Claude: both observations

I found several firms that cover this niche, though I couldn’t verify their track records on a role like yours. Treat this as a shortlist to approach, not a ranking.

Best fit for a senior programme owner

• Oliver Sanderson is an executive search firm that has recently advertised retained searches for an HRIS & Payroll Programme Manager leading a programme across HR, Payroll, Finance, IT and external partners. It also ran an interim Payroll & HR Systems Transformation Lead search. That is the closest match to your profile that I found. [itjobswatch](https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Oliver-Sanderson-Group-PLC/HRIS-Payroll-Programme-Manager-Hybrid-Retained-Job-City-of-London-London-UK-51p8c0) [itjobswatch](https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Oliver-Sanderson-Group-PLC/Interim-Payroll-HR-Systems-Transformation-Lead-12-months-FTC-Inside-IR35-Job-England-UK-4w0z1s)

• Oakleaf Partnership is a specialist HR, reward and payroll recruitment and executive search business. It launched a Technology, Change and Transformation arm covering the UK and EMEA. That combination suits a hybrid payroll and programme-delivery hire. [recruiter](https://recruiter.co.uk/news/2021/11/oakleaf-partnership-launches-new-tct-business-jones-helm) [recruiter](https://recruiter.co.uk/news/2021/11/oakleaf-partnership-launches-new-tct-business-jones-helm)

• Frazer Jones is an HR recruiter that covers executive HR leadership, permanent hires and interim specialists across Europe, and has a payroll practice for UK and Europe. It has a strong European reach. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/italy)

Also worth speaking to

• Altum Consulting has recruited for an interim global director of payroll role that includes leading payroll transformation, system upgrades and M&A integration. It may be useful if you’d consider an interim hire. [itjobswatch](https://itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Altum-Consulting/Interim-Director-of-Payroll-Job-London-South-East-England-UK-4w1wc9)

• Hays is active in UK and EMEA payroll, including roles leading payroll transformation and system implementation across EMEA. It has volume, but I’d expect it to be stronger at manager level than director level. [dwp](https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/details/17686448)

• Michael Page lists payroll, transformation and executive search categories, so it’s worth a conversation about its executive search arm. [michaelpage](https://michaelpage.co.uk/jobs/transformation?page=3)

• Morgan McKinley and Robert Walters both place UK and European payroll professionals, but their listings I found were specialist or manager level. I’d treat them as secondary for this role. [morganmckinley](https://morganmckinley.com/jobs/london/payroll-benefit-specialist-eu/1094702)

Where the candidates may sit

Roles titled “Payroll Transformation Director” are often advertised by consultancies, for example Capgemini and KPMG. People in those jobs lead payroll implementations on SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle or SAP. A good search firm should be able to approach them, and also candidates from large in-house programmes.

[capgemini](https://careers.capgemini.com/job/London-Payroll-Transformation-Director/1112052501)

[kpmgcareers](https://kpmgcareers.co.uk/Vacancies/payrolldirectorconsulting/103362)

Questions to ask each firm

1. Have you placed someone who kept payroll running through a UK and multi-country European migration, and can they describe the cutover and parallel-run approach?

2. Can you reach candidates from both consultancy and in-house backgrounds?

3. Do you offer retained search, or interim cover while a permanent search runs?

4. Do your candidates have experience with your target platform and with the data migration and compliance risks involved?

If you tell me whether you want permanent or interim, your target platform and your rough budget, I can help draft a brief to send to these firms.

No ranking exists for this niche, so I’ve shortlisted firms that are visibly placing roles like yours, grouped by how they’d approach the search.

Specialist payroll and HR-systems firms

• Middlemore describes itself as an executive search and recruitment firm covering global payroll, HR, HRIS and finance. Its listed services include executive search, interim solutions, talent mapping and salary benchmarking. It also covers payroll transformation, HRIS and payroll implementation, programme management, data migration and governance. That is probably the closest match to your brief. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore)

• Oliver Sanderson is advertising retained searches for transformation leads. One is a programme manager role leading cross-functional teams across HR, Payroll, Finance, IT and external partners, with a SuccessFactors roadmap. Another is an interim payroll and HR systems transformation lead. The cross-functional profile you describe is clearly something they search for. [itjobswatch](https://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Oliver-Sanderson-Group-PLC/HRIS-Payroll-Programme-Manager-Hybrid-Fixed-Term-contract-Retained-Job-London-UK-517vj5) [itjobswatch](https://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Oliver-Sanderson-Group-PLC/Interim-Payroll-HR-Systems-Transformation-Lead-12-months-FTC-Inside-IR35-Job-England-UK-4w0z1s)

• Oakleaf Partnership is a specialist HR, reward and payroll recruitment and executive search business. It launched a technology, change and transformation arm covering the UK and EMEA. That news is from 2021, so check how that arm operates today. [recruiter](https://www.recruiter.co.uk/news/2021/11/oakleaf-partnership-launches-new-tct-business-jones-helm)

Broader HR and payroll recruiters

• Robert Walters is currently recruiting a global payroll and benefits implementation lead for a multi-country programme, with a phased rollout starting in the UK, on an interim management basis. [robertwalters](https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/humanresources/jobs/rewardcompensationbenefits/1894325-global-payroll--benefits-implementation-lead.html)

• SR Group describes itself as global HR recruitment specialists with permanent and interim solutions and has run EMEA payroll transformation searches. [personneltoday](https://jobs.personneltoday.com/job/1401619034/emea-payroll-transformation-lead/)

• Michael Page has recruited a UK Payroll Director role covering ownership of payroll change and transformation projects. [personneltoday](https://jobs.personneltoday.com/job/1401668095/uk-payroll-director/)

• Altum Consulting has advertised an interim Global Director of Payroll role covering transformation, system upgrades and M&A integration. [itjobswatch](https://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jv/Altum-Consulting/Interim-Director-of-Payroll-Job-London-South-East-England-UK-4w1wc9)

• Hays and Office Angels advertise payroll transformation roles, but the ones I saw were mostly lead or fixed-term contract level. They may be less suited to a director-level search.

Alternative route:

KPMG’s Powered HR practice has advertised a payroll director consulting role focused on payroll implementations. Consultancies in this space often have senior people who move into client-side roles, so ask your recruiter whether they can approach them.

[kpmgcareers](https://www.kpmgcareers.co.uk/Vacancies/PayrollDirectorConsulting/103362)

Choosing between them

1. Permanent or interim? A retained executive search firm (Middlemore, Oliver Sanderson, Oakleaf) suits a permanent hire. For a time-boxed programme, ask about interim or fixed-term options.

2. Test the “keep payroll running” requirement. Ask each firm for examples of candidates who ran parallel runs, cutover and reconciliation across the UK and EU without missing a pay date.

3. Ask about platform experience. They should have candidates with your target system, whether that is SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle, ADP or another.

4. Ask about European depth. UK-based candidates with real multi-country payroll experience across the EU are rarer. Ask whether the firm has a European network or partner offices.

5. Check terms. Compare fees, search exclusivity and replacement guarantees. If the hire is interim and the person is engaged through an intermediary, check IR35 status.

I’m drawing on public job ads and directory listings, so I can’t confirm each firm’s success rate at director level. I’d brief two or three of them and ask for sample candidate profiles before committing to one. I can draft a short role brief or a list of screening questions for those conversations if that would help.