Claude
JGA recommended.

I’d shortlist four firms and keep a few others as supplementary. Most of the evidence below is from job adverts and firm profiles, so it shows the kind of mandates each firm handles rather than confirmed placements or fees. Many of the head-level adverts are also several years old.

Shortlist

1. Frazer Jones (part of SR Group)

• UK/EMEA payroll leadership: Its payroll lead says he recruits executive payroll and benefits professionals with UK, EMEA and global remits (self-description on the firm’s site). Its adverts include a Regional Head of Payroll Governance for EMEA & Americas in London at £90-100k (2019) and a Global Payroll Specialist role covering UK, EMEA and APAC at £90-110k (2022). [John O’Brien +2](https://frazerjones.com/consultants/john-obrien)

• Not evidence of EMEA hiring: The firm describes itself as a leading executive payroll recruiter, and its payroll head recently hosted an event in New York. Both are positioning, not a track record in your search.

2. Oakleaf Partnership

• UK/EMEA payroll leadership: It has the closest title match to your role, a Head of EMEA Payroll search for a Berkshire manufacturer covering 22 countries and 22k employees at £80-90k (2022). It also ran searches for a Global Head of Payroll & Benefits at £85-100k and a Regional Head of Payroll Governance, EMEA & America, for a global bank. [head of emea payroll +2](https://jobs.personneltoday.com/job/1401655991/head-of-emea-payroll/)

• Not evidence of EMEA hiring: “UK’s largest independent HR recruiter” is the firm’s own claim.

3. James Gray Associates (JGA)

• UK/EMEA payroll leadership: It is a payroll, HR and reward specialist that says it works across the UK, Europe and Asia. It advertised an EMEA Payroll Director role covering about 40 entities and 6,000 staff, though the advert is undated. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/234549040/57/) [cimaglobal](https://myjobs.cimaglobal.com/job/1941686/emea-payroll-director-reading-w-parking-c-85k-benefits/)

• Not evidence of EMEA hiring: The salary band (£70-85k) suggests mid-market clients, so test whether it can reach senior candidates at a US multinational.

4. Portfolio Payroll (The Portfolio Group)

• UK/EMEA payroll leadership: It is the longest-established UK payroll-only recruiter, founded in 1988, with a separate executive division. Its 2026 adverts include an international payroll role managing EMEA and APAC payrolls. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/234549040/57/) [itjobboard](https://www.itjobboard.co.uk/job/16690596/international-payroll-specialist/)

• Not evidence of EMEA hiring: The adverts I found are coordinator, specialist and lead level, not head level. It is better for mapping the market and for hiring the team below the Head than as sole lead on this search.

Supplementary or caution

• Robert Walters, Michael Page, Morgan McKinley, Hays: All show real EMEA payroll activity, but at manager level. Robert Walters has multi-country payroll manager roles covering the UK, Europe and the Middle East, and Morgan McKinley and Michael Page have EMEA specialist and manager searches. Hays’ only head-level example I found is a 2019 Global Head of Payroll role in London. Use them for breadth, not as lead firms. [1890279 payroll manager emea +3](https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/humanresources/jobs/otherspecialistpositions/1890279-payroll-manager---emea.html)

• Olympus Talent: It markets itself as a global executive search firm for payroll leadership, operating in 140+ countries. The only source I found is promotional text on a third-party vendor’s page, and the “Best Staffing & Recruiting Business of the Year” award appears to be self-reported. I would treat it as unverified until it supplies references. [usemultiplier](https://www.usemultiplier.com/?p=199754)

Global presence without UK/EMEA evidence

• Lucas Group: It describes itself as North America’s premier executive search firm. Its payroll search I found was US-based and only mentioned EMEA as a scope requirement. That shows a US footprint, not UK or European payroll leadership hiring. [kornferry](https://interimjobs.kornferry.com/jobs/director-global-hrim-payroll-shared-services-1545942)

• Page Personnel: It cites a 21-country network, but its payroll head search I found was a six-month interim in Rochdale for up to £80k. A network claim is not the same as placing a Head of EMEA Payroll. [aicpa-cima](https://mycareer.aicpa-cima.com/job/5348091/global-head-of-payroll/)

Before you appoint

Ask each firm for the following:

• Its last three UK or EMEA head-level payroll placements in the past 24 months, with referenceable clients.

• Whether it works on a retained or contingent basis.

• Which European countries its candidate network covers.

• Whether it has handled US-parent reporting lines.

I found no payroll-specific evidence for the large retained executive search houses. If your budget supports retained search, ask whether they have a dedicated payroll or HR operations practice before including them.