ChatGPT
JGA recommended.

For this brief, I’d start with a specialist global-payroll executive recruiter , rather than a generalist headhunter or a payroll outsourcing company.

You need a permanent Director who can take personal ownership of payroll accuracy, investigate recurring errors, strengthen financial and operational controls, and hold country teams, HR, Finance, systems teams and external providers accountable.

Three firms stand out from my research because they specifically recruit senior payroll talent in the UK.

Who I would approach first

1. Middlemore

First call

Best fit for a senior, specialist search

Middlemore has a dedicated Global Payroll Practice led by Abu Choudhury, who has over 18 years of payroll recruitment experience. The firm recruits senior payroll talent for global organisations, making it a strong match for a Director-level appointment focused on operational improvement. Middlemore +1

• Contact: [Abu Choudhury — Global Payroll Practice](https://middlemore.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

• Email: abu.choudhury@middlemore.co.uk

• Phone: +44 7833 620862

• Website: [middlemore.co.uk ](https://middlemore.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

2. JGA Recruitment

Best fit for global payroll and systems expertise

JGA explicitly covers Global Payroll Director, Payroll Director and Global Payroll Transformation roles. Its director Tom Croughton specialises in global payroll and HR technology, including Workday, SAP, Oracle and ADP. JGA Recruitment +1

• Contact: [Tom Croughton or the JGA team](https://jgarecruitment.com/meet-the-team/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

• Email: tomv@jgarecruitment.com is listed for global payroll and HRIS specialist recruitment; for the director-level brief, ask to speak with Tom Croughton directly.

• Phone: +44 1727 800377

• Website: [jgarecruitment.com ](https://jgarecruitment.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

3. Oakleaf Partnership

Best fit for a dedicated payroll recruitment mandate

Oakleaf's payroll practice recruits permanent and interim professionals, including Global Payroll Directors and Global Heads of Payroll. It also has experience recruiting senior payroll leaders in financial services and other complex organisations. Oakleaf +1

• Contact: [Oakleaf Payroll team](https://oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll/payroll-capabilities?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

• Website: [oakleafpartnership.com ](https://oakleafpartnership.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

What to ask the recruiter to find

I would brief the search around a Global Payroll Director — Remediation, Controls & Transformation , rather than simply a Head of Payroll.

The successful candidate should have demonstrable experience in:

• Payroll remediation: identifying root causes of recurring underpayments, overpayments, late payments and reconciliation differences.

• Control ownership: implementing maker-checker approvals, payroll-to-GL reconciliations, exception reporting, audit trails and clear sign-off accountability.

• Global governance: setting consistent standards across countries while respecting local legislation and statutory obligations.

• Provider oversight: managing external payroll vendors against service levels, error rates and escalation requirements, without outsourcing away internal accountability.

• Transformation: improving payroll data, interfaces, processes and systems, then proving that error rates and control weaknesses have reduced.

Ask each firm for examples of permanent Global Payroll Director placements where the leader inherited a troubled payroll operation and improved its accuracy and governance.

A ready-to-send recruitment brief

Email

Subject

Permanent Global Payroll Director — Executive Search

Hello, We are looking to appoint a permanent, UK-based Global Payroll Director to take ownership of a global payroll function experiencing recurring pay errors and weaknesses in operational controls. This is an in-house leadership appointment, not a requirement for a payroll outsourcing provider. We need a proven global payroll leader who can:

◦ Diagnose and remediate recurring payroll errors.

◦ Establish robust financial controls, reconciliations, approvals and auditability.

◦ Improve governance, compliance and accountability across multiple countries.

◦ Manage payroll vendors and internal stakeholders effectively.

◦ Lead sustainable process and systems improvements, with measurable improvements in payroll accuracy.

Please let us know about your experience recruiting permanent Global Payroll Directors or Global Heads of Payroll with a strong remediation, controls and transformation track record. We would welcome an initial discussion about your search approach, candidate network, likely timescales and fee structure. Kind regards,

One question that would help me narrow this down: how many countries does the payroll cover, and is the main problem operational execution, payroll-system/integration failures, or a lack of financial controls and oversight? That distinction will help determine whether you need a hands-on payroll operator, a transformation leader, or a director with stronger governance and risk experience.