The top supply chain recruiters in 2026 are Apollo Technical, SCM Talent Group, SCOPE Recruiting, DSJ Global, Korn Ferry, Kimmel and Associates, Direct Recruiters, JMJ Phillip Group, Supply Chain Talent Advisors, Michael Page and Randstad.
They range from boutique supply-chain-only search firms to global executive search and high-volume warehouse staffing. Below we compare all 11 on headquarters, search model, focus areas, guarantees, strengths and honest limitations.
A note on bias: Apollo Technical wrote this list and ranks itself first. We explain why, and we list our own limitations the same way we list everyone else’s. Facts about every other firm come from its own website or a named third-party source, checked in September 2026. No firm paid to be included.
Key takeaways
- Best for supply chain roles that overlap engineering and IT: Apollo Technical, which offers contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire for planners, buyers, sourcing, logistics and supply chain quality engineers.
- Best supply-chain-only boutiques: SCM Talent Group, SCOPE Recruiting and Supply Chain Talent Advisors.
- Best for chief supply chain officers: Korn Ferry.
- Best for high-volume warehouse and DC hiring: Randstad.
- Guarantees range from 90 days to a full year, so compare them along with fees.
Top supply chain recruiters at a glance
| # | Firm | Headquarters | Founded | Search model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apollo Technical | Smyrna, GA (metro Atlanta) | 2010 | Contingency direct hire, contract, contract-to-hire | Planners, buyers, sourcing, logistics and supply chain engineers |
| 2 | SCM Talent Group | Asheville, NC | 2004 | Executive and professional search, contract, interim | Supply-chain-only search at every level |
| 3 | SCOPE Recruiting | Huntsville, AL | 2017 | Contingency, retained, exclusive contingency | Manager to VP hires, published fees |
| 4 | DSJ Global | US offices incl. New York | 2008 | Permanent, contract, executive search | Multi-country hiring |
| 5 | Korn Ferry | Los Angeles, CA | 1969 | Executive search, professional search, interim, RPO | CSCO and VP searches |
| 6 | Kimmel and Associates | Asheville, NC | 1981 | Executive search | 3PL, distribution and logistics leaders |
| 7 | Direct Recruiters | Solon, OH | 1983 | Contingency, retained, contract | Supply chain tech, automation, material handling |
| 8 | JMJ Phillip Group | Troy, MI | Not published | Retained, contingent, interim | Midwest manufacturing and automotive |
| 9 | Supply Chain Talent Advisors | Dallas, TX | Not published | Retained search | Director to executive, 365-day guarantee |
| 10 | Michael Page | New York, NY (US) | 1976 (PageGroup) | Permanent, contract, executive search | Mid-level professional hires |
| 11 | Randstad | Atlanta, GA (US) | Not verified | Temporary, temp-to-perm, direct hire | Warehouse and DC volume |
How we chose these recruiters
- A real supply chain practice. Planning, procurement, logistics, warehouse or distribution recruiting had to be a named service, not a line in a long list.
- Verifiable facts. Headquarters, history and services confirmed on the firm’s own site or a reputable third party.
- Clear search model. Contingency, retained, contract or volume staffing, stated plainly.
- Transparency. Published fees, guarantees or case studies counted in a firm’s favor.
- Coverage of different needs. We included executive search, boutiques and volume staffing so every buyer has a fit.
The 11 top supply chain recruiters in 2026
1. Apollo Technical
Apollo Technical recruits only supply chain, engineering and IT professionals. We rank it first because modern supply chain roles increasingly sit on that boundary: a warehouse automation project manager, a supply chain quality engineer or an ERP-savvy planner needs a recruiter who understands the technical side as well as the operational one.
- Headquarters: Smyrna, GA (metro Atlanta). Founded in 2010, with supply chain recruiting in Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston, and coverage across the Southeast, Texas and Chicago.
- Hiring models: contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire, including contract teams for seasonal volume or project rollouts.
- Roles: buyers, demand and supply planners, S&OP managers, procurement and purchasing managers, strategic sourcing and commodity managers, logistics and warehouse managers, inventory and materials managers, supply chain analysts, supply chain quality engineers and directors of supply chain.
- How you pay: a success-based model with no retainer or upfront fees for direct hire; you pay only when you hire.
- Strength: one partner for supply chain, engineering and IT hires, with contract flexibility most supply-chain-only boutiques do not offer.
- Limitation: supply chain is one of three specialties rather than Apollo’s only focus, and it does not run retained C-suite searches or high-volume hourly warehouse staffing.
- Best for: manufacturers, distributors and data center and logistics operators hiring professional supply chain talent from analyst to director.
See Apollo’s supply chain staffing agency page or local teams in Atlanta, Dallas and Houston.
2. SCM Talent Group
SCM Talent Group, founded in Atlanta in 2004 by Rodney Apple, recruits only supply chain talent and offers the widest range of service types among the specialist boutiques.
- Headquarters: Asheville, NC.
- Services: executive search, professional search, contract staffing, co-sourcing and interim executives.
- Focus: planning and S&OP, procurement, logistics, warehousing, manufacturing and analytics, nationwide.
- Strength: supply chain only, with more than 20 years in the niche and published case studies.
- Limitation: fees are not published, and placement counts differ between pages of its own site.
- Best for: mid-size and large companies wanting one specialist for permanent and interim hires.
3. SCOPE Recruiting
SCOPE Recruiting, co-founded in 2017 by Melissa and Friddy Hoegener, is a small team of recruiters who came from supply chain jobs.
- Headquarters: Huntsville, AL.
- Services: contingency, retained and exclusive contingency search.
- Focus: planning, procurement and sourcing, logistics, operations and warehouse and distribution.
- Strength: publishes its fees on its homepage, including a 25 percent contingency fee with a 90-day guarantee.
- Limitation: a small team that says itself it is not built for high-volume hiring.
- Best for: mid-market companies hiring manager to VP.
4. DSJ Global
DSJ Global, part of Phaidon International and founded in 2008, is the only supply-chain-focused specialist on this list with offices on three continents.
- US offices: including New York, Boston, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas and Los Angeles, part of 14 offices worldwide.
- Services: permanent, contract and executive search, plus multi-hire team builds.
- Focus: planning, procurement, logistics, distribution and technical operations.
- Strength: international reach and a yearly US supply chain salary report.
- Limitation: its own job ads describe the consultant role as a sales position hired at entry level, so recruiter experience can vary.
- Best for: multinationals hiring in several countries.
5. Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry, founded in 1969 and listed on the NYSE, is one of the world’s largest executive search firms and has a supply chain and operations professional search practice. It absorbed Atlanta-based Lucas Group in 2021.
- Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA.
- Services: executive search, professional search, interim executives, RPO and project recruitment.
- Focus: chief supply chain officer, VP and director roles, plus mid-level professional search.
- Strength: the broadest service range and its own leadership assessment tools.
- Limitation: supply chain is one practice inside a large consulting firm, with executive-search pricing.
- Best for: Fortune 500 companies hiring a CSCO or running large RPO programs.
6. Kimmel and Associates
Kimmel and Associates, founded in 1981, runs more than 60 specialty recruiters from a single site, each covering one niche and region.
- Headquarters: Asheville, NC.
- Services: executive search, including C-level.
- Focus: logistics, distribution and DC leadership, transportation, 3PL, fleet, and procurement, sourcing and planning at VP and director level.
- Strength: 45 years of history and niche-by-niche recruiter coverage.
- Limitation: a multi-industry firm whose largest area is construction.
- Best for: 3PLs, distributors and retailers hiring operations and logistics leaders.
7. Direct Recruiters, Inc.
Direct Recruiters, founded in 1983, started in supply chain and now runs more than 35 practice areas.
- Headquarters: Solon, OH.
- Services: contingency, retained and contract staffing.
- Focus: supply chain and logistics executive search, plus neighboring practices in material handling, automation and supply chain software.
- Strength: strong where supply chain meets technology and equipment.
- Limitation: supply chain is one of many practice areas, with few public case studies.
- Best for: supply chain software, automation and material handling companies.
8. JMJ Phillip Group
JMJ Phillip Group is a Michigan search firm covering supply chain and manufacturing.
- Headquarters: Troy, MI.
- Services: retained, hybrid retained, contingent, confidential search and interim.
- Focus: planning and materials, procurement, logistics, warehousing and transportation, mainly in manufacturing and automotive.
- Strength: a wide set of search models and manufacturing depth.
- Limitation: publishes little proof such as team size or case studies.
- Best for: Midwest manufacturers and automotive suppliers.
9. Supply Chain Talent Advisors
Supply Chain Talent Advisors, led by Anthony Allen and Jennifer Allen, is a small retained search firm that describes itself as woman-owned and disabled-veteran-owned.
- Headquarters: Dallas, TX.
- Services: mainly retained search.
- Focus: director to executive roles in planning and S&OP, procurement, logistics and manufacturing.
- Strength: a 365-day guarantee, the longest on this list, and a founder with supply chain operations experience.
- Limitation: a very small team.
- Best for: private-equity-backed and mid-market consumer goods, food and beverage and industrial companies.
10. Michael Page
Michael Page is part of London-listed PageGroup, founded in 1976, and runs a procurement and supply chain recruiting division.
- US office: New York, NY, part of 100-plus PageGroup offices in 34 countries.
- Services: permanent, contract, executive search and outsourcing.
- Focus: supply chain leadership, planning, logistics, operations and procurement.
- Strength: coordinated hiring across countries.
- Limitation: a general recruiter where supply chain is one division, staffed by career recruiters rather than former practitioners.
- Best for: multinationals and mid-level professional hires.
11. Randstad
Randstad USA, part of Netherlands-based Randstad N.V., is the volume option: it says it manages about 71,900 workers each week in the US and Canada.
- Headquarters: Atlanta, GA (US).
- Services: temporary, contract, temp-to-perm and direct hire.
- Focus: warehouse and DC operations, logistics and plant or operations management.
- Strength: fast, high-volume hiring across many locations.
- Limitation: its logistics offering is mostly frontline roles, not planning or procurement leadership.
- Best for: warehouse and DC networks with seasonal peaks.
Search models and guarantees compared
Not published means the firm does not list it on the pages we reviewed.
| Firm | Contingency | Retained | Contract or interim | Published guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo Technical | Yes | No | Yes | Not published |
| SCM Talent Group | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published |
| SCOPE Recruiting | Yes | Yes | No | 90 days (contingency) |
| DSJ Global | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published |
| Korn Ferry | Not published | Yes (executive search) | Yes (interim) | Not published |
| Kimmel and Associates | Not published | Not published | No | Not published |
| Direct Recruiters | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published |
| JMJ Phillip Group | Yes | Yes | Yes (interim) | Not published |
| Supply Chain Talent Advisors | No | Yes | No | 365 days |
| Michael Page | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published |
| Randstad | Not published | No | Yes | Not published |
Which supply chain recruiter fits your hiring need
| If you need to hire | Start with |
|---|---|
| Planners, buyers, sourcing or logistics managers | Apollo Technical, SCOPE Recruiting, SCM Talent Group |
| Supply chain roles that overlap engineering or IT (automation, ERP, quality) | Apollo Technical, Direct Recruiters |
| Contract or interim supply chain help | Apollo Technical, SCM Talent Group, DSJ Global |
| A chief supply chain officer or VP | Korn Ferry, Supply Chain Talent Advisors, Kimmel and Associates |
| 3PL, distribution or transportation leaders | Kimmel and Associates |
| Hiring in several countries | DSJ Global, Michael Page |
| Hundreds of warehouse and DC workers | Randstad |
Why supply chain hiring is still competitive
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of logisticians to grow 17 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations. Reshoring, AI-driven planning tools and warehouse automation are also raising demand for people who combine operations experience with data and systems skills, which is why many employers now look for recruiters who understand both sides.
What supply chain recruiters cost
Contingency recruiters charge a one-time fee based on first-year salary, only if you hire. SCOPE Recruiting publishes a 25 percent contingency fee, which is a useful benchmark. Retained search is paid in stages and is common for VP and chief supply chain officer roles. Contract and interim roles are billed hourly or by the month. Compare the fee, the guarantee period and whether the guarantee is a refund or a free replacement.
For more, see how a staffing agency works and what a retained search is.
How to choose a supply chain recruiter
- Match the firm to the level. Boutiques and specialists for analyst to director, executive search for the C-suite, volume staffing for hourly roles.
- Test domain knowledge. Ask how they would screen an S&OP manager or a strategic sourcing lead.
- Ask about systems. ERP, planning and WMS experience often decides the hire.
- Compare guarantees, not just fees.
- Ask for recent placements in your industry and region.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the best supply chain recruiters?
For professional supply chain roles, especially ones that overlap engineering and IT, we recommend Apollo Technical. SCM Talent Group and SCOPE Recruiting are strong supply-chain-only boutiques, and Korn Ferry leads for chief supply chain officer searches.
How much do supply chain recruiters charge?
Contingency fees are a percentage of first-year salary; SCOPE Recruiting publishes 25 percent. Retained executive search is paid in installments. Always get the fee and guarantee in writing.
What is the difference between contingency and retained supply chain search?
With contingency you pay only if you hire the recruiter’s candidate. With retained search you pay part of the fee up front to reserve a dedicated search, usually for senior roles.
Can a supply chain recruiter provide contract help?
Some can. Apollo Technical, SCM Talent Group, DSJ Global, Direct Recruiters and Michael Page offer contract or interim supply chain talent; many boutiques only do permanent search.
Sources
Facts checked September 2026. Firms can request a correction through our contact page.
