The Category
Two very different people, often in the same org chart
A commercial leader at a converter is running a consultative, specification-driven sale with long cycles. A plant leader is running a capital-intensive operation where downtime is the only number that matters. Those are different people, and both are hard to find.
Sustainability changed the brief. Brands have made public commitments on recyclability, recycled content and material reduction, and somebody has to actually deliver them. That has created real demand for packaging engineers and sustainability leaders who can hold material science, cost and retailer requirements at the same time.
We recruit on both sides of the relationship. For converters building out commercial and operations teams, and for consumer brands hiring in-house packaging and sustainability leadership. Understanding both ends is what makes the screening useful.
- 01
- Substrate realityOperational discipline transfers between substrates. Process knowledge often does not, and we say so.
- 02
- Downtime recordFor plant roles we ask what their OEE was and what they did about the worst line.
- 03
- Geography firstPlant searches are relocation-constrained. We scope that at kickoff rather than after four interviews.
What We Cover
Roles We Place Across Packaging and Converting
We place plant, engineering, sustainability and commercial leadership across converters and brand-side teams. Work with a specialized CPG recruiter or food and beverage recruiter who knows your world, or see how our search model works.
Plant Leadership
- Plant Manager
- Production Manager
- Shift Superintendent
- Maintenance Manager
Engineering
- Packaging Engineer
- Process Engineer
- Structural Design Engineer
- Tooling Manager
Sustainability and Materials
- Director of Sustainability
- Materials Scientist
- Recyclability Lead
Commercial and Estimating
- VP of Sales
- Technical Sales Manager
- Key Account Manager
- Director of Estimating
Leadership and Finance
- COO
- VP of Manufacturing
- Controller
Candidate Evaluation
You meet the person before the first interview
Every finalist arrives with a written evaluation, not a resume and a sentence. Interview notes from several conversations, a homework assignment tied to your biggest need, career motivations, and the resume itself, merged into one document on your portal.
You will not get a weekly summary email. You will see the candidate the day we add them.
Where we work in the category
- Flexible packaging and film
- Rigid plastics
- Corrugated and paperboard
- Labels and printing
- Glass and metal
- Closures and dispensing
- Compostable materials
- Contract packaging
Common Questions
Packaging recruiting, answered
Do you recruit for both converters and brand-side teams?
Yes. Converter searches skew to operations and technical sales. Brand-side searches are usually packaging development and sustainability. Knowing both sides of that relationship is what makes the screening credible.
What sustainability roles are in demand?
Directors of sustainability, recyclability and materials leads, and packaging engineers who can balance environmental targets against cost and retailer specification. Public commitments created real roles, and the qualified pool is still small.
How do you handle plant manager searches?
As on-site, geographically constrained searches. Relocation willingness, shift structure and facility type narrow the pool sharply, so we scope it honestly at kickoff rather than presenting candidates who were never going to move.
Is packaging experience transferable across substrates?
Partly. Operational discipline transfers. Process knowledge often does not. A leader moving from corrugated into flexible film faces a real learning curve, and we are explicit about where that is acceptable.
How long does a packaging search take?
Four to six weeks to a shortlist on commercial roles. Plant and engineering searches run longer because the pool is regional and relocation is usually the deciding factor.
Hiring in packaging?
Tell us the seat. We will show you how we would run the search.