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S08-A | ChatGPT | Observation 2

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Exact question

We are a US-headquartered multinational hiring a Head of EMEA Payroll based in the UK. The person will manage payroll across several European countries and report to our US payroll leadership. Which recruitment firms should we approach?

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For a US-headquartered multinational hiring a UK-based Head of EMEA Payroll, I would prioritise specialist payroll recruiters with an established network of international payroll leaders , rather than relying solely on generalist executive-search firms.

The ideal candidate needs to do more than oversee UK payroll. They should have experience managing multiple European jurisdictions, coordinating local payroll providers, maintaining controls and compliance, driving payroll transformation, and communicating effectively with US-based global payroll leadership.

Based on the firms' published specialisms, these are the recruiters I would approach first.

1. Priority shortlist

1. Frazer Jones

First call

Best for: senior, international payroll leadership.

Frazer Jones has a dedicated payroll recruitment practice and explicitly recruits executive payroll professionals with UK, EMEA and global remits. Its team includes John O’Brien, Executive Director and Head of Payroll, making this a particularly relevant first conversation for your mandate. Frazer Jones +1

• Ask for: candidates who have led EMEA or global payroll in a multinational.

• Website: [Frazer Jones — Payroll recruitment](https://www.frazerjones.com/payroll/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

2. Middlemore

First call

Best for: global payroll leadership and transformation.

Middlemore specialises in global payroll recruitment across the UK, EMEA and US, covering senior leadership through to director and VP level. Its stated expertise also includes global payroll transformation, systems implementation, governance and vendor management. Middlemore

• Ask for: leaders who can combine operational accountability with strategic transformation and global stakeholder management.

• Website: [Middlemore — Payroll Search](https://middlemore.co.uk/payroll-search/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

3. Oakleaf Partnership

Best for: experienced payroll heads in established corporates.

Oakleaf's dedicated payroll division cites placements including Global Head of Payroll, Head of Payroll and Benefits, and interim Head of Payroll. It recruits permanent and interim talent, with international sourcing capability. Oakleaf

• Ask for: candidates with multinational payroll ownership and a track record in complex corporate environments.

• Website: [Oakleaf Partnership — Payroll](https://www.oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll/payroll-capabilities?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

4. Portfolio Payroll

Best for: a broad specialist candidate pool and executive-level recruitment.

Portfolio Payroll recruits European and international payroll managers, Global Heads of Payroll and payroll directors. It offers permanent recruitment, executive search and interim solutions, so it is worth including in a competitive shortlist. Portfolio Payroll +1

• Ask for: candidates already operating at Head of EMEA Payroll or Global Payroll Director level.

• Website: [Portfolio Payroll — Recruitment services](https://www.portfoliopayroll.com/payroll/recruitment-services/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

5. JGA Recruitment Group

Best for: international payroll candidates across EMEA.

JGA lists roles such as Global Payroll Director, Global Payroll Transformation Manager, Payroll Director and International Payroll Manager. Its published geographic coverage includes the UK and several European markets. JGA Recruitment

• Ask for: candidates with hands-on multi-country payroll experience, including oversight of in-country providers.

• Website: [JGA Recruitment](https://jgarecruitment.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

6. McKinnon Talent

Best for: targeted payroll-market sourcing.

McKinnon Talent specialises in payroll recruitment and specifically lists EMEA Payroll Managers, Group Payroll Managers and Heads of Payroll among its target roles. Mckinnon Talent

• Ask for: senior candidates who have progressed from regional operational management into broader international leadership.

• Website: [McKinnon Talent](https://www.mckinnontalent.co.uk/about-3?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

2. How I would run the search

I would start with Frazer Jones, Middlemore and Oakleaf Partnership , then add Portfolio Payroll and JGA as additional sources of candidates. This gives you a mix of senior payroll search expertise and specialist international-payroll networks.

Before appointing a firm, ask each recruiter to demonstrate that they can identify candidates with the following experience:

• Multi-country ownership: direct accountability for payroll across several European countries, not just UK payroll plus limited international exposure.

• US-headquarters experience: regular reporting to US-based global payroll, finance or HR leadership.

• Operating-model expertise: experience with outsourced payroll providers, in-house teams, shared services or a hybrid model.

• Controls and compliance: reconciliations, audit readiness, payroll governance, tax and statutory compliance, and escalation management.

• Transformation: payroll system implementations, standardisation, acquisitions or provider transitions.

• Leadership: managing regional teams and influencing country-level stakeholders without necessarily having direct reports in every country.

3. Recommended recruitment approach

| Search approach | My recommendation |
| --- | --- |
| Lead recruiter | Frazer Jones |
| Parallel specialist search | Middlemore |
| Third firm for comparison | Oakleaf Partnership |
| Additional candidate reach | Portfolio Payroll or JGA |
| Engagement model | Consider retained or exclusive search if the role is confidential or difficult to fill |

Keep the initial brief consistent across firms and ask for anonymised examples of comparable placements, the likely candidate pool, indicative search timelines and fee terms. Avoid giving too many agencies the same unrestricted brief, as this can create candidate ownership disputes and a poor candidate experience.

4. One important distinction

If this role is primarily an operational leader managing existing country payrolls , the specialist payroll recruiters above are the right starting point.

If the person will also own a major global transformation, manage a large budget, redesign the operating model and influence the US executive team, I would put more weight on a retained executive-search approach and require evidence of successful placements at Global Payroll Director or equivalent level.

One question that would help me narrow this down: roughly how many countries and employees will this Head of EMEA Payroll cover, and will the role mainly manage existing operations or lead a major transformation?

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