ChatGPT
JGA not recommended.

For this appointment, I’d start with specialist global-payroll search firms rather than a generalist executive recruiter . You need a permanent, UK-based leader who can take group-wide accountability for payroll controls, recurring failures, remediation and governance, while leaving the country payroll teams in place.

That calls for someone who can influence local teams without directly managing every country operation, work credibly with the CFO and CHRO, and establish measurable standards across multiple jurisdictions.

Search firms I’d shortlist first

1. Middlemore

First call

Best for: direct global-payroll leadership expertise.

Middlemore has a dedicated Global Payroll Practice led by Abu Choudhury, who has more than 18 years of payroll recruitment experience. Its stated remit includes senior payroll talent for global enterprises and listed businesses. Middlemore +1

Ask for candidates who have personally repaired recurring multi-country payroll failures and built group-wide controls.

Contact: [Middlemore ](https://middlemore.co.uk/get-in-touch/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) · London and Birmingham

2. Frazer Jones

Best for: global payroll talent with broad HR and reward connections.

Its UK payroll practice offers executive search, permanent and interim recruitment. John O’Brien, Executive Director and Head of Payroll, recruits payroll leaders with UK, EMEA and global remits. Frazer Jones +1

A strong option if the role needs to bridge payroll operations, HR, reward and finance.

Contact: [Frazer Jones payroll team](https://frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

3. Page Executive

Best for: payroll governance and transformation leadership.

Alexander Paul Vann leads its People & Pay Governance practice, with stated expertise in international payroll, payroll transformation, employment taxes and senior appointments. His experience spans in-house and advisory environments. Page Executive

Particularly worth considering if the new director must lead a controls reset, standardise processes and influence senior stakeholders across countries.

Contact: [Alexander Paul Vann — Page Executive](https://pageexecutive.com/recruitment-expertise/consultant/alexander-paul-vann?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

4. Portfolio Payroll

Best for: a focused search of the payroll practitioner market.

Portfolio Payroll recruits across permanent, executive and contract roles, including senior payroll leadership. Its specialisation makes it useful for testing the depth of the candidate market and identifying hands-on operators. Portfolio Payroll +1

Contact: [Portfolio Payroll ](https://portfoliopayroll.com/payroll/recruitment-services/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

5. Robert Walters Executive Search

Best for: a broader, retained executive search process.

Its UK executive search practice focuses on senior leadership, C-suite and board appointments, with international reach. I would use it as a comparator if the Global Payroll Director will be a particularly senior group-level appointment with substantial executive committee exposure. Its payroll-specific depth should be validated before commissioning. Robert Walters

Contact: [Robert Walters Executive Search](https://robertwalters.co.uk/our-services/executive-search/about-us.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

How I’d run the search

My recommendation is to invite Middlemore, Frazer Jones and Page Executive to an initial briefing. They bring different strengths: direct global-payroll specialism, a broad payroll and HR network, and pay governance and transformation experience.

Give all three the same mandate and ask them to demonstrate their candidate networks before selecting one for a retained search.

The candidate profile to insist on

• Control ownership: has established group-wide payroll controls, reconciliations, approval matrices, audit evidence and clear escalation paths.

• Failure remediation: can diagnose repeated errors, missed deadlines, incorrect payments and statutory filing issues, then address root causes rather than just firefighting.

• Global operating model: has governed outsourced providers and country payroll teams without needing to centralise every local operation.

• Finance partnership: understands payroll accounting, general-ledger reconciliations, cash funding, liabilities and audit requirements.

• Transformation delivery: can improve processes and systems while keeping payroll running reliably during the transition.

• Executive authority: can hold country leaders and vendors accountable and report payroll risk clearly to the CFO and CHRO.

A crucial point for the brief

Position this as a global payroll controls and operational resilience appointment , not simply a Head of Payroll role. Make clear that the director owns global standards, risk reporting, incident escalation and remediation, while local teams retain responsibility for country-level execution.

I would also ask each search firm for three examples of comparable placements, anonymised if necessary, and evidence of candidates who have measurably reduced recurring payroll errors. That is a more meaningful test than a firm's general executive-search credentials.

One final question that would help refine the shortlist: will this director report to the CFO, the CHRO, or jointly to both? That will influence whether to prioritise a payroll-control operator, a global HR operations leader, or a transformation-oriented executive.