All answers / S01-A-perplexity-pilot2

S01-A | Perplexity | Observation 1

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Exact question

We are a UK-headquartered company expanding across Europe and North America. We need our first Head of Global Payroll, based in the UK, to take ownership of multi-country payroll. Which recruitment firms should we speak to?

Complete saved answer

For a UK-based Head of Global Payroll covering Europe and North America, prioritise specialist payroll-recruitment firms with demonstrable international/global-payroll leadership mandates. The strongest first conversations are Middlemore, JGA Recruitment, Frazer Jones, Portfolio Payroll, Oakleaf Partnership, and Handle Recruitment.

Recommended firms
Firm	Why speak to them	Best fit
Middlemore	Specialist executive search and recruitment across Global Payroll, HR, HRIS, Finance and Reward; explicitly covers strategic payroll leadership, global payroll transformation, compliance, vendor management and international growth. 
gpa
	Best first call for a strategic, transformation-oriented first global-payroll leader
JGA Recruitment	UK payroll and HR recruitment specialist supporting clients across the UK and EMEA; its founder describes global payroll and HR executive-search work across 35+ countries. 
jgarecruitment
+1
	Strong for specialist global-payroll networks and EMEA-heavy mandates
Frazer Jones	Global HR recruitment and executive-search consultancy with payroll executive recruitment, including global payroll managers and consultants; offices across four continents and international-hire experience. 
frazerjones
+1
	Useful if you want a firm with broader HR/Finance leadership reach and North American access
Portfolio Payroll	Long-established UK payroll recruiter recruiting Heads of Payroll, Payroll Directors, EMEA/International Payroll Managers, Global Heads of Payroll & Benefits, and payroll-systems specialists; also has a Canadian payroll practice. 
theportfoliogroup
+2
	Strong operational payroll depth plus a route into Canadian/North American talent
Oakleaf Partnership	Dedicated payroll consultancy placing roles from administrators through Global Payroll Directors; cites global Head of Payroll placements and UK plus international capability. 
oakleafpartnership
	Good for permanent or interim senior payroll leadership
Handle Recruitment	Actively recruits multi-country payroll leadership roles, including International Payroll Manager mandates spanning the UK, Europe and other markets, with responsibility for providers, compliance, close, controls and expansion. 
handle.co
+1
	Good for hands-on international payroll operators and scale-up environments
How to split the search

Retained executive search: Start with Middlemore and Frazer Jones if this is a true first leadership hire, reports into CFO/CHRO, and needs to build the operating model, vendor stack, controls and country roadmap.
gpa
+1

Specialist payroll search: Add JGA and Portfolio Payroll for deeper access to payroll-only talent, including EMEA/global payroll managers moving up to Head of Global Payroll.
jgarecruitment
+1

Interim cover: Ask Oakleaf, Portfolio and Frazer Jones about an interim Global Payroll Director/Manager while you run the permanent search—especially if you need to stabilise vendors, implement a platform, or prepare new-country launches.
frazerjones
+2

Contingency / speed: Handle is worth including if you want a faster market read and candidates who have directly run multi-country payroll operations.
handle.co

Brief them on these criteria

Ask each firm to evidence placements for candidates who have:

Owned payroll across UK/EU plus US and/or Canada, including multi-entity, multi-currency and multi-vendor environments.

Managed in-country payroll bureaus, EOR providers, aggregators and global payroll platforms.

Led compliance, statutory reporting, audits, reconciliations, month-end close and payroll controls.

Built or scaled a payroll function during international expansion, not merely administered an existing one.

Partnered with HR, Finance, Tax, Legal and Works Councils/unions where relevant.

Led HRIS/payroll implementation or integration—particularly if you expect a global payroll platform or consolidation project.

A practical approach is to run Middlemore and Frazer Jones as retained search partners, while asking JGA, Portfolio, Oakleaf and Handle for market mapping, salary benchmarking and an interim shortlist. That gives you both strategic-leadership reach and specialist payroll-market coverage.
gpa
+3

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