on LinkedIn or via email.

Studiologie is the portfolio of Frederic Marc, a design, research and product leader with 17+ years experience helping digital organisations scale efficiently.