All answers / S05-D-perplexity-r1

S05-D | Perplexity | Observation 1

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Exact question

Following several UK and European acquisitions, our UK group CFO wants one permanent Group Payroll Director to own the integration. Which recruitment agencies have a relevant senior payroll specialism, and which would you contact first?

Complete saved answer

For a permanent  Group Payroll Director  to own UK/European post-acquisition payroll integration, I would contact  Portfolio Payroll first , then  JGA Recruitment  and  Frazer Jones  in parallel. Portfolio is the strongest first call because it has a dedicated payroll executive-search team and explicitly recruits Payroll Directors, Global Heads of Payroll, transformation leads, EMEA/international payroll leaders, and payroll systems/implementation specialists. theportfoliogroup +1

Agencies to contact

| Priority | Agency | Why it fits this mandate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. Portfolio Payroll / The Portfolio Group | Dedicated payroll-only recruiter, established since 1988; its executive team targets Payroll Directors, Heads of Payroll, Global Payroll Managers and transformation leads. It also covers European/International Payroll Manager and payroll systems/HRIS specialists. theportfoliogroup +2 |
| 2. JGA Recruitment | UK payroll and HR recruiter working across the UK and EMEA; it advertises searches for Global Payroll Director, Payroll Director and Head of Payroll roles. jgarecruitment +1 |
| 3. Frazer Jones | Global HR recruitment and executive-search firm with a specialist payroll practice, covering UK, EMEA and global payroll leaders; useful if the role needs a broader international HR/payroll network. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/) |
| 4. Hays Accountancy & Finance | Large generalist with dedicated payroll consultants and UK-wide coverage; recruits up to Head of Payroll/Director level and can provide market reach and salary benchmarking. hays.co +1 |
| 5. McKinnon Talent | Smaller UK payroll-specialist recruiter, recruiting from entry level to senior leadership across in-house, bureau and outsourced environments. [mckinnontalent.co](https://mckinnontalent.co.uk/) |
| 6. Dudman Tidbury Executive Search | Mid-to-senior HR and finance executive search firm that covers payroll managers through finance leadership; a possible retained-search option rather than a payroll-only specialist. [linkedin](https://linkedin.com/in/bill-dudman-dudman-tidbury-executive-search-8823004) |

Who to contact first

Contact Portfolio Payroll first  and ask specifically for its  Executive Search / senior payroll leadership team . Its published specialisms align almost exactly with the brief: permanent director-level hires, global/EMEA payroll, payroll transformation, systems implementation, and senior executive search. theportfoliogroup +2

Run JGA and Frazer Jones as parallel conversations , rather than waiting for Portfolio’s shortlist. JGA brings a focused UK/EMEA payroll network, while Frazer Jones brings a wider global HR-leadership search capability—useful if the eventual appointee must operate credibly with HR, finance, works councils, local providers and acquired-country leadership teams. jgarecruitment +1

Brief to give each agency

Make clear this is not a conventional UK payroll operations director role. The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Ownership of payroll integration across multiple UK and European acquired entities.

• Experience consolidating payroll vendors, calendars, data, controls and reporting after M&A.

• Knowledge of UK payroll plus practical oversight of European payroll through in-house teams, shared services or local providers.

• Experience with payroll systems/HRIS selection or migration, automation and standardisation.

• Strong compliance, internal-controls and audit experience.

• Credibility reporting to a Group CFO and partnering with HR, tax, legal, treasury and country leadership.

• A track record of leading transformation while maintaining business-as-usual payroll delivery.

Engagement approach

For a role this strategic, ask Portfolio and Frazer Jones to quote a  retained executive-search mandate ; use JGA and Hays initially for market mapping, salary calibration and contingent coverage. Portfolio explicitly offers senior/executive payroll search and salary benchmarking, while Hays can support permanent and interim appointments across its UK network. hays.co +1

A practical sequence would be: brief Portfolio this week; ask JGA and Frazer Jones for a one-page candidate-market map within five working days; then decide whether to run one retained search or a limited two-agency contingent process.

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