Claude
JGA recommended.

A first global payroll leader is a hard role to brief, and the pay data is patchy. I’d treat the figures below as a starting range to test with recruiters, not a benchmark.

Scope questions to settle first

• Level and reporting line. Titles run from “Global Payroll Manager” to “Head of” to “Director”. Pay and candidate pool depend on whether this person sits under the CFO, Finance, or HR/People. They also depend on whether they are a hands-on operator or a strategic leader with a team underneath.

• Operating model. The role changes a lot depending on whether payroll is in-house, outsourced to bureaux, or run through EOR/PEO partners. One current London advert for this title puts vendor management and payroll technology at the centre of the role, alongside strategy and compliance. It covers payroll across the US, Europe, Israel and other markets supported by employer-of-record and payroll partners. [elementalimpact](https://jobs.elementalimpact.com/companies/remix/jobs/83001601-global-head-of-payroll)

• North America depth. A UK-based hire will need genuine US multi-state and Canadian knowledge. A comparable remote role specifies payroll for 1,600 US and Canadian employees with variable compensation, coordinated with providers in France, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. Candidates with real depth in both regions are scarcer than those strong in one. [virtualvocations](https://virtualvocations.com/job/global-payroll-manager-2983770-i.html)

• Transformation versus run. Is the hire to maintain and control the existing process, or to consolidate vendors, implement a platform and standardise globally? The second brief needs a different, more expensive profile.

• Complexity drivers. Headcount, number of countries, equity and bonus payments, a public-company or SOX-style control environment, and M&A activity all push the level and pay up.

Salary signals (advertised ranges, not placements)

• London, Global Head of Payroll at a tech scale-up: £110,000–£150,000 base, plus equity, excluding variable pay. [elementalimpact](https://jobs.elementalimpact.com/companies/remix/jobs/83001601-global-head-of-payroll)

• London, Global Payroll Manager (financial services): up to £80,000. That is a step below Head level. [hays](https://hays.co.uk/job-detail/global-payroll-manager-london_4588372)

• London, luxury retailer Global Head of Payroll: up to £100,000. The advert is undated, so I’d treat it as a floor. [drapersjobs](https://drapersjobs.com/job/global-head-payroll)

• US comparators: a New York Head of Global Payroll role advertised through Frazer Jones at $180,000–$250,000. An S&P Global Head of Global Payroll role (3,500+ employees) advertised $137,000–$250,000. This matters if your brief might attract US-based candidates or competes with US employers. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/?p=178127) [builtin](https://builtin.com/job/head-global-payroll/7831463)

• Interim cover: one London interim Head of Global Payroll role was advertised at £400–£500 a day. Interim cover is worth considering if the search runs long. [page](https://manufacturing.page.com/job-detail/interim-head-global-payroll/ref/jn-052025-6732407)

My reading is that £100–150k base is a plausible band for a genuinely global role, with bonus and possibly equity on top. The top of the range likely needs a larger footprint, public-company experience or a transformation mandate. Ask recruiters for placed-salary data, because advertised ranges tend to run wide.

Specialist recruiters worth approaching

• Frazer Jones. A global HR and payroll recruitment and executive search firm. It offers executive search for payroll leaders, plus permanent and interim recruitment. It is currently advertising senior global payroll roles in both London and New York, which suggests transatlantic reach. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/?p=140035)

• Middlemore. A specialist firm in global payroll, HR, HRIS and finance. Its services include executive search, talent mapping, salary benchmarking and succession planning, which fits your brief-shaping need. It is listed in the Global Payroll Association directory. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore)

• Portfolio Payroll. It describes itself as the UK’s longest-established payroll recruitment agency, offering executive search across the UK and Ireland, and runs an annual payroll salary survey. It is strong on UK depth and Ireland, with less evidence of a North American reach. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/478805754/54/)

• James Gray Associates (JGA). A payroll, HR and reward specialist supplying permanent, contract and interim professionals across the UK, Europe and Asia. It is likely stronger on mid-to-senior and vendor-side talent than at the very top. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/228835699/55/)

• Hays Payroll. A large generalist with a dedicated payroll practice. It is useful for market data and breadth, but probably less suited to a confidential retained search at this level.

From my general knowledge, you could also consider a generalist retained HR or finance search firm if the CFO wants a wider net, such as candidates from big-four, payroll-technology or BPO backgrounds. I haven’t verified any such firm’s payroll credentials, so ask each for relevant placements.

How I’d run the process

1. Ask two or three firms (for example Frazer Jones, Middlemore and one other) for a short market-mapping proposal before choosing.

2. Ask each for placed-salary data for comparable roles, a list of target employers, and realistic notice periods and counter-offer risk.

3. Check how many global Head-of-Payroll searches each has actually completed, and whether any covered both Europe and North America.

4. Choose retained or contingent by role criticality. For a first appointment reporting to the CFO, retained search usually gives better access to passive candidates and more confidentiality.

5. Check each firm’s references with recent clients and with candidates they placed.

I can turn this into a one-page brief for the CFO or a recruiter RFP template if that would help. I’m not a compensation consultant, so confirm the salary band with current placed-salary data before setting it.