CPG recruiters for the US.
TRG FMCG is a specialist CPG recruiting firm: we find commercial, product and engineering talent for US consumer packaged goods manufacturers and brands, from national account managers and brand managers to controls engineers and plant managers.
We partner with branded CPG companies, private label manufacturers, emerging brands and co-manufacturers across the Midwest, the Southeast, the Northeast, Texas and the West Coast.
Why a specialist CPG recruiter
In the US, FMCG is usually called CPG: consumer packaged goods. The industry is huge and spread out. Food and beverage processing alone employed about 1.7 million people in 2021, around 15% of all US manufacturing jobs, according to the USDA Economic Research Service, and that is before you add household, beauty and personal care.
That scale cuts both ways. There are more candidates than in any other market, but the people who have actually managed a Walmart or Kroger business, run a high-speed line or launched a product into club are known, busy and usually not looking. We only work in CPG and only in twelve specialties, so we know where they are and what it takes to move them.
Who we recruit for
We work across the supply side of US consumer packaged goods, from Fortune 500 brand owners to the plants that make private label.
Branded CPG companies
National and multinational brand owners in food, beverage, household, beauty and personal care, hiring for sales, marketing, R&D and plant engineering.
Private label manufacturers
Manufacturers that make retailers' store brands, where customer teams, product development and quality work hand in hand with the retailer.
Emerging and challenger brands
Founder-led and private-equity-backed brands scaling from natural and specialty into conventional retail, often hiring their first VP Sales or head of operations.
Co-manufacturers and co-packers
Contract manufacturers, co-packers and ingredient suppliers that need process, packaging and maintenance talent to run other companies' products.
The channels our candidates know
US retail is broader than the UK's, and channel experience matters just as much. We match it carefully.
Disciplines and specialties
We recruit in three disciplines and twelve specialties. These are the US job titles we fill most often in each one.
Commercial
The people who win listings, grow accounts and own the number.
- Sales & key account managementNational Account Manager · Customer Team Lead · Customer Business Manager · Regional Sales Manager · E-commerce Account Manager
- Category & shopper marketingCategory Manager · Category Development Manager · Shopper Marketing Manager · Shopper Insights Manager
- Revenue growth managementRevenue Growth Manager · Revenue Management Manager · Pricing Manager · Trade Promotion Analyst
- Commercial leadershipDirector of Sales · VP Sales · SVP Sales · Chief Commercial Officer
Product
The marketers, innovators and technologists behind every product.
- Brand marketingAssociate Brand Manager · Brand Manager · Senior Brand Manager · Director of Marketing
- Innovation & NPDInnovation Manager · Product Development Manager · Commercialization Manager · Director of Innovation
- Product development & R&DFood Scientist · R&D Scientist · Product Development Scientist · Director of R&D
- Packaging developmentPackaging Engineer · Senior Packaging Engineer · Sustainable Packaging Manager · Director of Packaging
Engineering
The engineers who keep high-speed production safe, running and improving.
- Process & manufacturing engineeringProcess Engineer · Manufacturing Engineer · Project Engineer · Continuous Improvement Engineer
- Automation & controlsControls Engineer · Automation Engineer · PLC Programmer · MES Engineer
- Maintenance & reliabilityReliability Engineer · Maintenance Manager · Maintenance Technician · Maintenance Planner
- Engineering leadershipPlant Engineering Manager · Plant Manager · Director of Engineering · VP Operations
Where US CPG hires
Commercial roles follow the big customers, so customer teams cluster near retailer headquarters. Manufacturing is spread across the country: California, Texas and New York have the most food and beverage processing establishments, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. Most of our engineering searches are on-site, so relocation and shift schedules shape every slate.
Midwest
Long the heart of US food manufacturing, with corporate headquarters, R&D centers and large plants across Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Iowa.
Southeast
A growing base for food, beverage and household manufacturing and distribution, from Georgia and the Carolinas to Tennessee.
Northeast
Headquarters, brand and marketing teams around New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, alongside snack, bakery and beverage plants.
Texas and the Southwest
Fast-growing manufacturing and distribution, plus grocery headquarters and customer teams for Texas-based retailers.
West Coast
California leads the country in food and beverage processing establishments, and the region is a hub for natural, organic and emerging brands.
Customer team hubs
Northwest Arkansas for Walmart and Sam's Club, Minneapolis for Target, Cincinnati for Kroger and the Seattle area for Costco and Amazon.
What's shaping US CPG hiring
Four forces explain most of the US searches we run right now.
Controls and reliability talent
Plants are automating faster than they can hire. Controls engineers with Allen-Bradley or Siemens PLC experience and reliability engineers who can build a CMMS-driven maintenance program are the hardest roles to fill, and relocation is often part of the package.
Revenue growth management
Trade spend is one of the largest lines in a CPG P&L. RGM, pricing and trade promotion teams keep growing, and people who combine analytics with customer-facing credibility are in demand.
Packaging EPR in the states
Seven states (California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington) have passed packaging extended producer responsibility laws. Brands selling nationally need packaging engineers who understand recyclability, material reduction and reporting.
Retail media and e-commerce
Retailer media networks and online sales have changed what a national account manager needs to know. Customer teams increasingly hire for digital shelf, retail media and data skills.
How we run a US search
Every search is run by a recruiter who only works in your discipline.
Intake call
We agree the role, plant or territory, customers, schedule, base, bonus, equity where relevant, relocation and the true must-haves.
Map the market
We map competitors, adjacent categories and private label suppliers to find people who have done the job, most of whom are not applying to postings.
Screen and present
Every candidate is interviewed against the brief, including technical or commercial depth, and you get a short slate with honest notes.
Offer and start
We manage offers, counteroffers, relocation and start dates so your hire actually shows up on day one.
Hiring between the US and the UK
UK and European CPG companies are building US teams, and US brands are expanding into the UK. We recruit on both sides, so you can brief one partner for both markets. Many UK-trained commercial, R&D and engineering professionals adapt well to US roles, but titles differ: a UK key account manager is often a national account manager here, a food technologist is a food scientist and a packaging technologist is a packaging engineer.
Work authorization is the first question in any cross-border hire. We raise it on the intake call and are upfront with candidates about whether a role offers sponsorship.
L-1
For employees transferring to a US office of the same company group, such as managers, executives and people with specialized knowledge.
H-1B
For specialty occupations that usually require a degree. It is subject to an annual cap, and since September 2025 a $100,000 payment applies to certain new petitions under a presidential proclamation.
E-2
For treaty investors and their essential employees. The UK is a treaty country, which can help UK-owned companies staff a US operation.
UK: Skilled Worker visa
The main route for sponsored hires into UK roles. Since July 2025 most roles must be at degree level and meet a general salary threshold of £41,700, with some exceptions.
This is general information, not legal advice. Immigration rules change often: check the official guidance and talk to a qualified immigration attorney before extending an offer.
- USCIS: L-1A intracompany transferee ↗
- USCIS: H-1B specialty occupations ↗
- USCIS: E-2 treaty investors ↗
- U.S. Department of State: treaty countries ↗
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa ↗
CPG recruiting questions
All FAQs →A CPG recruiter finds and evaluates talent for consumer packaged goods companies: the manufacturers and brands behind food, beverage, household, beauty and personal care products. A specialist CPG recruiting firm like TRG FMCG knows the customers, categories and plant environments, so it can tell whether a national account manager has really run a Walmart business or whether a controls engineer can support a high-speed packaging line.
Yes, in practice. FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) is the term used in the UK, Europe and much of the world; CPG (consumer packaged goods) is the usual US term. Both describe everyday products sold in high volume at relatively low prices, such as food, beverages, household and personal care.
The best firm depends on the role. Large generalist staffing firms offer reach; specialist CPG recruiters offer depth. When you compare firms, ask how many people in your discipline they have placed recently, whether recruiters work only in CPG, how they reach passive candidates and how they handle counteroffers. TRG FMCG works only in CPG and FMCG and only in twelve commercial, product and engineering specialties.
Fees are agreed upfront and depend on the service. Most direct-hire searches are contingent (you pay on a successful hire), with retained options for senior and confidential searches. Our service is always free for candidates.
Yes. TRG FMCG recruits in both the UK and the US, and you can brief one partner for both. We source US-based candidates for US roles, and when a candidate would need sponsorship we say so upfront.
Yes. Food and beverage manufacturing is a large part of our engineering work, including process, controls, reliability and plant leadership roles, as well as food scientists, product developers and packaging engineers.
Controls and automation engineers, reliability engineers, plant engineering managers, packaging engineers with sustainability experience and revenue growth managers. These are the searches where a specialist network makes the biggest difference.
Yes. We run confidential executive searches for VP Sales, Chief Commercial Officer, Director of Marketing, Director of R&D, Plant Manager and VP Operations roles.
Sources
- USDA ERS: Food and beverage manufacturing
- Amcor: Which US states have packaging EPR laws? (December 2025)
- DLA Piper: White House proclamation introduces USD100,000 H-1B visa fee
- USCIS: H-1B specialty occupations
- U.S. Department of State: treaty countries
- Foot Anstey: UK Skilled Worker visa reforms from 22 July 2025