Claude
JGA recommended.

I’d shortlist in three tiers, because this role sits between HR, finance and operations, and no single type of firm covers all of it. My search was light and mostly turned up firms’ own descriptions, so treat this as a starting list to validate with references.

Payroll-specialist firms (best for market knowledge and candidate access)

• Frazer Jones. Its payroll practice is led by John O’Brien, who recruits executive payroll and benefits professionals with UK, EMEA and global remits. They describe him as the leading executive payroll recruiter in the UK, which is their own claim. That is the closest match to your brief. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/consultants/john-obrien)

• Oakleaf Partnership. It describes itself as the UK’s largest independent HR recruitment consultancy and has placed Head of Global Payroll roles covering EMEA, APAC and LATAM, including vendor management. It is a good source of senior candidates, though these roles tend to be mid-six-figure and below. [personneltoday](https://jobs.personneltoday.com/job/1401574274/head-of-global-payroll/)

• JGA Recruitment Group. It positions itself as a specialist payroll and HR agency. It is worth a conversation for its network, but I’d test whether it has placed at Director level. [studentjob](https://studentjob.co.uk/vacancies/5280719-global-payroll-expert-remote-uk-100k-in-bury)

PE-focused executive search (best for a retained, confidential search)

• Directorbank. Founded in 1998 and based in London, it specialises in executive and non-executive search for PE investors and their portfolio companies across the mid-market. Its sector spread is wide, so ask what finance and HR-adjacent searches it has done. [pitchbook](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/advisor/42744-34)

• Raw Selection. It is a Leeds-based search firm working exclusively with PE firms and their portfolio companies, mainly on CEO, CFO and COO searches. That suggests strong PE relationships, but check whether it covers functional director roles like this one. [career](https://career.io/job/director-executive-search-leeds-raw-selection-06b3947c66a464e6858360c2759df862)

Larger retained firms (from my own knowledge, not verified here)

Odgers Berndtson, Russell Reynolds, Spencer Stuart and similar firms have finance and HR practices and can run a discreet search. They are usually more expensive and may be over-specified for a payroll director. Hays, Robert Walters, Michael Page and Robert Half have finance and HR practices too, but are more transactional.

How I’d structure it

1. Run one retained or exclusive search with a PE-experienced firm, and one specialist payroll firm on contingency or a hybrid fee, so you cover both the active and passive markets.

2. Ask each firm for recent placements where the hire consolidated payroll providers or teams after acquisitions, ideally across the UK and EU.

3. Ask which payroll platforms and bureau models their candidates have run (such as ADP, Dayforce or Zellis). Also ask about experience with controls and audit, such as SOX-style reconciliations and segregation of duties.

4. Agree who owns the longlist, what the guarantee period is, and how candidates are protected from being shopped to your competitors.

5. Ask your PE sponsor which firms the operating partners already use. Their existing relationships may bring preferred terms.

If you tell me the approximate salary band, the number of countries and payroll providers involved, and whether you want a retained search, I can tighten this list and draft an RFP or briefing note for the firms.