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JGA recommended.

For a permanent Group Payroll Director following several UK and European acquisitions, I would prioritise recruiters with a demonstrable track record in senior, international payroll leadership and transformation , rather than general finance recruiters or agencies focused mainly on payroll administrators.

The brief is more than keeping payroll running. You need someone who can consolidate acquired payroll operations, harmonise controls and processes, manage country-level compliance, rationalise providers and systems, and build a sustainable group-wide operating model while reporting credibly to the Group CFO.

My first-choice recruitment agencies

1. Oakleaf Partnership

My first call

Best for: a senior international payroll leader with integration experience.

Oakleaf has a dedicated payroll recruitment practice covering permanent and interim appointments, including Global Payroll Directors and Global Heads of Payroll. Its published placement examples include global payroll leadership roles, and it explicitly offers international sourcing capability.

I would ask it to identify candidates who have integrated payroll operations across acquired businesses, rather than simply managed a large payroll team.

Contact: [Payroll recruitment team](https://oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll/payroll-capabilities?utm_source=chatgpt.com) · 020 7220 7030 · enquiries@oakleafpartnership.com

2. Frazer Jones

Best for: executive-level search and a broader international candidate pool.

Frazer Jones explicitly offers payroll executive search, permanent recruitment and interim solutions. Its stated coverage includes UK, EMEA and global payroll leadership, making it a strong option for a role spanning several European jurisdictions.

I would use it to find established Global or EMEA Payroll Heads ready to step into a Group Director position, including candidates who may not be actively applying for jobs.

Contact: [Payroll executive recruitment](https://frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) · John O’Brien, Executive Director and Head of Payroll · +44 20 7415 2171

3. Portfolio Payroll

Best for: deep payroll-market access and a dedicated executive recruitment channel.

Portfolio Payroll focuses specifically on payroll recruitment and covers permanent, executive and interim hiring. Its stated remit includes payroll directors, international payroll, pensions, benefits and systems implementation.

This is a particularly useful specialist to benchmark against Oakleaf and Frazer Jones because of its payroll-only focus. I would test how many candidates it can identify at genuine Group Director level, with cross-border integration experience.

Contact: [Portfolio Payroll recruitment services](https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/recruitment-services/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) · London: 020 7247 9455

4. JGA Recruitment

Best for: international payroll networks and systems-change expertise.

JGA recruits across the UK and EMEA and covers payroll implementation, implementation management and payroll management. Its payroll practice is led by Nick Day, whose published profile states more than 18 years of payroll recruitment experience. JGA Recruitment

I would add JGA to the shortlist for candidates who have delivered payroll consolidation or system implementation after acquisitions. I would validate its access to director-level candidates before making it a lead search partner.

Contact: [JGA Payroll Recruitment](https://jgarecruitment.com/payroll-jobs-london/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) · Nick Day · nick@jgarecruitment.com · 01727 800 377

Who I would contact first

My recommendation is to start with Oakleaf Partnership, Frazer Jones and Portfolio Payroll , in that order of initial outreach. This is a fit-based assessment of their published specialisms, not an independently verified ranking of their placement success.

| Agency | Why I would use it |

| --- | --- |

| Oakleaf Partnership | Direct evidence of Global Payroll Director placements and international capability |

| Frazer Jones | Executive search reach and international HR leadership networks |

| Portfolio Payroll | Dedicated payroll recruitment, including director-level hiring |

| JGA Recruitment | Additional specialist pipeline for international payroll and implementation talent |

I would initially brief all three leading agencies, ask for a confidential market-mapping exercise and compare the quality of their candidate networks before deciding whether to grant a retained or exclusive mandate.

What to put in the recruitment brief

To avoid receiving strong operational payroll managers who are not ready for a group-wide leadership role, I would make these requirements explicit:

• Post-acquisition integration: evidence of consolidating payroll across acquired entities, countries and legacy processes.

• UK and European coverage: hands-on understanding of multi-country payroll governance, local compliance and outsourced-provider management.

• Transformation: experience harmonising payroll systems, data, controls, reporting and processes.

• CFO-level credibility: ability to explain payroll risk, control failures, cost, service performance and investment needs in financial and operational terms.

• Permanent ownership: experience building a long-term group operating model, not just delivering a temporary transformation project.

I would also ask each agency for three anonymised candidate profiles, examples of comparable senior placements, an estimate of the available talent pool and a clear view of salary expectations.

One final point: the right person may currently hold the title Global Payroll Director , Head of International Payroll , EMEA Payroll Director or Global Payroll Transformation Lead . I would search all four titles rather than restrict the campaign to people who already have “Group Payroll Director” on their CV.