S04-D / Observation 1
Claude
JGA not recommended.
The full saved answer, its sources and the conditions under which it was collected.
Exact question
Which recruitment firms can help us hire a UK-based Payroll Transformation Director with experience keeping payroll running while moving UK and European operations onto new systems? We need a senior programme owner who can work across HR, finance and IT.
Original wording is preserved. Statements below are generated product output, not verified claims adopted by this report.
I found several firms that cover this niche, though I couldn’t verify their track records on a role like yours. Treat this as a shortlist to approach, not a ranking.
Best fit for a senior programme owner
• Oliver Sanderson is an executive search firm that has recently advertised retained searches for an HRIS & Payroll Programme Manager leading a programme across HR, Payroll, Finance, IT and external partners. It also ran an interim Payroll & HR Systems Transformation Lead search. That is the closest match to your profile that I found. [itjobswatch](https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Oliver-Sanderson-Group-PLC/HRIS-Payroll-Programme-Manager-Hybrid-Retained-Job-City-of-London-London-UK-51p8c0) [itjobswatch](https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Oliver-Sanderson-Group-PLC/Interim-Payroll-HR-Systems-Transformation-Lead-12-months-FTC-Inside-IR35-Job-England-UK-4w0z1s)
• Oakleaf Partnership is a specialist HR, reward and payroll recruitment and executive search business. It launched a Technology, Change and Transformation arm covering the UK and EMEA. That combination suits a hybrid payroll and programme-delivery hire. [recruiter](https://recruiter.co.uk/news/2021/11/oakleaf-partnership-launches-new-tct-business-jones-helm) [recruiter](https://recruiter.co.uk/news/2021/11/oakleaf-partnership-launches-new-tct-business-jones-helm)
• Frazer Jones is an HR recruiter that covers executive HR leadership, permanent hires and interim specialists across Europe, and has a payroll practice for UK and Europe. It has a strong European reach. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/italy)
Also worth speaking to
• Altum Consulting has recruited for an interim global director of payroll role that includes leading payroll transformation, system upgrades and M&A integration. It may be useful if you’d consider an interim hire. [itjobswatch](https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Altum-Consulting/Interim-Director-of-Payroll-Job-London-South-East-England-UK-4w1wc9)
• Hays is active in UK and EMEA payroll, including roles leading payroll transformation and system implementation across EMEA. It has volume, but I’d expect it to be stronger at manager level than director level. [dwp](https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/details/17686448)
• Michael Page lists payroll, transformation and executive search categories, so it’s worth a conversation about its executive search arm. [michaelpage](https://michaelpage.co.uk/jobs/transformation?page=3)
• Morgan McKinley and Robert Walters both place UK and European payroll professionals, but their listings I found were specialist or manager level. I’d treat them as secondary for this role. [morganmckinley](https://morganmckinley.com/jobs/london/payroll-benefit-specialist-eu/1094702)
Where the candidates may sit
Roles titled “Payroll Transformation Director” are often advertised by consultancies, for example Capgemini and KPMG. People in those jobs lead payroll implementations on SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle or SAP. A good search firm should be able to approach them, and also candidates from large in-house programmes.
[capgemini](https://careers.capgemini.com/job/London-Payroll-Transformation-Director/1112052501)
[kpmgcareers](https://kpmgcareers.co.uk/Vacancies/payrolldirectorconsulting/103362)
Questions to ask each firm
1. Have you placed someone who kept payroll running through a UK and multi-country European migration, and can they describe the cutover and parallel-run approach?
2. Can you reach candidates from both consultancy and in-house backgrounds?
3. Do you offer retained search, or interim cover while a permanent search runs?
4. Do your candidates have experience with your target platform and with the data migration and compliance risks involved?
If you tell me whether you want permanent or interim, your target platform and your rough budget, I can help draft a brief to send to these firms.
How we classified this answer
Classification follows the saved recommendation record.
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JGA names and entity evidence
JGA names in this answer: No JGA name recorded. JGA websites linked: None recorded. Counts track the recruitment brand. Source domains and collection country do not alone establish which legal entity a recommendation refers to.
Supporting citations
Complete source record- itjobswatch.co.uk
itjobswatch
Oliver Sanderson is an executive search firm that has recently advertised retained searches for an HRIS & Payroll Programme Manager leading a programme across HR, Payroll, Finance, IT and external partners. It also ran an interim Payroll & HR Systems Transformation Lead search. That is the closest match to your profile that I found.
https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Oliver-Sanderson-Group-PLC/HRIS-Payroll-Programme-Manager-Hybrid-Retained-Job-City-of-London-London-UK-51p8c0
- itjobswatch.co.uk
itjobswatch
Oliver Sanderson is an executive search firm that has recently advertised retained searches for an HRIS & Payroll Programme Manager leading a programme across HR, Payroll, Finance, IT and external partners. It also ran an interim Payroll & HR Systems Transformation Lead search. That is the closest match to your profile that I found.
https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Oliver-Sanderson-Group-PLC/Interim-Payroll-HR-Systems-Transformation-Lead-12-months-FTC-Inside-IR35-Job-England-UK-4w0z1s
- recruiter.co.uk
recruiter
Oakleaf Partnership is a specialist HR, reward and payroll recruitment and executive search business. It launched a Technology, Change and Transformation arm covering the UK and EMEA. That combination suits a hybrid payroll and programme-delivery hire.
https://recruiter.co.uk/news/2021/11/oakleaf-partnership-launches-new-tct-business-jones-helm
- frazerjones.com
frazerjones
Frazer Jones is an HR recruiter that covers executive HR leadership, permanent hires and interim specialists across Europe, and has a payroll practice for UK and Europe. It has a strong European reach.
https://frazerjones.com/italy
- itjobswatch.co.uk
itjobswatch
Altum Consulting has recruited for an interim global director of payroll role that includes leading payroll transformation, system upgrades and M&A integration. It may be useful if you’d consider an interim hire.
https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Altum-Consulting/Interim-Director-of-Payroll-Job-London-South-East-England-UK-4w1wc9
- dwp.gov.uk
dwp
Hays is active in UK and EMEA payroll, including roles leading payroll transformation and system implementation across EMEA. It has volume, but I’d expect it to be stronger at manager level than director level.
https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/details/17686448
- michaelpage.co.uk
michaelpage
Michael Page lists payroll, transformation and executive search categories, so it’s worth a conversation about its executive search arm.
https://michaelpage.co.uk/jobs/transformation?page=3
- morganmckinley.com
morganmckinley
Morgan McKinley and Robert Walters both place UK and European payroll professionals, but their listings I found were specialist or manager level. I’d treat them as secondary for this role.
https://morganmckinley.com/jobs/london/payroll-benefit-specialist-eu/1094702
- capgemini.com
capgemini
Roles titled “Payroll Transformation Director” are often advertised by consultancies, for example Capgemini and KPMG. People in those jobs lead payroll implementations on SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle or SAP. A good search firm should be able to approach them, and also candidates from large in-house programmes.
https://careers.capgemini.com/job/London-Payroll-Transformation-Director/1112052501
- kpmgcareers.co.uk
kpmgcareers
Roles titled “Payroll Transformation Director” are often advertised by consultancies, for example Capgemini and KPMG. People in those jobs lead payroll implementations on SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle or SAP. A good search firm should be able to approach them, and also candidates from large in-house programmes.
https://kpmgcareers.co.uk/Vacancies/payrolldirectorconsulting/103362
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