Hiring the right logistics talent can be the difference between operational efficiency and costly supply chain bottlenecks. From freight forwarding to last-mile delivery, today’s logistics operations require specialized expertise. Emerging technologies and heightened global market volatility also require a highly nuanced and strategic approach to sourcing logistics talent. That’s why more companies are turning to specialized logistics recruiters and headhunters with proven industry experience.
The best logistics-focused recruiters are specialists with deep networks, functional expertise, and real-world insight into the transportation and logistics space. These firms don’t just match resumes to job descriptions, they connect business-critical needs to high-impact talent. We have identified the best specialized logistics recruiters who can help to future-proof your supply chain organization. Below are five of the top logistics executive search firms and recruiting agencies trusted by companies to fill strategic roles across transportation, warehousing, distribution, and beyond.
Top 5 Logistics Recruiters, Headhunters, & Executive Search Firms:
1. SCM Talent Group – Logistics Recruiting Firm
SCM Talent Group is a premier logistics recruiting and executive search firm built entirely around the end-to-end supply chain. With a national footprint and deep specialization in transportation, logistics, and distribution, SCM Talent Group has helped hundreds of companies, from Fortune 500s to private equity-backed mid-market firms, identify and hire high-impact logistics leaders. Founder Rodney Apple, a veteran of Coca-Cola’s supply chain talent function, leads a team of recruiters who bring real-world operational experience into every search.
Service Offerings
- Executive Search
- Professional Search
- Contract Recruiting
- Talent Mapping
Why Work With SCM Talent Group
SCM Talent Group’s logistics recruiters bring firsthand logistics and supply chain experience to every search, offering clients unmatched insight into the roles they’re hiring for. Their insider perspective ensures a clear understanding of both technical skill sets and organizational dynamics. With over 500 logistics roles filled and deep functional expertise across transportation management, reverse logistics, ecommerce fulfillment, distribution opertaions, and intermodal, they are trusted by companies nationwide to deliver results with speed, precision, and cultural alignment.
Key Differentiators and Unique Offerings
- Specialized focus on supply chain and logistics roles
- Extensive industry experience among recruiters
- Proven track record with over 500 logistics positions filled
- Comprehensive talent solutions including permanent, interim, and contract placements
2. JMJ Phillip
JMJ Phillip is a global executive search firm with over 20 years of experience specializing in logistics, supply chain, and manufacturing recruitment. With roots in Detroit and offices across the U.S., they are renowned for their deep industry knowledge and ability to place top-tier logistics professionals in roles ranging from mid-level management to C-suite executives. Their expertise spans various sectors, including transportation, distribution, and warehousing.
Service Offerings
- Retained Executive Search
- Contingent Recruiting
- Discreet and Confidential Searches
- Rapid Placement Services
- Succession Planning
- Interim Executive Placements
Why Work With JMJ Phillip
JMJ Phillip’s recruiters possess firsthand experience in logistics and supply chain operations, enabling them to understand the unique challenges and requirements of each role. Their consultative approach ensures that they not only identify candidates with the right skills but also those who align with a company’s culture and strategic objectives. Their extensive network and industry insights make them a valuable partner for organizations seeking to strengthen their logistics teams.
Key Differentiators and Unique Offerings
- Specialization in logistics and supply chain recruitment across multiple industries
- Recruiters with backgrounds in logistics, providing practical insights into client needs
- Proven track record of placing top 5% talent in competitive markets
- Comprehensive understanding of ERP/MRP systems and their impact on logistics operations
- Ability to conduct confidential searches for sensitive or high-level positions
By leveraging their deep industry expertise and personalized approach, JMJ Phillip consistently delivers high-caliber logistics professionals who drive operational excellence.
3. Goodwin Recruiting
Goodwin Recruiting is a nationally recognized firm specializing in logistics, transportation, and supply chain recruitment. With over 25 years of experience, they have developed a deep understanding of the industry’s intricacies and challenges. Their strategic approach focuses on aligning top-tier talent with organizations to drive operational excellence. By leveraging advanced analytics and a vast network of professionals, Goodwin Recruiting ensures precision in matching candidates to roles that fit both technical requirements and company culture.
Service Offerings
- Executive Search
- Professional Placement
- Customized Recruitment Strategies
- Talent Consulting
Why Work With Goodwin Recruiting
Goodwin Recruiting’s team possesses deep industry knowledge, enabling them to identify candidates who not only meet technical requirements but also fit seamlessly into company culture. Their recruiters understand the nuances of logistics and supply chain roles, ensuring that each placement contributes to the client’s strategic goals. By focusing on building long-term relationships, they provide personalized service that adapts to evolving business needs.
Key Differentiators and Unique Offerings
- Precision matching through advanced analytics
- Expansive network of passive and active candidates
- Proven success in placing high-caliber professionals nationwide
- Personalized service tailored to client-specific challenges
4. Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm renowned for its comprehensive talent solutions across various industries. With a dedicated practice in supply chain and logistics recruitment, Korn Ferry understands the critical role logistics plays in the manufacturing process, from concept to consumer. Their logistics recruiters provide highly personal and consultative client services, placing professionals in all areas of logistics and at all levels, from managers to directors and C-level executives. They work expertly with mid-tier to Fortune 500 clients to find top logistics talent across industries, including consumer products, energy, aerospace and defense, industrial products, food and beverage, and biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical devices.
Service Offerings
- Executive Search
- Leadership Development
- Talent Strategy Consulting
- Interim Management Solutions
Why Work With Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry’s integrated approach combines recruitment with leadership development and talent strategy, ensuring long-term organizational success. Their supply chain recruiters possess deep industry knowledge, enabling them to understand the unique challenges and requirements of each role. By leveraging their extensive global network, Korn Ferry ensures access to a diverse and qualified talent pool. Their commitment to building long-term relationships means they invest time in understanding both client needs and candidate aspirations, leading to successful and lasting placements.
Key Differentiators and Unique Offerings
- Global reach with a vast network of professionals
- Comprehensive talent solutions beyond recruitment
- Data-driven methodologies for talent assessment
- Expertise in aligning talent strategies with business objectives
5. CS Recruiting
Founded in 2011, CS Recruiting is a premier executive search firm specializing in the logistics, transportation, and supply chain sectors. With a mission to influence human-centric talent strategies, they partner with clients across North America to identify and place top-tier candidates in niche roles. Their clientele spans Third-Party Logistics (3PL) providers, asset-based carriers, shippers, and companies offering technology platforms or consulting services. CS Recruiting prides itself on its industry expertise, competitive market knowledge, and a vast network of talent to support searches across all levels and functions within the supply chain.
Service Offerings
- Executive Search
- Professional Placement
- Talent Advisory Services
- Customized Recruitment Solutions
Why Work With CS Recruiting
CS Recruiting distinguishes itself through a deep understanding of the logistics and supply chain industry, combined with a personalized approach to recruitment. Their team comprises industry experts who recognize the nuances of each role and the importance of cultural fit. By leveraging a network of over 200,000 professionals, they ensure access to a diverse and qualified talent pool. Their commitment to building long-term relationships means they invest time in understanding both client needs and candidate aspirations, leading to successful and lasting placements.
Key Differentiators and Unique Offerings
- Extensive network of over 200,000 industry professionals
- Human-centric recruitment strategies
- Expertise across various logistics sectors, including 3PL, freight forwarding, and supply chain technology
- Commitment to building lasting client relationships
Why Use a Logistics Recruiting Firm?
Specialized Expertise: Logistics recruiting firms focus exclusively on sourcing and placing talent within transportation, distribution, warehousing, and freight-related functions. Their deep understanding of logistics workflows, regulatory environments, and role-specific skill sets enables them to deliver highly qualified candidates who can make an immediate impact. Because they speak the logistics language, clients save time on having to explain complex and function-specific qualifications that would be lost on a generalist talent evaluator.
Access to a Niche Talent Pool: Top logistics recruiters maintain robust databases and industry networks of logistics professionals across all experience levels. This allows them to quickly surface candidates with expertise in everything from 3PL operations and fleet management to last-mile delivery and international freight forwarding. They can also penetrate these talent markets with greater ease because of relationships built while working in these very fields.
Time and Cost Efficiency: Outsourcing logistics hiring saves companies the overhead of internal recruiting for highly specialized roles. These firms manage the entire process – from outreach to screening to offer negotiation, freeing up your internal teams to focus on operations and strategy. Trusting these specialized professionals with talent procurement will prevent you from making a bad hire which costs a lot more money in the long run.
Faster Time-to-Hire: With access to pre-vetted talent and deep market knowledge, logistics recruiters can reduce time-to-fill for critical roles. This is especially beneficial when managing seasonal surges, unexpected turnover, or growth into new geographies or service lines.
Scalability and Flexibility: Whether you’re filling a single Director of Logistics role or staffing a new distribution center from scratch, logistics recruiting firms offer scalable solutions to meet your evolving workforce needs. They provide flexibility for permanent, contract, and project-based hiring.
Industry Insight and Market Trends: Because they’re embedded in the logistics sector, these firms offer strategic guidance beyond just recruiting. They help employers stay ahead of compensation trends, talent availability, compliance shifts, and evolving job functions—especially as automation and digitization reshape logistics roles.
In short: partnering with a logistics recruiting firm gives you faster access to specialized talent, operational support, and the insight needed to compete in today’s fast-moving supply chain landscape.
Conclusion
Filling logistics roles requires more than just screening resumes, it demands a partner who understands the complexity of moving goods efficiently, safely, and on time. Whether you’re managing inbound shipments, outbound fulfillment, or multi-modal transportation, the stakes are too high to trust critical hires to generalist recruiters.
Specialized logistics recruiting firms bring unmatched value in speed, accuracy, and industry alignment. Even companies with strong internal TA teams benefit from these partnerships when hiring for niche or senior roles.
That’s why firms like SCM Talent Group consistently rise to the top. With recruiters who’ve worked in logistics themselves, they bring credibility, connections, and practical experience to every search. You want someone in your corner who understands the challenges of your logistics operation—because they’ve lived them.
When your logistics team needs to grow, transform, or scale, the right recruiting partner makes all the difference.
