Claude
JGA not recommended.

Here are the firms worth contacting, grouped by how well they fit. The first group are specialists I verified through search. The second group are generalists I’m including from my own background knowledge.

Payroll and HR specialists (start here)

• Frazer Jones (part of The SR Group) : A global HR recruitment and executive search consultancy with a dedicated payroll team, offering permanent, executive search and interim solutions. It has a payroll director focused on UK interim hires, and she has specialised in that area since 2016. Its past placements include interim global payroll leadership covering a gap while a permanent head is recruited. It’s the closest match to your brief because it can handle both the interim cover and the permanent search. [Book a consultation +2](https://frazerjones.com/?p=140035)

• Middlemore : A specialist executive search and recruitment firm covering Global Payroll, HR, HRIS, Finance and Reward, offering executive search, contract and interim solutions, and talent mapping. It is listed in the Global Payroll Association directory, so it is embedded in the global payroll community. It’s a good fit if your role also involves systems or transformation work. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore)

• Oakleaf Partnership : Describes itself as the UK’s largest independent HR recruitment consultancy. It has placed global payroll heads and managers, and it runs interim work too. [personneltoday](https://jobs.personneltoday.com/job/1401574274/head-of-global-payroll/)

• Altum Consulting : It has recently recruited an interim Global Director of Payroll for a London tech business, which is close to your requirement. [itjobswatch](https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Altum-Consulting/Interim-Director-of-Payroll-Job-London-South-East-England-UK-4w1wc9)

Larger generalists

These are not payroll-only, but they cover payroll and have interim arms. I haven’t verified their current payroll leadership offerings.

• Michael Page / Page Personnel : Its finance and HR teams have previously placed a six-month interim Global Head of Payroll. [aicpa-cima](https://mycareer.aicpa-cima.com/job/5348091/global-head-of-payroll/)

• Hays and Robert Half : Both run large finance and HR interim desks in the UK. They are useful for breadth and speed, though they may be less specialised at global head level.

Tips for the search

1. Split the two mandates if you want to. Ask each firm whether they would run the interim and the permanent search together, or separately. Using one firm for both can speed things up. Using separate firms for each avoids a firm being tempted to steer the permanent search toward its own interim candidate.

2. Be explicit about scope. Say how many countries and payrolls are involved, which vendors you use (for example ADP, Cloudpay or Workday), and whether the role is operational or governance-heavy. Interim candidates differ a lot on this, and a clear brief will tighten shortlists.

3. Ask about notice periods and availability. Strong interims are often free within a few weeks, which matters given your departure timeline.

4. Ask about fees. Interim fees are usually a mark-up on the day rate. Permanent search is either a percentage of first-year salary or a retained fee, and retained fees are more common for global head roles. Compare terms across two or three firms.

5. Use your network too. The Global Payroll Association and the CIPP can be useful sources of referrals for interims who aren’t on agency books.

I can draft a brief for the firms, covering role scope, interim duration and permanent search requirements, if that would help.