All answers / S06-A-perplexity-r2

S06-A | Perplexity | Observation 2

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Exact question

Our UK-headquartered business has recurring payroll errors across several countries, and a review has found weak controls and unclear ownership. We need to hire a permanent Global Payroll Director in the UK to rebuild the function. Which recruiters should we speak to?

Complete saved answer

For a permanent  Global Payroll Director  based in the UK, I would start with specialist payroll/HR search firms that can credibly assess both global payroll operations and transformation/governance capability. The strongest first conversations are  Middlemore, Frazer Jones, Oakleaf Partnership, and Portfolio Payroll ; add a broader executive-search firm if the role will sit on the senior leadership team.

Recommended recruiters

| Recruiter | Why speak to them | Best fit for this mandate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Middlemore | Specialist executive search across Global Payroll, HR, HRIS, Finance and Reward; explicitly covers global payroll transformation, governance, compliance, vendor management and post-implementation optimisation. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) | Probably the closest fit for a rebuild mandate combining leadership, controls, multi-country payroll and transformation. |
| Frazer Jones | Global HR recruitment and executive-search consultancy with a dedicated payroll team; it recruits from payroll specialists through to global payroll leaders and offers retained/executive search. frazerjones +1 | Strong option for a senior permanent hire with international payroll exposure, especially if you want access to a broad global HR/payroll network. |
| Oakleaf Partnership | Boutique HR recruitment and executive-search firm with a dedicated payroll practice; it recruits up to Global Payroll Director level and sources internationally. oakleafpartnership +1 | Good for a hands-on, operationally credible Global Payroll Director who can stabilise delivery while redesigning controls. |
| Portfolio Payroll / The Portfolio Group | Describes itself as the largest specialist payroll recruiter in the UK and recruits through to Payroll Director level, with permanent and temporary capability. [theportfoliogroup](https://www.theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/) | Useful as a market-coverage and benchmarking partner; particularly strong for payroll-specific candidate depth. |
| JGA Recruitment Group | UK and global payroll talent-acquisition specialist with payroll-focused recruitment services. [jgarecruitment](https://jgarecruitment.com/payroll-recruitment/) | A useful additional specialist to widen the candidate pool and test market availability. |

How I would structure the search

• Run a retained search , not a contingent process. A director rebuilding a multi-country payroll function needs assessment against control ownership, vendor management, compliance, data quality, in-house versus outsourced operating-model decisions, and change leadership—not just payroll system familiarity.

• Use two or three specialist firms in parallel initially: Middlemore and Frazer Jones as lead options, with Oakleaf or Portfolio Payroll for wider coverage. This avoids over-dependence on one recruiter’s network.

• Brief them on the problem, not only the title. Ask candidates to evidence how they have diagnosed recurring payroll errors, established global control frameworks, clarified accountability between HR, Finance, local entities and payroll vendors, and implemented remediation.

• Consider an interim stabilisation lead alongside the permanent search. Middlemore, Frazer Jones, Oakleaf and Portfolio all offer interim solutions, which can reduce risk while the permanent director is recruited and embedded. gpa +3

Candidate profile to insist on

The right hire will likely need:

• Multi-region payroll leadership across EMEA, APAC and/or the Americas.

• Experience with payroll vendors, EOR providers, in-house teams and hybrid operating models.

• Controls, audit remediation, SOX-style or equivalent governance experience.

• Payroll transformation, HRIS/payroll implementation and data-migration exposure.

• The credibility to own a cross-functional fix with Finance, HR, Legal, Tax and country stakeholders.

Middlemore’s stated coverage of payroll governance, compliance, vendor management and transformation makes it particularly relevant to that profile. Frazer Jones also highlights global payroll networks and executive-search capability for senior payroll appointments. gpa +1

Practical next step

Invite  Middlemore, Frazer Jones, Oakleaf and Portfolio Payroll  to a structured pitch. Ask each for: their recent Global Payroll Director placements, named references from comparable multi-country remediation mandates, their candidate-mapping approach, diversity strategy, fee structure, and how they would test control-ownership capability rather than relying on CV claims.

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