All answers / S09-A-claude-r1

S09-A | Claude | Observation 1

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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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Your brief is unusual: it combines senior payroll leadership, supplier governance, and a multi-country transition. I’d approach firms in three groups.

Specialist payroll and HR firms (best fit for your brief)

• Frazer Jones  is a global HR recruitment and executive search firm. It offers executive search, permanent and interim payroll recruitment, and lists UK and EMEA payroll manager searches among its services. That European angle suits you. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/?p=140035)

• Middlemore  is a specialist search firm in global payroll, HR and HRIS. Its stated expertise covers payroll transformation, implementation, governance, compliance and vendor management. That is close to your supplier-governance and transition remit. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore)

• JGA Recruitment  describes itself as a specialist payroll and HR recruitment agency and has Manchester-based roles. It is worth a conversation, though I’d check its depth at head level and in multi-country work. [overseasjobs](https://overseasjobs.com/job/details/30281989/hr-payroll-manager)

Generalist firms with a Manchester finance and payroll presence

• Hays  has a Manchester office and recruits payroll roles in the region. One example is a Senior Head of Payroll role, hybrid, at around £80,000 in the North West. [hays](https://hays.co.uk/job-detail/senior-head-of-payroll-north-west_4714062)

• Robert Walters  has advertised a permanent Head of Payroll role in Manchester city centre, so it has an active client network locally. [robertwalters](https://robertwalters.co.uk/accountancyfinance/jobs/financemanager/1828433-head-of-payroll.html)

• Michael Page  has recruited a hybrid Head of Payroll in Greater Manchester, though that example was public sector at £53,000 to £60,000. [page](https://manufacturing.page.com/job-detail/head-payroll/ref/jn-022025-6667818)

These firms have good local reach but may be thinner on candidates with European payroll vendor experience.

Retained executive search (if you want a confidential, wider search)

Some of the specialist firms above run retained searches. You could also consider a general executive search firm if you want to approach people who aren’t actively looking. I haven’t verified any specific firm for this niche, so I’d ask for evidence of comparable placements.

What to ask whichever firms you approach

1. Have they placed anyone who has led a payroll provider migration across the UK and Europe, as opposed to running a steady-state payroll?

2. Can they show candidates with supplier or vendor governance experience, such as SLAs, audits and multi-country provider management?

3. What are their fee model, rebate period and exclusivity terms? I haven’t found current fees, so confirm these directly.

4. Which Manchester-commutable candidates can they actually reach? For some profiles you may need to widen to the wider North West or to remote-plus-travel arrangements.

I’d brief two or three firms in parallel, with one specialist, one local generalist and optionally one search firm, rather than going to all of them. Salary benchmarks from live adverts vary widely, so I’d get current guidance from the specialists before fixing your range. The scope of your role may justify a figure above typical Manchester head-of-payroll postings.

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