Perplexity: both observations

For a permanent Group Payroll Director to own UK/European post-acquisition payroll integration, I would contact Portfolio Payroll first , then JGA Recruitment and Frazer Jones in parallel. Portfolio is the strongest first call because it has a dedicated payroll executive-search team and explicitly recruits Payroll Directors, Global Heads of Payroll, transformation leads, EMEA/international payroll leaders, and payroll systems/implementation specialists. theportfoliogroup +1

Agencies to contact

| Priority | Agency | Why it fits this mandate |

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

| 1. Portfolio Payroll / The Portfolio Group | Dedicated payroll-only recruiter, established since 1988; its executive team targets Payroll Directors, Heads of Payroll, Global Payroll Managers and transformation leads. It also covers European/International Payroll Manager and payroll systems/HRIS specialists. theportfoliogroup +2 |

| 2. JGA Recruitment | UK payroll and HR recruiter working across the UK and EMEA; it advertises searches for Global Payroll Director, Payroll Director and Head of Payroll roles. jgarecruitment +1 |

| 3. Frazer Jones | Global HR recruitment and executive-search firm with a specialist payroll practice, covering UK, EMEA and global payroll leaders; useful if the role needs a broader international HR/payroll network. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/) |

| 4. Hays Accountancy & Finance | Large generalist with dedicated payroll consultants and UK-wide coverage; recruits up to Head of Payroll/Director level and can provide market reach and salary benchmarking. hays.co +1 |

| 5. McKinnon Talent | Smaller UK payroll-specialist recruiter, recruiting from entry level to senior leadership across in-house, bureau and outsourced environments. [mckinnontalent.co](https://mckinnontalent.co.uk/) |

| 6. Dudman Tidbury Executive Search | Mid-to-senior HR and finance executive search firm that covers payroll managers through finance leadership; a possible retained-search option rather than a payroll-only specialist. [linkedin](https://linkedin.com/in/bill-dudman-dudman-tidbury-executive-search-8823004) |

Who to contact first

Contact Portfolio Payroll first and ask specifically for its Executive Search / senior payroll leadership team . Its published specialisms align almost exactly with the brief: permanent director-level hires, global/EMEA payroll, payroll transformation, systems implementation, and senior executive search. theportfoliogroup +2

Run JGA and Frazer Jones as parallel conversations , rather than waiting for Portfolio’s shortlist. JGA brings a focused UK/EMEA payroll network, while Frazer Jones brings a wider global HR-leadership search capability—useful if the eventual appointee must operate credibly with HR, finance, works councils, local providers and acquired-country leadership teams. jgarecruitment +1

Brief to give each agency

Make clear this is not a conventional UK payroll operations director role. The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Ownership of payroll integration across multiple UK and European acquired entities.

• Experience consolidating payroll vendors, calendars, data, controls and reporting after M&A.

• Knowledge of UK payroll plus practical oversight of European payroll through in-house teams, shared services or local providers.

• Experience with payroll systems/HRIS selection or migration, automation and standardisation.

• Strong compliance, internal-controls and audit experience.

• Credibility reporting to a Group CFO and partnering with HR, tax, legal, treasury and country leadership.

• A track record of leading transformation while maintaining business-as-usual payroll delivery.

Engagement approach

For a role this strategic, ask Portfolio and Frazer Jones to quote a retained executive-search mandate ; use JGA and Hays initially for market mapping, salary calibration and contingent coverage. Portfolio explicitly offers senior/executive payroll search and salary benchmarking, while Hays can support permanent and interim appointments across its UK network. hays.co +1

A practical sequence would be: brief Portfolio this week; ask JGA and Frazer Jones for a one-page candidate-market map within five working days; then decide whether to run one retained search or a limited two-agency contingent process.

For a permanent Group Payroll Director to own post-acquisition payroll integration across the UK and Europe, I would contact Portfolio Payroll first , then Middlemore and Frazer Jones in parallel. Portfolio has the deepest dedicated UK payroll network; Middlemore is the closest fit for transformation-led, international payroll leadership; Frazer Jones adds a global HR/executive-search channel.

Agencies to contact

| Priority | Agency | Why it fits | Best use |

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

| 1 | Portfolio Payroll | UK’s largest specialist payroll recruiter, with a dedicated executive-search team for senior payroll, director and board-level roles; also recruits EMEA/international payroll, payroll systems and implementation specialists. theportfoliogroup +3 | Primary retained search for the permanent Group Payroll Director |

| 2 | Middlemore | Specialist executive search across Global Payroll, HR, HRIS, Reward and Finance; explicitly covers payroll transformation, implementation, governance, vendor management and international growth for complex/PE-backed and listed businesses. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) | Strong co-search or challenger for an integration/change-oriented leader |

| 3 | Frazer Jones | Global HR recruitment and executive-search firm with a dedicated payroll executive service, including EMEA payroll managers and global payroll leadership talent. [frazerjones](https://www.frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/) | Broaden the senior EMEA/global payroll candidate pool |

| 4 | Hays | Large UK finance recruiter covering payroll and senior finance appointments, with permanent and interim capability. [hays.co](https://www.hays.co.uk/recruitment/accountancy-finance) | Useful secondary market coverage, especially if the role reports into Finance |

| 5 | Robert Half | Established UK finance recruiter with permanent and interim finance capability, including payroll management and finance leadership. [roberthalf](https://www.roberthalf.com/gb/en/finance-accounting-recruitment) | Secondary option; likely better for finance-anchored payroll leadership |

Who to contact first

Start with Portfolio Payroll. It should be your first call because it is a payroll-only specialist, has operated since 1988, and has a distinct executive-search offering for payroll directors and global heads of payroll and benefits. Ask specifically for its Executive Payroll team , not the general payroll desk, and require evidence of recent permanent placements at Group Payroll Director, Head of Global Payroll or EMEA Payroll Director level. theportfoliogroup +3

Run Middlemore alongside it. For an acquisition-integration mandate, the critical profile is not merely a large-UK-payroll operator: it is someone who has consolidated entities, harmonised vendors and policies, managed in-country providers, delivered payroll-system change, and led compliance through transition. Middlemore explicitly positions itself around those transformation and international-growth requirements.

[gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore)

Add Frazer Jones as a third search channel. Its payroll executive practice covers manager through global payroll leadership and offers executive search, interim and permanent routes, which is useful if you want a wider European or global-payroll talent pool.

[frazerjones](https://www.frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/)

Briefing the agencies

Give all three the same concise mandate so you can compare like-for-like:

• Title: Group Payroll Director, UK & Europe.

• Mandate: Own integration of acquired UK/European payroll operations; standardise controls, calendars, data, vendor model and reporting; lead any payroll-platform/HCM consolidation.

• Must-haves: Multi-country EMEA payroll leadership; acquisition/TSAs or post-merger integration; in-country partner/vendor governance; payroll compliance and controls; executive stakeholder management.

• Strongly preferred: Payroll-system implementation or migration experience; shared-services experience; experience reporting into a Group CFO or Finance leadership team.

• Deliverable: A shortlist of 5–7 genuinely relevant leaders, with named examples of integrations, countries covered, systems delivered and stakeholder level.

Search structure

Use a retained, exclusive or tightly managed co-search rather than open contingency. A Group Payroll Director is a confidential, business-critical appointment, and the best candidates are often passive and currently leading an integration or transformation. Portfolio’s own executive-search positioning emphasises discreet access to senior payroll talent beyond standard advertising.

[theportfoliogroup](https://www.theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/hire-with-portfolio-payroll/)

A practical sequence:

1. Brief Portfolio and Middlemore this week; ask both for a market map within 10 working days.

2. Add Frazer Jones only if the first two cannot demonstrate credible EMEA integration placements.

3. Keep Hays or Robert Half as a fallback for finance-led candidates or interim cover during the integration.

4. Ask each agency for two referees from clients who hired for comparable multi-country payroll transformations—not merely senior UK payroll roles.

One caveat

Avoid agencies whose specialism is mainly contractor, umbrella, CIS or bureau payroll sales; that market overlaps with payroll but does not reliably produce group-level integration leaders. McKinnon Talent, for example, is a specialist payroll recruiter across in-house, outsourced and bureau environments, but its public positioning is broader and less explicitly executive/transformation-focused than Portfolio or Middlemore.

[mckinnontalent.co](https://www.mckinnontalent.co.uk/)