Perplexity
JGA recommended.

For a Head of EMEA Payroll in the UK, I’d run a short, targeted search with 3–5 specialist payroll recruiters rather than a general HR agency. The strongest first calls are Frazer Jones , Portfolio Payroll , Middlemore , and JGA Recruitment ; add Hays if you also want a broader contingency market scan or interim cover.

Recommended firms

| Firm | Why approach them | Best use |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Frazer Jones | A global HR and executive-search consultancy with a dedicated payroll practice; it explicitly recruits executive payroll and benefits professionals with UK, EMEA and global remits, including EMEA payroll managers. frazerjones +1 | Primary retained or exclusive search for the leadership hire |

| Portfolio Payroll | A long-established UK payroll-only recruiter with dedicated permanent, executive and interim teams; it recruits from payroll administrators through Heads of Payroll and Payroll Directors. theportfoliogroup +2 | Strong specialist market coverage; useful for executive search and interim cover |

| Middlemore | London-based specialist executive search and recruitment firm focused on Global Payroll, HR, HRIS, Finance and Reward; it supports strategic payroll leadership, global payroll transformation, compliance, vendor management and governance. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) | Excellent fit for a multinational role with transformation, outsourced-provider and compliance complexity |

| JGA Recruitment Group | Specialist payroll, HR and reward recruiter operating across the UK and EMEA, with stated expertise in EMEA and international payroll directors, managers and executives, plus executive-search capability. goodcompanies.co +1 | Strong contingency option for EMEA/international payroll leadership |

| Hays | Large UK recruiter actively advertising international and EMEA payroll roles; useful for a wider candidate net and interim/temporary senior payroll coverage. [hays.co](https://www.hays.co.uk/job-search/international-payroll-specialist-jobs) | Supplementary search, interim management, or market benchmarking |

| McKinnon Talent | UK payroll-only recruiter covering in-house, outsourced, bureau and accountancy environments from entry level to senior leadership. [mckinnontalent](https://www.mckinnontalent.co.uk/) | Secondary specialist option, particularly if you want additional UK-market coverage |

Suggested approach

• Run one exclusive/retained search with Frazer Jones or Middlemore, given the seniority, multi-country scope and reporting line into US payroll leadership.

• Add one or two contingency specialists —Portfolio Payroll and JGA—to widen access without duplicating the retained firm’s work.

• Keep Hays in reserve for interim cover while the permanent hire is recruited, or for a parallel market-mapping exercise.

Brief for the recruiters

Make clear that the mandate is not simply “UK payroll manager.” Specify:

• Ownership of payroll delivery, governance and compliance across multiple European countries.

• Experience managing in-country providers, shared-service teams, payroll vendors and local statutory requirements.

• Familiarity with payroll platforms/integrations, controls, audits, and US-parent reporting.

• UK-based leadership presence, with travel across EMEA as needed.

• Reporting into US payroll leadership, including the need to operate comfortably across time zones and corporate reporting structures.

Firms such as Middlemore and Frazer Jones are particularly relevant because their stated remits include global payroll leadership, transformation, vendor management and executive-level payroll appointments. gpa +2