ChatGPT
JGA recommended.

For a first UK-based global payroll leadership hire, I would run this as a specialist search with a short advisory phase , rather than simply handing a job description to a generalist recruiter.

The brief needs to settle three things before the search starts: whether this is a strategic global-function builder or an operational payroll director, how much North American payroll expertise the person must personally possess, and what salary will attract someone capable of leading across multiple jurisdictions.

I'd start with payroll-focused recruiters to shape the role and benchmark the market, then decide whether the appointment warrants a retained executive search.

1. Recruiters I would shortlist

These are the most relevant UK firms to approach first, based on their payroll or leadership-search specialisms. I'd ask each to demonstrate actual placements at the level and geographic scope you need.

1. JGA Recruitment Group

First call

A strong starting point for a role that combines payroll expertise with organisational design. JGA specialises in payroll and HR recruitment and presents itself as a partner for UK and international hiring.

Ask them to: help define the remit, identify comparable global payroll leaders, and distinguish candidates who have genuinely owned international operations from those who have managed a single country's payroll.

Website:

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

2. Portfolio Payroll

A payroll-focused recruitment consultancy and a particularly useful option for market mapping and salary benchmarking. It publishes payroll salary research and recruits across a range of payroll seniority levels.

Ask them to: provide a candidate map, salary expectations by level, and evidence of recent placements spanning international payroll, payroll transformation and director-level leadership.

Website:

[Portfolio Payroll ](https://portfoliopayroll.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

3. Annapurna Recruitment

Worth considering if the role is a transformation-heavy leadership appointment in a growing or technology-led business. Annapurna has advertised a Head of Global Payroll role covering Europe, the US and APAC, with ownership of strategy, operating model and transformation.

Annapurna Recruitment

Ask them to: test the availability of leaders who combine multi-country payroll operations, systems change and senior stakeholder management, rather than just payroll processing expertise.

Website:

[Annapurna Recruitment ](https://annapurnarecruitment.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

4. Hays

A useful comparator for current candidate supply and compensation. Hays has recently advertised UK-based Global Payroll Director roles in the £110,000–£145,000 range, with other senior listings reaching £120,000–£150,000.

Ask them to: benchmark your proposed title and package against live opportunities and explain how your remit compares with other employers' director-level roles.

Website:

[Hays UK ](https://hays.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

5. Stanton Chase

Consider this route if the CFO wants a genuine executive search process: discreet outreach to passive candidates, structured leadership assessment and a more consultative approach to a first-of-its-kind appointment. Stanton Chase's London office offers retained executive search through an international network.

Ask them to: show how they would reach leaders beyond the active payroll recruitment market, including senior global payroll executives and adjacent shared-services or finance-operations leaders.

Website:

[Stanton Chase ](https://stantonchase.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

2. What salary should the CFO budget?

The live UK market provides a useful starting point. Recent Global Payroll Director advertisements from Hays indicate base salaries of £110,000–£145,000 and £120,000–£150,000, respectively.

My initial planning recommendation would be:

Suggested annual UK base salary

£125,000–£155,000

Indicative hiring budget, not a verified market percentile. Excludes bonus, benefits and equity.

£100k–£120k

Operationally focused

A narrower remit, with established processes, providers and teams already in place.

£125k–£155k

Global function leader

Owns Europe and North America, governance, vendor performance, controls, stakeholder relationships and the global operating model.

£155k+

Expanded executive remit

Potentially justified if the role includes major transformation, a large international workforce, significant direct reports, substantial risk ownership or broader shared-services responsibilities.

I'd validate these bands with the recruiters before committing. The critical distinction is whether the person is inheriting a functioning payroll operation or being hired to build a global function from fragmented country-level arrangements.

3. How to shape the brief

For a first global payroll leadership appointment, I would initially frame the role as Head of Global Payroll or Global Payroll Director , reporting to the CFO or a senior finance/people executive, depending on the organisation's structure.

The brief should cover:

• Geographic accountability: European countries plus the US and Canada, including local compliance and country-specific payroll requirements.

• Operating model: payroll providers, in-house teams, outsourced services, controls, governance, service levels and escalation.

• Transformation: payroll technology, integrations with HRIS and finance systems, automation, data quality and standardisation.

• Leadership: team design, vendor management and relationships with Finance, HR, Legal, Tax, IT and local business leaders.

• Success measures: payroll accuracy and timeliness, compliance incidents, control effectiveness, employee experience, cost and process efficiency.

The candidate market to test

I would ask recruiters to map four overlapping talent pools:

1. Existing Global Head of Payroll and Payroll Director candidates.

2. Regional EMEA payroll leaders ready to take on North America.

3. US-based or North America-experienced global payroll leaders who could relocate or work from the UK.

4. Adjacent leaders from payroll technology, managed payroll providers and multinational shared services who have owned the client-side operating model.

The most important screening question is whether candidates have personally led payroll across multiple jurisdictions and can demonstrate North American expertise , rather than simply having a global job title. Strong candidates may also have experience with payroll transformation, M&A integration or consolidating multiple providers.

4. How I would run the appointment

1. Week 1 — Brief and benchmark: commission JGA and Portfolio Payroll to challenge the job scope, title, salary and target candidate profile.

2. Weeks 1–2 — Market map: request a sample of anonymised candidate profiles, likely salary expectations, competing employers and an assessment of the UK-based talent pool.

3. Weeks 2–3 — Select the search partner: choose the recruiter that can demonstrate the strongest relevant placements and credible access to passive candidates. Add Annapurna or Hays as a market comparator where useful.

4. Following weeks — Execute the search: use a clear scorecard, structured interviews and a practical assessment of how the candidate would stabilise and improve the global payroll operation.

5. What I would ask each recruiter before appointing them

• How many Global Head of Payroll or Payroll Director appointments have you completed in the last two years?

• How many successful candidates were UK-based and had both European and North American responsibility?

• Can you provide an anonymised candidate map before we finalise the brief?

• What salary, bonus and equity combinations are candidates expecting?

• How would you assess technical payroll expertise separately from strategic leadership capability?

• Would you recommend a contingent search or a retained assignment, and what deliverables would we receive at each stage?

My recommendation: begin with JGA Recruitment Group and Portfolio Payroll for specialist brief development and market mapping. Compare their evidence with Annapurna Recruitment if transformation is central to the appointment. If the CFO considers this a business-critical executive hire requiring confidential headhunting beyond the active payroll market, invite Stanton Chase to propose a retained search.

The decision should be based on the quality of their actual candidate networks and placement evidence—not simply their general recruitment credentials.