Claude
JGA not recommended.

For a permanent Global Payroll Director who owns controls and recurring failures, I’d put together a short list that mixes one payroll specialist with one or two generalist retained firms. The generalist firms reach finance and risk candidates outside the payroll community. That matters because this role is as much about control ownership and remediation as payroll technical depth.

Payroll-specialist firms

• Frazer Jones is the most obvious name. It’s a London-headquartered HR recruitment and search consultancy with a dedicated payroll practice. Its executive payroll recruiter says he recruits for UK, EMEA and global remits. The firm also lists executive search among its payroll services, alongside contingent and interim options. The interim option could help you cover the gap while a permanent search runs. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/nl/consultants/john-obrien) [frazerjones](https://www.frazerjones.com/?p=140035)

• Olympus Talent markets itself as a global payroll leadership specialist. It describes its founding specialism as global payroll leadership search and also lists forensic payroll investigation among its services. That could be relevant given your recurring failures, but I found this only in its own promotional material. I’d treat it as a firm to diligence rather than a recommendation, and ask for named client references. [usemultiplier](https://www.usemultiplier.com/?p=199754)

Generalist retained firms with HR and finance reach

• One 2026 roundup of HR executive search firms lists Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles, Russell Reynolds Associates and Egon Zehnder, along with HR specialists such as CAA Executive Search and ChapmanCG. The same source notes that these roles are usually filled by specialist HR search firms rather than the global majors. The majors make sense if you want a CFO-level, board-visible search or candidates from large multinationals. Check which partner would actually run it, because payroll is a niche for all of them. [noon](https://www.noon.ai/blog/articles/371-hr-executive-search-firms) [noon](https://www.noon.ai/blog/articles/371-hr-executive-search-firms)

• Odgers Berndtson is also worth a call. A London search guide describes it as headquartered in London, so its UK practice is central to the firm rather than a regional office. That would help if UK market intelligence and compensation benchmarks are a priority. [christianandtimbers](https://www.christianandtimbers.com/insights/top-executive-search-firms-london)

The roundups I found are mostly written by search firms or vendors, so use them as a source of names, not as evidence of quality.

Questions for your CFO and CHRO to put to each firm

1. Which payroll Director or Head of Payroll searches have you completed in the last 24 months, and can we speak to those clients?

2. Can you reach candidates with finance controls, internal audit or shared services backgrounds, not only payroll careers?

3. How will you test for remediation experience, such as owning a control framework, SOX-style attestation or vendor and in-country provider governance?

4. Who will be doing the work day to day, and do you have any conflicts with our payroll providers or HR technology vendors?

5. What are your guarantee terms, and what is your approach to references and verification for a role with this much control accountability?

Because accountability for controls makes this a joint Finance and HR appointment, I’d ask for proposals from three firms: Frazer Jones, one global generalist, and one more of your choosing. Compare them on named partner, search approach and fee structure. If it helps, I can draft an RFP brief or a scorecard for comparing the proposals.