JGA STUDY · SAVED-TEXT EVIDENCE EXPORT Original answer wording and recorded date preserved. Answer ID: S06-D-perplexity-r1 Recorded UTC: 2026-10-19T18:25:09.068Z Product: Perplexity Observation: 1 Collection country: UK Access: Dedicated signed-in / Free Model label: Search; automatic/default Model Mode: Free plan Search; native Incognito; underlying model not disclosed EXACT QUESTION Our country payroll teams will stay in place, but we need a permanent UK-based Global Payroll Director to take accountability for controls and recurring payroll failures. Which search firms should our CFO and CHRO consider for that leadership appointment? FULL SAVED ANSWER For a permanent, UK-based Global Payroll Director with direct accountability for controls and fixing recurring failures, your CFO and CHRO should run a dual-track search : specialist payroll/HR search firms for deep market access, plus a broader HR/shared-services executive-search firm for candidates who can operate credibly with Finance, Audit, and the Board. The role should be scoped as a global control-and-transformation leader, not merely a coordinator of country payroll teams. KPMG’s 2026 payroll research similarly emphasizes elevating payroll ownership and strengthening governance and internal controls across regions and vendors. [Trusted domain kpmg](https://kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2026/global-payroll-survey-report.html) Recommended search firms | Firm | Why consider them | Best fit for this brief | | --- | --- | --- | | Middlemore | Specialist executive search across Global Payroll, HR, HRIS, Finance, Reward and corporate functions; explicitly covers global payroll transformation, governance, compliance, vendor management and post-implementation optimisation. [Trusted domain gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) | Strong first choice for a controls-led global payroll leader; likely strongest access to transformation and remediation profiles. | | Portfolio Payroll / The Portfolio Group | Describes itself as the largest specialist payroll recruiter in the UK and runs dedicated executive search for Global Directors, Heads of Payroll, transformation leads and director-level payroll professionals. theportfoliogroup +1 | Best for depth in UK and international payroll leadership; useful for benchmarking and a broad candidate map. | | Oakleaf Partnership | Dedicated payroll consultancy recruiting permanent and interim roles through Global Payroll Directors and Global Payroll Implementation Managers, with UK and international sourcing. [oakleafpartnership](https://oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll/payroll-capabilities) | Good for candidates with global payroll implementation, operating-model and controls experience. | | JGA Recruitment Group | A specialist global payroll and HR executive-search firm, with payroll and HR talent sourcing across 35+ countries. [linkedin](https://linkedin.com/in/nickday) | Strong option if the role spans multiple regions and requires an internationally networked payroll leader. | | Frazer Jones | Global HR recruitment and executive-search consultancy with a specialist payroll executive service and global payroll talent networks. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/) | Useful complement for HR-led candidates and multinational payroll leadership. | | Berwick Partners | UK HR executive-search practice within Odgers Berndtson, recruiting senior HR leaders and shared-services leaders, with access to a global HR talent pool. [Trusted domain berwickpartners](https://berwickpartners.co.uk/hr/) | Best for a more strategic, board-facing appointment where influence across HR, Finance, Audit and shared services matters as much as payroll technical depth. | | Stanton Chase London | Established retained executive-search firm handling CxO, managing director and senior leadership searches in the UK and internationally. [Trusted domain stantonchase](https://stantonchase.com/office/executive-search-firm-in-london-united-kingdom) | Consider for a highly senior, high-stakes mandate—especially if the Director will report into the CFO or CHRO and lead a broader payroll-control turnaround. | How to structure the mandate I would shortlist Middlemore, Portfolio Payroll, and Berwick Partners for competing pitches, then add Oakleaf or JGA if you need deeper international payroll coverage. This balances specialist payroll knowledge with executive-search rigour. Make the brief explicitly require evidence of: • Owning a global payroll control framework, SOX or equivalent controls, and audit remediation. • Turning around recurring payroll failures: root-cause analysis, error taxonomies, payment controls, data-quality fixes, and post-implementation assurance. • Governing in-country teams and outsourced/managed-payroll providers without displacing them. • Partnering credibly with Finance, Tax, HR, Legal, Internal Audit, works councils and payroll vendors. • Leading payroll transformation, systems/data remediation, and standardised global processes. Selection guidance • Use a retained search , not contingent recruitment, given the accountability, cross-functional exposure and likely sensitivity of the role. • Ask each firm for a named consultant team , payroll search references, and examples of comparable global payroll-control or remediation appointments. • Require candidates to present a 90-day control-stabilisation plan : incident triage, control ownership, vendor accountability, reporting, and escalation routes. • Test for both “fixer” and “builder” capability: the appointee must stop repeat failures while putting durable governance, data controls and service standards in place. A useful calibration point: comparable Global Payroll Director roles commonly combine end-to-end payroll ownership with compliance, governance, internal controls, systems deployment and cross-functional work with Finance, Audit and HR. careers.aristocrat +1 SOURCES S06-D-perplexity-r1-C1 | supporting_citation | https://kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2026/global-payroll-survey-report.html S06-D-perplexity-r1-C2 | supporting_citation | https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore S06-D-perplexity-r1-C3 | supporting_citation | https://oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll/payroll-capabilities S06-D-perplexity-r1-C4 | supporting_citation | https://linkedin.com/in/nickday S06-D-perplexity-r1-C5 | supporting_citation | https://frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-C6 | supporting_citation | https://berwickpartners.co.uk/hr/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-C7 | supporting_citation | https://stantonchase.com/office/executive-search-firm-in-london-united-kingdom S06-D-perplexity-r1-C8 | supporting_citation | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/executive-search/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-C9 | supporting_citation | https://theportfoliogroup.com/executive-search/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-C10 | supporting_citation | https://careers.aristocrat.com/en/jobs/r0022734/sr-global-payroll-director/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-C11 | supporting_citation | https://careers.mypos.com/jobs/7044084-global-payroll-director S06-D-perplexity-r1-R1 | retrieved_result | https://kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2026/global-payroll-survey-report.html S06-D-perplexity-r1-R2 | retrieved_result | https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore S06-D-perplexity-r1-R3 | retrieved_result | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/executive-search/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R4 | retrieved_result | https://theportfoliogroup.com/executive-search/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R5 | retrieved_result | https://oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll/payroll-capabilities S06-D-perplexity-r1-R6 | retrieved_result | https://linkedin.com/in/nickday S06-D-perplexity-r1-R7 | retrieved_result | https://frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R8 | retrieved_result | https://berwickpartners.co.uk/hr/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R9 | retrieved_result | https://stantonchase.com/office/executive-search-firm-in-london-united-kingdom S06-D-perplexity-r1-R10 | retrieved_result | https://careers.aristocrat.com/en/jobs/r0022734/sr-global-payroll-director/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R11 | retrieved_result | https://careers.mypos.com/jobs/7044084-global-payroll-director S06-D-perplexity-r1-R12 | retrieved_result | https://uk.adp.com/resources/adp-articles-and-insights/articles/a/a-guide-to-global-payroll-management-and-best-practices.aspx S06-D-perplexity-r1-R13 | retrieved_result | https://uk.adp.com/what-we-offer/payroll/global-payroll-services.aspx S06-D-perplexity-r1-R14 | retrieved_result | https://topsourceworldwide.com/insights/how-to-choose-one-of-the-best-global-payroll-provider-for-multi-country-compliance/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R15 | retrieved_result | https://linkedin.com/jobs/view/global-payroll-director-at-pinnacle-consulting-recruitment-4440458853 S06-D-perplexity-r1-R16 | retrieved_result | https://acumon.com/blog/global-payroll-companies-in-the-uk/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R17 | retrieved_result | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R18 | retrieved_result | https://executiveheadhunters.co.uk/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R19 | retrieved_result | https://vida-cs.com/payroll S06-D-perplexity-r1-R20 | retrieved_result | https://cpl.com/uk/recruitment/executive-search S06-D-perplexity-r1-R21 | retrieved_result | https://linkedin.com/in/luke-leonce-52a410a6 S06-D-perplexity-r1-R22 | retrieved_result | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/why-use-us/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R23 | retrieved_result | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/recruitment-services/ S06-D-perplexity-r1-R24 | retrieved_result | https://builtinlondon.uk/jobs/finance/search/payroll