Latin America · Recruitment
Recruit in Brazil
Sao Paulo holds the head offices, finance and commercial teams of most foreign-invested businesses, while manufacturing sits in the ABC Paulista belt, Campinas, Jundiai and Sorocaba, with electronics in the Manaus free trade zone and automotive in Parana and Minas Gerais. Pharmaceutical, medical device, chemical, agribusiness and consumer goods employers hire steadily. The difficulty is cost and complexity: CLT charges are heavy, labour litigation is common, and fluent English narrows a Sao Paulo shortlist fast.
We source through direct approach, LinkedIn, Catho and Vagas.com, and referrals inside the Sao Paulo industry associations. Screening is in Portuguese, with an English interview for any role reporting abroad. Aviso previo is thirty days plus three days per year of service, capped at ninety, so start dates need planning. Pay is quoted as monthly gross; the thirteenth salary, vacation plus one third and FGTS sit on top. in-country employment can carry the first hires before a CNPJ is open.
Roles
Roles we search most
General management
Country general manager
Foreign groups incorporating in Brazil need a country lead who can carry CLT cost, tax complexity and board reporting.
Local, with some expatriates · first shortlist 25-35 working days
Finance
Country CFO / finance head
Brazilian finance heads deal with ICMS, PIS and COFINS plus group reporting, so the search is technical and slow.
Local, with some expatriates · first shortlist 20-30 working days
Manufacturing
Plant director
Industrial directors are hired for plants in the ABC belt, Campinas and Sorocaba where most foreign manufacturing sits.
Local, with some expatriates · first shortlist 20-30 working days
Operations director
Operations directors are searched when a subsidiary consolidates plants or moves output into the Manaus free trade zone.
Local hire · first shortlist 18-25 working days
EHS manager
NR standards and the eSocial reporting regime make an SSMA manager central to any Brazilian industrial operation.
Local hire · first shortlist 15-22 working days
Supply chain head
Supply chain heads manage port flows through Santos and inland logistics cost, which is a large share of landed price.
Local hire · first shortlist 18-25 working days
Regulatory
Regulatory / product-registration lead
ANVISA registration timelines govern pharmaceutical and device launches, so regulatory leads are hired early.
Local hire · first shortlist 25-35 working days
Government relations
Government relations lead
Institutional relations leads are needed where tax incentives, ANVISA or sector regulators shape the business case.
Local hire · first shortlist 25-35 working days
FMCG & commercial
Commercial director
Commercial directors are hired for consumer businesses covering both national key accounts and regional distributors.
Local, with some expatriates · first shortlist 18-25 working days
Sales head
Sales heads are searched when a foreign brand replaces importer coverage with a direct Brazilian sales team.
Local hire · first shortlist 15-22 working days
Volume and shared services
Production operators (volume)
Plants hiring CLT operators in the interior of Sao Paulo state need volume recruitment with full documentation checks.
Local hire · first shortlist 6-10 working days
Technicians (volume)
Maintenance technicians trained through SENAI are the volume profile Brazilian manufacturers compete hardest for.
Local hire · first shortlist 12-18 working days
Customer-service agents (volume)
Sao Paulo contact centres hire Portuguese and Spanish speaking agents at scale with high month-one attrition.
Local hire · first shortlist 8-12 working days
Field sales (volume)
Field sales covering Sao Paulo and the Northeast are hired in waves by consumer goods and pharma clients.
Local hire · first shortlist 10-15 working days
Local vs expatriate
Who we shortlist
Brazilian nationals fill nearly all of these roles, including returnees from Portugal and the United States for finance and commercial leadership. Expatriates are used mostly as start-up industrial directors. They need a VITEM V work visa with prior authorisation from the labour ministry, and the two-thirds rule requires most of the payroll and wage bill to be Brazilian.
Search
How a search runs
01
Job briefing
Align on role scope, must-haves, and the target candidate profile.
02
Talent mapping and benchmark
Map the local market and benchmark compensation levels.
03
Phone screening
Screen motivation, language, salary, and availability.
04
Interview with our project manager
In-depth competency interview by our project manager.
05
CV and interview report
A structured written report is delivered with every CV.
06
Interview coordination
Scheduling, logistics, and feedback management with candidates.
07
Offer negotiation
Manage expectations on both sides and close the offer.
08
Background check
Verify employment history, qualifications, and references.
09
Probation follow-up
Regular check-ins with both parties through the probation period.
Questions
FAQ
- How long to a first shortlist?
- Twelve to eighteen working days for Sao Paulo commercial and finance roles. Industrial director, ANVISA regulatory and government relations searches run twenty-five to thirty-five days, because the pool is smaller, English is tested and candidates are serving aviso previo.
- Do you search local and expatriate candidates?
- Both, with a strong local bias. Brazilian managers fill most searches, including returnees with overseas MBAs. We present expatriates when a parent company needs its own industrial or regulatory standard installed, and we check visa authorisation and the two-thirds payroll rule first.
- Which roles do you run most often here?
- Country general manager and finance head for newly incorporated subsidiaries, plant director and EHS manager for industrial clients in the interior of Sao Paulo state, regulatory lead for ANVISA submissions, and commercial director and field sales for consumer goods.
- Can you run this as RPO as well as retained search?
- Yes. We run RPO for production operators, maintenance technicians, customer-service agents and field sales teams hired under CLT, where volume and documentation matter. Single senior mandates, such as a country CFO or industrial director, remain retained search.
Pay bands for Brazil sit on the 2026 salary page. Labour-law detail is on the hiring guide.
Other markets
Other recruitment pages
Reviewed 11 September 2026
This is a hiring briefing for multinational employers, not legal advice. Statutory rates move by city, province, and sector. Confirm the place of work before you issue an offer.
Sources
- ArkTalents 2026 recruitment briefs for multinational employers
- Reviewed 11 September 2026
Brief a search in Brazil
Tell us the city, the role, and whether this is a single retained hire or volume RPO.