CPG & Consumer Goods Recruitment

Advocate Group builds the teams behind the UK's consumer packaged goods brands. We recruit the brand, product and commercial specialists who turn packaged goods into category winners: brand and marketing leaders, new product development experts, category managers, and the account teams that own revenue in grocery and retail. Every search draws on live consumer goods salary data and a network built across branded and own-label businesses.

What is CPG recruitment?

Consumer packaged goods recruitment, defined

It places the people who design, market and sell packaged consumer products: brand managers, NPD and innovation specialists, category and insight professionals, and the commercial teams behind them. Strong CPG recruitment reads two things at once: whether a candidate understands category dynamics, and whether they've genuinely owned a brand or a P&L rather than supported one.

Where CPG sits in the consumer goods market

Consumer packaged goods spans food, household, personal care and beauty products sold at scale through retail and e-commerce. The hiring leans to the brand and product side: the roles that create demand and shape range. It's a distinct discipline, and we run it as its own desk.

What roles do CPG recruiters fill?

We focus on four families of consumer goods talent.

Brand and marketing recruitment

Brand managers, senior brand managers and marketing leaders who own positioning, pricing and the P&L behind a range. We screen for commercial ownership, not campaign admin, so your shortlist can defend a margin as well as a creative brief.

NPD and innovation recruitment 

New product development is where consumer goods brands win or stall. We place NPD managers, innovation leads and technical product specialists who take a concept from brief to launch on time and on cost.

Category management recruitment

Category and insight talent is getting harder to find and more decisive at the buyer's desk. We recruit category managers and shopper insight specialists who turn data into range and space wins with the major grocers.

Commercial and account management

On the revenue side, we place national account managers and commercial leaders who've genuinely owned grocery and retail relationships. We test for real revenue ownership, not job titles.

How to choose a CPG recruitment agency?

Judge a consumer goods recruiter on evidence, not sector name-drops.

What to check before you brief a CPG agency

1. Ask for placements in your specific function - brand, NPD, category or commercial - not just consumer goods in general.
2. Check retention, not just speed. Time-to-hire means little if the hire leaves inside a year.
3. Look for live salary and market data on packaged goods roles, so your offer lands first time.
4. Test their network for passive talent: the brand and category people who never hit the job boards.

Questions worth asking

Ask how they assess real revenue ownership, how deep their category and NPD networks run, and how they handle both branded and own-label briefs.

Why choose Advocate Group for CPG recruitment?

A proven consumer goods track record

We've placed brand, category, NPD and commercial leaders across global names and challenger brands, with a 96% placement retention rate. Our network reaches the active and the passive.

Consumer goods salary benchmarks and market insight

Our salary benchmarks and market reports keep offers competitive across food, household, personal care and beauty. You brief with real numbers, not guesswork.

FAQs

Q: What is CPG recruitment?

A: It's the sourcing and placement of brand, NPD, category and commercial talent for consumer packaged goods businesses, from manager to board level.

Q: What roles do CPG recruiters fill?

A: Brand and marketing managers, NPD and innovation specialists, category and insight professionals, and national account and commercial leaders.

Q: How do I choose a CPG recruitment agency?

A: Check function-specific placements, retention rates, packaged goods salary data and the depth of their passive network before you brief.

Did you know, we are also experts in Beauty & Cosmetics recruitment, Consumer Packaged Goods recruitment, Drinks recruitment, Fashion recruitment, FMCG recruitment, Food recruitment, Health & Wellbeing recruitment, Homeware recruitment and Toys & Games recruitment? You can view all of our recruitment specialisms to find the team that’s best for your needs or you can browse all of our current FMCG and Retail Sector jobs.