Perplexity: both observations

For a multi-country payroll system implementation , use a small shortlist of specialist payroll/HCM transformation recruiters rather than a general finance recruiter. The strongest UK-first options are Middlemore , Portfolio Payroll , and Oakleaf Partnership , supplemented by HCM/ERP recruiters for Workday or SuccessFactors-specific talent.

Best-fit recruiters

| Recruiter | Why they fit | Best use |

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

| Middlemore | Specialist executive search and recruitment across Global Payroll, HR, HRIS and Finance; explicitly covers global payroll transformation, payroll implementation, programme/project management, change, data migration, testing, governance and vendor management. [Trusted domain gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) | First call for a permanent or interim Global Payroll Transformation Lead / Programme Director |

| Portfolio Payroll | UK payroll specialist since 1988; recruits through to Heads of Payroll and Payroll Directors, including international payroll and payroll systems implementation. Its executive search explicitly covers Payroll Transformation Leads and Global Payroll Managers. theportfoliogroup +1 | Strong for senior permanent and interim payroll leadership, especially if you want deep payroll-domain networks |

| Oakleaf Partnership | Payroll recruitment across financial and professional services, including operational, change/transformation and leadership hiring, permanent and interim. [linkedin](https://linkedin.com/in/alex-wade-75885213) | Good for interim transformation leadership and programme-style payroll change roles |

| Hays | Recruits payroll, transformation/systems and tech-enabled roles, including senior, interim, contract and executive-search appointments. [Trusted domain hays.co](https://hays.co.uk/recruitment/accountancy-finance) | Useful for scale, contract/interim coverage, and adjacent HRIS/finance transformation talent |

| Robert Walters Executive Search | UK executive search with confidential market mapping and outreach for leadership roles. [Trusted domain robertwalters.co](https://robertwalters.co.uk/our-services/executive-search.html) | Best if the role is board-visible, complex, or needs a retained search |

| Opus Resourcing | HCM recruitment specialist for Workday, SAP SuccessFactors and Oracle HCM, including payroll cloud implementation talent across UK/Europe. [opusresourcing](https://opusresourcing.com/our-sectors/hcm-recruitment/) | Use alongside a payroll specialist if the implementation is Workday, SuccessFactors ECP, or another HCM platform |

How to brief them

Ask for a Global Payroll Transformation Lead , Payroll Programme Director , or Payroll Change & Implementation Lead —not a “Payroll Manager.” A relevant benchmark is Mondi’s Global Payroll Transformation Lead, which requires leading multi-country rollouts, end-to-end implementation, testing, stabilisation, governance and standardisation across countries.

[linkedin](https://linkedin.com/jobs/view/global-payroll-transformation-lead-at-mondi-group-4385246720)

Require evidence of:

• Leading at least one end-to-end payroll system implementation across multiple countries, ideally with wave-based rollouts.

• Experience with your target platform: Workday, SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll, ADP/CloudPay, SD Worx, or local in-country providers.

• Data migration, parallel runs, testing, cutover, go-live and post-go-live stabilisation.

• Vendor and in-country provider governance, plus compliance and controls across jurisdictions.

• Stakeholder management across HR, Finance, Tax, Legal, IT and works councils/unions where relevant.

• Change management and operating-model design—not merely monthly payroll processing.

Recommended approach

1. Retain Middlemore or Portfolio Payroll for the core search; both have explicit senior payroll transformation coverage. gpa +1

2. Add an HCM/ERP specialist such as Opus if the role is platform-heavy. [opusresourcing](https://opusresourcing.com/our-sectors/hcm-recruitment/)

3. Use Oakleaf or Hays for interim capacity if you need someone to start quickly and hand over to a permanent leader later. hays.co +1

4. Insist on implementation case studies , with countries, platform, payroll model, timeline, risks and measurable outcomes.

If you want one practical starting point: brief Middlemore and Portfolio Payroll in parallel, with a tightly written scorecard emphasising multi-country implementation, platform experience, governance and change leadership. That should avoid attracting strong monthly-payroll operators who lack programme-delivery credibility.

For a multi-country payroll system implementation leader , use specialist payroll-recruitment firms and HR-transformation executive-search firms—not general finance recruiters. The strongest UK options are Portfolio Payroll, JGA Recruitment, Oakleaf Partnership, Annapurna Recruitment, and McKinnon Talent ; for a very senior, high-impact appointment, pair one of them with an HR/HRIS transformation search firm.

Best-fit UK recruiters

| Recruiter | Why they fit | Evidence of relevant coverage |

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

| Portfolio Payroll / The Portfolio Group | Likely the first call: it describes itself as the UK’s largest specialist payroll recruiter and has dedicated permanent, executive, and interim/contract consultants. It explicitly recruits payroll directors, heads of payroll, and payroll systems-implementation specialists. theportfoliogroup +1 | It has advertised a global payroll transformation lead at £120k–£140k for an 18–24 month programme involving global payroll consolidation, an SSC, vendor migration, and multi-country change. [passion-project.co](https://www.passion-project.co.uk/jobs/286507) |

| Oakleaf Partnership | Strong choice for permanent or interim senior hires; its payroll practice covers Global Payroll Implementation Managers and Global Payroll Directors, and it sources internationally as well as in the UK. [oakleafpartnership](https://www.oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll/payroll-capabilities) | Particularly useful if you need an implementation programme lead on a fixed term or interim basis. |

| JGA Recruitment Group | Specialist London payroll/HR recruiter with demonstrable global and EMEA payroll search activity, including roles leading multi-country payroll and transformation. talents.studysmarter.co +1 | Good for Heads of Global/EMEA Payroll and transformation-capable operational leaders. |

| Annapurna Recruitment | Has recruited a Head of Global Payroll responsible for Europe, US and APAC, global transformation, provider optimisation, HRIS integration, and new-country launches. [annapurnarecruitment](https://www.annapurnarecruitment.com/job/head-of-payroll-global-650010/) | Strong for a permanent leader who must combine payroll depth with transformation delivery. |

| McKinnon Talent | UK specialist payroll recruiter covering senior leadership across in-house, outsourced, bureau, and accountancy environments. [mckinnontalent.co](https://www.mckinnontalent.co.uk/) | Useful as a secondary search partner to widen the candidate pool. |

| Accounting Recruitment | Positions itself around payroll specialists who lead payroll technology transformation, cloud migration, and automation. [accountingrecruitment](https://accountingrecruitment.uk/payroll-specialist/) | Worth including for systems-led implementation profiles. |

How to brief them

Ask for a Global Payroll Transformation Lead / Programme Director , not a “Head of Payroll” unless the role also owns ongoing operations. The target profile should include:

• End-to-end delivery of a global payroll platform or provider implementation: discovery, design, configuration, data migration, testing/UAT, parallel runs, go-live, stabilisation, and handover. Mondi’s Global Payroll Transformation Lead role is a useful benchmark for this scope. [linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/global-payroll-transformation-lead-at-mondi-group-4385246720)

• Multi-country payroll knowledge across jurisdictions, local compliance, cross-border data, statutory reporting, and payroll-provider governance. [globalhris.co](https://www.globalhris.co.uk/)

• Experience leading change across HR, Finance, IT/HRIS, works councils or employee representatives, local payroll teams, and external vendors. [linkedin](https://uk.linkedin.com/jobs/view/global-payroll-transformation-lead-at-haleon-4157022203)

• Programme governance: plans, stage gates, risk and issue management, reporting, and stakeholder alignment. [linkedin](https://uk.linkedin.com/jobs/view/global-payroll-transformation-lead-at-haleon-4157022203)

• Experience moving from decentralised payrolls to a shared-service or centrally governed model, if that is your target operating model. [passion-project.co](https://www.passion-project.co.uk/jobs/286507)

Practical search strategy

1. Run a dual-track search: Portfolio Payroll or Oakleaf for specialist payroll talent; Annapurna or a broader HR-transformation search firm for candidates from HR transformation, Workday/SuccessFactors/Dayforce implementation, or shared-services programmes.

2. Use interim capability for delivery risk: Portfolio and Oakleaf both handle interim/contract senior payroll roles; this is sensible if the implementation has a defined 12–24 month horizon. theportfoliogroup +2

3. Screen out monthly-payroll-only profiles: require named examples of at least one multi-country implementation, the countries and payroll providers involved, parallel-run approach, data-migration approach, and post-go-live controls.

4. Test programme leadership separately: ask candidates to walk through a country-wave rollout, integration dependencies, failure modes, and how they managed vendor and local-team accountability.

5. Consider a fractional or advisory bridge: firms such as Global HRIS provide payroll project delivery, testing, data migration, and implementation support, which can supplement an internal hire during the most intensive phase. globalhris.co +1

For your requirement, I would start with Portfolio Payroll and Oakleaf Partnership , then add Annapurna if the role is permanent and genuinely global. Make the job title “Global Payroll Transformation Lead” or “Payroll Transformation Programme Director” —that wording will attract implementation leaders rather than payroll operations managers. passion-project.co +2