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About

I run one search practice, not a recruitment agency.

I founded Williams Recruitment on a single conviction: mid-market food businesses deserve a search partner who knows their industry as well as they do. Director-level and above, retained search, backed by the industry's only 12-month guarantee.

Book a discovery call

See the Williams365 guarantee

The model

Why the model is different

Most recruitment firms covering food manufacturing are generalists with a food vertical bolted on. I built Williams Recruitment the other way around, starting from deep inside the industry and building outward.

I lead every search personally. No junior researcher handling your brief, no account manager relaying information, no volume pipeline running in parallel. The person you speak to on day one is the person doing the work on day 365.

A smiling man in a suit stands by a table in a café, with people and plants in the background.

The model

Why the model is different

Most recruitment firms covering food manufacturing are generalists with a food vertical bolted on. I built Williams Recruitment the other way around, starting from deep inside the industry and building outward.

I lead every search personally. No junior researcher handling your brief, no account manager relaying information, no volume pipeline running in parallel. The person you speak to on day one is the person doing the work on day 365.

Read how I work

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Experience

I know the floor. I know the boardroom.

Twenty years in food manufacturing means the briefing conversation is different. There is no need to explain what a VP of Quality does inside an SQF-certified facility, what a Plant Manager is navigating during a major customer audit, or why a Supply Chain Director hire at a family-owned business carries different dynamics to the same role at a publicly traded group.

That context shapes every search — how candidates are assessed, what questions get asked, and which shortlist profiles actually make sense for your business.

Operations & Production

Plant Managers, Operations Directors, VP of Operations

Quality, Technical & R&D

VP of Quality, FSQA Directors, Heads of R&D and Innovation

Supply Chain & Procurement

VP of Supply Chain, Director of Procurement, Global Sourcing Leaders

Executive Search

President, CEO, COO, and C-suite appointments

Experience

I know the floor. I know the boardroom.

Twenty years in food manufacturing means the briefing conversation is different. There is no need to explain what a VP of Quality does inside an SQF-certified facility, what a Plant Manager is navigating during a major customer audit, or why a Supply Chain Director hire at a family-owned business carries different dynamics to the same role at a publicly traded group.

That context shapes every search — how candidates are assessed, what questions get asked, and which shortlist profiles actually make sense for your business.

Operations & Production

Plant Managers, Operations Directors, VP of Operations

Quality, Technical & R&D

VP of Quality, FSQA Directors, Heads of R&D and Innovation

Supply Chain & Procurement

VP of Supply Chain, Director of Procurement, Global Sourcing Leaders

Executive Search

President, CEO, COO, and C-suite appointments

About Scott Williams

FT Top 150 Recruiters Financial Times, 2024

Scott Williams

Founder, Williams Recruitment

scott@williams-recruitment.com LinkedIn

I started Williams Recruitment because I kept seeing the same problem: food manufacturing businesses being let down by generalist recruiters who didn't understand their world. Agencies that couldn't tell a HACCP plan from a production schedule, let alone brief a credible shortlist for a VP of Operations role.

Before I moved into search, I spent 20 years inside food manufacturing. On the factory floor, in quality and operations, and eventually in senior leadership. I know what a high-performing Director looks like in this environment. I know what breaks down in a bad hire, and I know what questions to ask that most recruiters don't think to ask.

Today, Williams Recruitment is a sole practitioner, retained search firm focused entirely on Director-level and above placements across food manufacturing. Every search is run personally by me. The person you brief on day one is the person presenting your shortlist.

20+

Years in food manufacturing

92%

First-year retention rate

12-month

Williams365 guarantee

The Williams Recruitment philosophy

"Food manufacturers deserve a search partner who knows this industry as well as they do. Not a firm that dabbles in food between healthcare and logistics mandates. A dedicated practice, built from the inside out."

Built from the factory floor

20 years working inside food manufacturing before moving into executive search. The briefing conversation is fundamentally different when you've lived the roles you're recruiting for.

Director-level only

Every search is at Director level or above. Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, R&D, and C-suite. Full retained process, every time. No volume work, no contingent searches.

Williams365 guarantee

The industry's only 12-month placement guarantee. If your hire leaves or underperforms within a full calendar year, I re-run the search at no additional cost. No renegotiation.

Book a discovery call Learn about Williams365

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The guarantee

Hire once. Get the right Director. Guaranteed for 12 months.

Williams365 is my 12-month placement guarantee — four times the industry standard 90 days.

See the Williams365 guarantee

Email Scott

The guarantee

Hire once. Get the right Director. Guaranteed for 12 months.

Williams365 is my 12-month placement guarantee. Four times the industry standard. If the hire doesn't stick, I re-run the search at no cost.

See the Williams365 guarantee

Email Scott