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S09-A | ChatGPT | Observation 1
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Exact question
We are a Manchester-based employer changing payroll providers across the UK and Europe. We need a permanent Head of Payroll, hybrid in Manchester, to own supplier governance and the transition. Which recruitment firms should we approach for this senior hire?
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For this hire, I’d prioritise specialist payroll recruiters first, then an executive-search firm to widen the shortlist . Your brief is more specialised than a conventional Head of Payroll appointment: you need someone who can govern outsourced suppliers, lead a UK-to-Europe payroll transition, manage risk and controls, and operate credibly with Finance, HR, procurement and senior leadership.
I would start with three firms, then add one or two broader search partners depending on the seniority and salary package.
1. Recruitment firms I’d approach first
1. Portfolio Payroll
First call
The strongest starting point. Portfolio has dedicated permanent, executive and contract payroll recruitment teams, plus a Manchester office and experience recruiting senior payroll leaders. It has advertised a Manchester-based Payroll Director role requiring governance, compliance and transformation expertise. The Portfolio Group +2
Ask them to find: Heads of Payroll, Payroll Directors and international payroll leaders who have managed outsourced providers and delivered migrations.
Contact: [PortfolioPayroll—employer recruitment ](https://portfoliopayroll.com/payroll/register-a-vacancy/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Manchester office: 0161 523 5585
2. Pro-Finance
A particularly relevant option for the cross-border element. Pro-Finance has advertised a permanent Manchester-based EMEA Payroll Manager role covering 15 countries, outsourced-provider relationships, payroll controls and European compliance. That is unusually close to your operational requirements. EMEA +1
Ask them to find: Candidates with multi-country payroll ownership, ADP or comparable global payroll platforms, provider oversight and reconciliation experience.
Contact: [Pro-Finance ](https://pro-recruitment.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Best fit if you want an operationally strong international payroll leader.
3. Hays
Worth approaching because Hays has recruited for a Manchester-based EMEA payroll leadership assignment involving outsourced suppliers, multiple legal entities, compliance, controls and process improvement. The specific advertised assignment was interim, so ask its team to confirm permanent-search capability for your brief. Hays UK
Ask them to find: Permanent candidates from complex multinational employers and shared-services environments, rather than payroll processing managers alone.
Contact: [Hays UK ](https://hays.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Useful for a broader candidate pool across multinational employers.
2. Add these firms for senior search and transformation experience
4. Robert Walters
Best for broadening the search to senior finance, operations and transformation professionals in multinational organisations. Its Manchester team covers finance, technology, transformation and executive search, and the firm has advertised Manchester-based roles overseeing payroll across multiple European countries. google.com +1
Website: [RobertWalters UK ](https://robertwalters.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
5. SF Partners
Worth approaching if the transition is a major business-change programme and you want someone with programme leadership, finance transformation and stakeholder-management capability alongside payroll expertise. SF Partners has dedicated transformation, finance and executive-search practices. Transformation +2
Website: [SF Partners ](https://sfpartners.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
6. Berwick Partners
Consider this firm if the position reports to the CFO or CHRO, has substantial budget and supplier accountability, or is effectively a functional-director appointment. It offers retained senior-management search from its Manchester office. Its suitability for payroll specifically should be tested at the initial briefing.
Website: [Berwick Partners ](https://berwickpartners.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
3. How I would run the search
I’d appoint Portfolio Payroll as the lead specialist , ask Pro-Finance for a competing shortlist, and use either Robert Walters or SF Partners to access adjacent transformation talent.
Give each firm the same brief and ask for evidence of these five capabilities:
• International scope: direct accountability for UK payroll plus multiple European countries and legal entities.
• Supplier governance: experience managing outsourced payroll providers, SLAs, KPIs, escalations, service reviews and contractual performance.
• Transition delivery: ownership of discovery, data migration, parallel runs, reconciliations, cutover and post-go-live stabilisation.
• Risk and controls: payroll accuracy, statutory compliance, audit evidence, data protection and business continuity.
• Leadership: influence across Finance, HR, IT, procurement and country-level stakeholders, with the ability to challenge suppliers constructively.
I would specifically screen out candidates whose experience is limited to running an established in-house payroll team without owning a supplier transition.
4. What to send recruiters
Use this as your initial search brief.
Email
Subject
Search brief: Head of Payroll — Manchester, UK & Europe
Hello,
We are seeking recruitment partners to support a permanent Head of Payroll appointment, based in Manchester on a hybrid-working basis.
The successful candidate will own payroll supplier governance and lead a transition to a new payroll provider across the UK and Europe.
We are looking for a senior payroll leader with demonstrable experience in:
◦ Multi-country payroll operations and outsourced supplier management.
◦ Payroll transformation, provider migration and implementation governance.
◦ SLAs, KPIs, service reviews, risk management and payroll controls.
◦ Parallel running, reconciliation, cutover and post-implementation stabilisation.
◦ Senior stakeholder management across Finance, HR, IT and procurement.
Please let us know:
1. How many candidates you have placed in comparable permanent roles.
2. Your access to Manchester-based and hybrid candidates with UK and European payroll experience.
3. Examples of candidates who have personally led outsourced payroll transitions.
4. Your proposed search approach, expected timescales and fee structure.
We would welcome an initial discussion and an indicative shortlist profile.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
One final point: I would keep the job title as Head of Payroll , but position it as a payroll transformation and supplier-governance leadership role , not simply an operational payroll vacancy. That should help attract candidates who can both stabilise the service and deliver the change.
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