Senior product leadership, embedded exactly where it's needed.
02
I align
Bringing clarity to roadmaps, priorities and stakeholder direction.
03
I deliver
Strategy to execution. Every plan leads to a measurable outcome.
04
I stay calm
Trusted to navigate complexity when the stakes are high.
About
Meet Simone Kiernan
I've spent 14+ years leading digital products across healthcare, travel technology, legal technology and enterprise SaaS, leading product teams through growth, transformation and complex delivery programmes.
I bring clarity and structure to organisations facing product and delivery challenges. No jargon, no theatre, just practical leadership that gets the right things built.
I work as a fractional product leader so growing software companies can get senior, hands-on direction without the cost or risk of a full-time executive hire.
14+
Years in product leadership
MSc
Master's qualified
A-CSM
Advanced Certified ScrumMaster
IE
Based in Galway
Previously held leadership roles at CVS Health, Avaya, Micro Focus, HPE, Updraft and Aró Digital Strategy.
What I do
Fractional Product Leadership. One service, done properly.
Senior product leadership for growing software companies who need direction, alignment and delivery confidence, without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive hire.
01
Product Audit
A short, focused review of your product organisation: what's working, what's not, and what to fix first.
02
Fractional Product Leadership
Ongoing senior product leadership, embedded in your team part-time, for as long as you need it.
03
Product & Delivery Transformation
Hands-on leadership through a specific period of change, growth or recovery.
You need senior product leadership but aren't ready for a full-time hire
These are exactly the situations where a fractional product leader can help, bringing clarity, structure and momentum without the cost of a permanent executive.
Senior product leadership for growing software companies, with clarity on what to build, alignment across teams, and delivery that actually moves.
Fractional Product Leadership
The problem
Founder-led and scaling software companies often reach a point where the product team lacks direction. Ownership is unclear, priorities shift constantly, and the roadmap stops driving outcomes, but a full-time Head of Product or VP Product isn't yet the right call.
The approach
I work with founders, leadership teams and product organisations as a fractional product leader, bringing structure, alignment and momentum without the cost or commitment of a permanent executive hire. Drawing on 14+ years of senior product leadership across healthcare, SaaS, cloud platforms and regulated industries.
Product strategy definition and alignment with business goals
Roadmap review, restructure and prioritisation discipline
Product operating model design — ownership, rituals, structure
Coaching for existing PMs and product teams
Cross-functional alignment between product, engineering and commercial
Delivery improvement and execution discipline
Transformation leadership through growth or change
The outcome
A product organisation that knows what it's building and why. A roadmap the business trusts. Teams that are aligned instead of pulling in different directions, with senior leadership in place and no overhead of a full-time hire.
How I Work
Three ways to work together
One-off
Product Audit
A focused two-to-three week review of your product organisation, surfacing what's blocking delivery and what to prioritise next.
Ongoing, part-time
Fractional Product Leadership
Senior product leadership a few days a month or week, for as long as your team needs the direction.
Defined period
Product & Delivery Transformation
Hands-on leadership through a specific period of change, whether that's a stalled programme, a re-platform, or a team in transition.
“I help growing software companies create clarity, improve delivery, and build products customers actually want — without the cost of a full-time executive hire.”
With over 14 years leading complex digital products across healthcare, travel technology, legal technology and enterprise SaaS, I work as a fractional product leader for founder-led and scaling software companies — bringing senior product direction without the overhead of a permanent hire.
I'm known for being calm under pressure and decisive in complex situations. Founders and leadership teams trust me to bring structure to product organisations that have outgrown ad hoc decision-making, but aren't yet ready for a full-time Head of Product.
“Multiple organisations. One consistent outcome — predictable delivery, improved quality, and transformation programmes that hold long after the engagement ends.”
Over more than a decade, I've worked across regulated industries, cloud-scale platforms, and fast-moving product teams, always with the same focus: clear priorities, reliable delivery, and outcomes that last.
Leading product delivery in a highly regulated clinical environment
Working across engineering, data, operations, and clinical stakeholders to align product delivery with patient and business outcomes. Driving clarity and prioritisation in a regulated infrastructure.
Re-platforming a core booking engine and modernising analytics
Led the re-platforming of a hospitality booking engine and redesigned the analytics system from the ground up, modernising reporting and delivering clearer commercial insights for clients.
Re-platforming · Analytics · Client adoption
Legal Tech SaaS
End-to-end redesign and cloud migration of a contract management platform
Managed the full redesign of a legal contract management platform, including a complex integration with a third-party claims system and migration from legacy infrastructure to cloud.
Cloud migration · Systems integration · Regulated SaaS
Enterprise SaaS & Cloud Infrastructure
Owning a major cloud re-platforming programme at scale
Owned the roadmap for a large-scale re-platforming onto Azure cloud infrastructure, enabling next-generation capabilities across voice, chat, and email channels for a global enterprise product.
14+ years delivering digital products and transformation programmes. Trusted by technical teams, product organisations and executive stakeholders to bring clarity, alignment and momentum to complex initiatives.
Healthcare Technology
Digital product delivery in regulated clinical environments including HIPAA-compliant infrastructure
Travel Technology
Re-platforming of booking engines and modernisation of hospitality analytics platforms
Legal Technology
End-to-end redesign and cloud migration of contract management and legal SaaS platforms
Enterprise SaaS
Large-scale cloud re-platforming, authentication platforms and contact centre infrastructure
Cloud Infrastructure
Azure cloud migrations, CI/CD pipelines and platform engineering across global enterprise products
Previous experience includes leadership roles across CVS Health, Avaya, Micro Focus, HPE, Updraft and Aró Digital Strategy.
Core skills
What I bring to every engagement
Product Leadership
Product & Delivery Leadership
Roadmapping & Prioritisation
Fractional & Interim Leadership
Metrics, OKRs & Reporting
Risk & Dependency Management
Technical
Platform & Cloud Migration (Azure)
Systems Integration & APIs
Data & Analytics Platforms
Machine Learning Use-Case Definition
CI/CD & Release Governance
Leadership & Delivery
Fractional Product Leadership
Stakeholder & Executive Alignment
Agile Coaching (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe)
Compliance: PCI, HIPAA, ISO
Engineering Team Leadership
Vendor & Budget Management
Education & Certifications
MSc Information Systems Management
Postgraduate degree
Bachelor of Commerce
Undergraduate degree
PG Diploma: Digital Marketing & Analytics
Postgraduate diploma
Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM)
Scrum Alliance
The Tizi story
Tizi n'Tichka is the highest mountain pass in North Africa, a winding road connecting Marrakech to the Sahara through the Atlas Mountains at 2,260 metres. No shortcuts. The road narrows. Conditions change.
That's the metaphor for this practice. Not promising the terrain is easier than it is, but making sure the journey is navigated well. A steady presence when the road is not obvious.
A discovery call is a no-pressure 30-minute conversation. No deck. No pitch. Just a straight conversation about where you are and whether there's a good fit.
Get in touch
Fill in the form and I'll respond within one business day. If you'd prefer to connect directly, LinkedIn is the best route.
I work with founder-led and scaling software companies who need senior product leadership, but aren't ready for a full-time hire.
