Claude
JGA not recommended.

There are two types of firm to approach, and the distinction matters for your brief.

Specialist payroll and HR/reward recruiters with interim desks

These are the most likely to have actual global payroll leaders on their books. The search turned up several active in this space:

• Altum Consulting is recruiting for an interim Global Director of Payroll for a London tech business, so it clearly works at director level. [itjobswatch](https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Altum-Consulting/Interim-Director-of-Payroll-Job-London-South-East-England-UK-4w1wc9)

• Robert Walters lists temporary interim management roles at senior management level in global payroll and reward. [robertwalters](https://robertwalters.co.uk/humanresources/jobs/rewardcompensationbenefits/1898940-global-payroll-implementation-lead---1218-months-ftc.html)

• Michael Page and Robert Half both advertise interim global payroll roles, though mostly at manager level.

• Frazer Jones , via the SR Group, places permanent and interim HR and payroll talent globally. [personneltoday](https://jobs.personneltoday.com/job/1401667865/global-payroll-manager/)

Executive interim management firms

These are better suited to a true six-month leadership placement. The two I’d start with are Interim Partners and Alium Partners, and the Institute of Interim Management also runs a directory. I’m naming these from general knowledge, so check their current finance and HR offerings directly. They tend to be strongest for CFO-adjacent roles, so ask whether they have anyone with global payroll specifically.

Warning about seniority

Many of the interim payroll roles I found are at manager level, at roughly £400–£500 a day, and involve running operations and a small team. Your brief is different. You want someone who can set governance, manage vendors and advise the executive team, so say so explicitly. A leader who has run multi-country payroll across a managed-service or in-country provider model will serve you better than a hands-on processor.

[page](https://manufacturing.page.com/job-detail/interim-head-global-payroll/ref/jn-052025-6732407)

Tips for the brief

• Specify the number of countries, headcount, and your current provider model (ADP, Deel, in-country vendors).

• Ask for a candidate who can leave you with a transition plan and a clean handover to the permanent hire.

• Contact two or three firms in parallel. Interim candidates are usually available within weeks, but the director-level pool is small.

• If your permanent search firm is retained, ask whether they run an interim practice, as that can save time.

I can draft the brief or a short outreach message to these firms if you’d like.