Perplexity: both observations

For this brief, use a specialist payroll/HR-transformation search firm as the lead partner , backed by one transformation-programme search firm. The best-fit profile is a payroll operations leader who has owned business-as-usual continuity through an HR/payroll ERP or HCM migration across UK and European entities—not simply an IT programme director.

Strongest-fit firms

| Firm | Why it fits | Best use |

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

| Middlemore | Specialist executive search across Global Payroll, HR, HRIS, Finance and transformation; explicitly covers payroll transformation, HRIS/payroll implementation, programme management, data migration, governance, vendor management and post-implementation optimisation. [Trusted domain gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) | Lead search partner for a permanent Payroll Transformation Director with UK/European scope. |

| Portfolio Payroll | Describes itself as the UK’s largest specialist payroll recruiter, recruiting up to Payroll Director level, including international payroll and payroll systems implementation; offers permanent, executive and interim/contract routes. theportfoliogroup +1 | Strong for payroll-credentialed candidates and interim cover to protect payroll continuity during the programme. |

| Rise Group | Specialises in HR and Finance transformation recruitment across UK, Europe and the US, including Workday, SAP, Oracle and UKG programmes, plus senior permanent and contract hiring. [risegroup](https://risegroup.io/) | Good complement for candidates from Workday/SAP/Oracle/UKG transformation environments and for contract programme leadership. |

| Cedar Stone | UK/European transformation and change recruiter covering Transformation Directors, Programme Managers, ERP/technology transformation and HR transformation. [cedarstonerec](https://cedarstonerec.com/service/transformation-change-recruitment-agency/) | Useful second source for cross-functional programme owners with strong HR, Finance and IT stakeholder experience. |

| Marks Sattin | Transformation recruitment across operations, HR and finance; sources Programme Directors, Transformation Leads and change roles on interim and permanent bases, including across several European markets. [markssattin.co](https://markssattin.co.uk/change-transformation-jobs-recruitment) | Good for interim or permanent senior programme leadership where European delivery experience is essential. |

How I would run the search

• Appoint Middlemore as primary retained search partner. Its stated coverage maps most directly to a senior payroll transformation owner who can protect operational payroll while leading HRIS/payroll implementation, migration, governance and vendor management. [Trusted domain gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore)

• Use Portfolio Payroll in parallel to benchmark payroll leadership talent and provide an interim payroll continuity lead if the incoming Director cannot start before a critical payroll cycle. theportfoliogroup +1

• Add Rise Group or Cedar Stone as a targeted second source for candidates whose centre of gravity is HR/Finance transformation rather than pure payroll operations. risegroup +1

• Avoid treating this as a generic IT transformation hire. The successful candidate should be able to own payroll calendars, statutory submissions, parallel runs, cutover, hypercare, data migration controls, employee communications and service continuity while working with HR, Finance, IT and implementation partners.

Brief to give recruiters

Ask each firm for candidates who can evidence:

• Ownership of a UK and multi-country European payroll transformation, ideally including SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll, Workday, Oracle, ADP, SD Worx or equivalent.

• A track record of maintaining accurate, compliant payroll during migration—parallel runs, reconciliations, statutory/tax and pension continuity, and cutover governance.

• Senior stakeholder leadership across HR, Finance, IT, works councils/employee representatives where relevant, and third-party payroll or systems integrators.

• Experience with European payroll complexity: multiple entities, currencies, languages, local vendors, GDPR/data transfer and country-specific compliance.

• Programme-owner capability: benefits case, roadmap, RAID/risks, vendor governance, testing, change management and post-go-live stabilisation.

A practical title to search beyond “Payroll Transformation Director” is: Global Payroll Transformation Director , Payroll & HR Transformation Programme Director , HR/Payroll Systems Transformation Lead , or People & Payroll Transformation Director . A live UK example of the adjacent profile—a Payroll Operations Transition Lead moving payroll from SAP ECC to SuccessFactors ECP while coordinating Payroll, People Services, Finance, Digital Services and implementation partners—shows the market does produce this hybrid skill set.

[Trusted domain pertemps.co](https://pertemps.co.uk/jobs/job-details/?vacancyref=272106836&sp=true)

I would shortlist Middlemore , Portfolio Payroll and Rise Group first, with Marks Sattin as a complementary option. They offer different routes into the candidate market: senior payroll and transformation search, established payroll leadership recruitment, and HR/finance systems programme recruitment. For your brief, I would prioritise evidence of operational payroll ownership alongside migration delivery—not just experience implementing a new platform. gpa +3

Recruitment firms to approach

| Firm | Why it fits your requirement | What to test before appointing it |

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

| Middlemore | The closest stated match to your combined brief. Its published remit spans Global Payroll, HR, HRIS and Finance, including senior payroll leadership, global payroll transformation, programme management, implementation, data migration, testing, governance and vendor management. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) | Ask for examples of UK-based director searches where candidates owned both live payroll continuity and a multi-country transformation. Its stated coverage is highly relevant, but you should validate comparable completed assignments. |

| Portfolio Payroll | A strong payroll-led route. It recruits through Head of Payroll and Payroll Director level, covers international payroll and systems implementation, and has dedicated executive, permanent and temporary/contract recruitment capabilities. theportfoliogroup +1 | Ask its executive team to distinguish operational payroll directors from leaders who have personally owned complex systems programmes across HR, finance and IT. |

| Rise Group | Particularly relevant where HR technology and finance transformation are central. It recruits across the UK and Europe for senior permanent and contract roles, with stated coverage of Workday, SAP, Oracle and UKG. A published client testimonial describes assembling a cloud-payroll implementation team with Payroll, Workday, Data and UKG expertise for a global payroll carve-out. [risegroup](https://risegroup.io/) | Establish whether it can deliver the accountable programme director, rather than primarily the implementation specialists supporting that director. |

| Marks Sattin | A useful broader transformation-search option. Its change practice covers people, process and systems transformation across HR, finance and operations, on both interim and permanent bases, with assignments across the UK and several European countries. [markssattin.co](https://www.markssattin.co.uk/change-transformation-jobs-recruitment) | Require specific evidence of payroll transformation placements: its published cross-functional transformation coverage is clearer than its payroll-director specialism. |

These are evidence-based shortlist recommendations, not confirmation that the firms currently have suitable candidates available. The sources describe their capabilities; they do not establish fees, availability or success on an assignment identical to yours.

How I would brief the search

Your requirement combines three responsibilities that should remain explicit in the brief:

• Run: maintain accurate, timely UK and European payroll throughout the transition.

• Transform: own the move to new systems, including the operating model, vendors, data, testing, cutover and stabilisation.

• Govern: lead an integrated programme across HR, finance and IT, with clear accountability for decisions, dependencies and risks.

A concise mandate to send the shortlisted firms would be:

We require a UK-based Payroll Transformation Director to own a UK and European payroll transformation while maintaining uninterrupted payroll delivery. The role is the senior accountable programme owner across HR, finance and IT—not solely a payroll operations lead or systems implementation manager. Candidates must demonstrate personal accountability for multi-country migration, payroll continuity, vendor delivery, cutover and post-go-live stabilisation.

What would distinguish a credible shortlist

I would ask each recruiter to submit candidates against the same evidence checklist:

1. Comparable scope: which countries, employee populations, payroll entities and systems did they personally own?

2. Continuity during change: how did they resource business-as-usual payroll while programme demands increased?

3. Cutover accountability: who set acceptance criteria, signed off reconciliations and made the go/no-go decision?

4. Cross-functional leadership: what authority did they hold over HR, finance, IT and external providers?

5. Outcomes: what happened to payroll accuracy, timeliness, controls and service performance during and after migration?

My suggested order is Middlemore for the closest combined leadership-and-transformation remit, Portfolio Payroll for depth in the payroll leadership market, and Rise Group for systems-transformation reach. Marks Sattin is worth adding if you want a broader cross-functional programme-leadership search alongside those specialist routes. That ordering reflects their published service coverage, rather than a verified ranking of placement performance. gpa +3