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Recruiting Product Leaders:
How to Hire the Right Talent

Lauren Ipsen
Executive Recruiter & Head of Talent (formerly IRL)
2025
The Insight

Know Good
Before You Need It

HIRINGMARKETALWAYS CONNECTED
"Regardless of whether or not you're hiring, you should always be keeping a pulse on the market. You never want to put yourself in a position where you have no idea what good looks like."
  • Stay connected to the market before you have an urgent need
  • Build relationships with great people as advisors first
  • Get them involved in your product or strategy early
  • When hiring urgently starts, you already know who you want
The Biggest Mistake

Chasing Big Names Doesn't Mean Chasing Big Talent

BIG COMPANYBIG TITLE≠ Best fit foryour stageFar from actual work.Led by team of executors.Less hungry. Less hands-on.
"Just because someone is the best talent in the world doesn't mean they're the best talent for this role today. Who is going to be best for this specific role at this specific time?"
  • CPOs from Google aren't necessarily best for early-stage companies
  • Senior leaders at big companies are far from the actual work
  • Look for someone closer to the tactical execution
  • Hire for the need today, not the prestige on the resume
The Framework

How to Start a Successful Search

  • Define the outcome: What problem are you solving with this hire? Is the board just saying "we need a head of product" or do you actually know?
  • Get granular on mandate: What will they do in month one? What about year one? Are you building to a CPO role or hiring for a specialist?
  • Clarify the three buckets: Platform/infrastructure, core/consumer product, or specialist (growth/monetization)?
  • Architect the org structure: Do you need one person doing everything, or specific leaders for specific needs?
  • Build the 90-day plan: What success looks like in 3 months, 12 months, through IPO
The real question

Not "who is the best PM in the world" but "who is the best PM for this role at this moment in our company?"

Lauren's advice

Spend time upfront defining what good looks like. Searches that start unclear are doomed from inception.

The Numbers

Lauren's Track Record

85+
executives placed
7
months to land Alex Strand at IRL
"My favorite placement was Alex Strand at IRL. High emotional intelligence engineering leader who'd built Amazon Prime Day and Snapchat's messaging platform. Got him to move in 2 weeks, then I joined IRL myself."
  • From Twitter, Reddit, Snap, Postmates, covered consumer tech early
  • Placed VPs of engineering, product leads, execs
  • Saw first-hand product changes from hires you make
Career Playbook

For Product Leaders: Build Your Market Edge

✗Optimize for logo collectingINSTEAD →✓ Stay at companies longer where you can go deep and actually see impact, even if less famous.
✗Specialize early in one areaINSTEAD →✓ Get breadth across platform, consumer, and specialist work so you can lead cross-functionally later.
✗Wait until you need a new job to networkINSTEAD →✓ Always know which companies are thriving and which executives are building great things, regardless of job status.
✗Make moves reactively when you're unhappyINSTEAD →✓ Build your network and opportunities so you're selective about what you take, never desperate.
Based on Lauren Ipsen's episode on Lenny's Podcast. All ideas on this page are from the episode.Watch on YouTube
GO DEEPER IN THE EPISODE
07:52 Why the best recruiters seem to be migrating to VC funds09:44 Mistakes founders make in searching for their first senior product leader13:26 Questions for founders to ask when thinking about who to hire16:07 The three main types of PMs18:27 What do job titles mean, and why are they more susceptible to change in a startup environment?21:50 What should product leaders do ahead of hiring senior product leaders?23:14 How to network with great talent27:37 Why the timetable for recruiting is variable29:02 How to be productive with your time by tapping your network30:27 Why recruiting via LinkedIn might not be the best use of your time33:17 Lauren’s favorite placement of all time37:30 The importance of diversifying your experience40:16 The art and science of staying long enough to have a meaningful impact43:23 The importance of creating real impact as a leader47:57 Good questions to ask references and how to dig deeper49:35 Resume red flags and the importance of honesty53:39 Interview tips for product managers57:29 Common mistakes recruiters make1:00:57 Advice for founders looking for a recruiter1:04:24 Lightning round
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