All answers / S11-A-perplexity-r2

S11-A | Perplexity | Observation 2

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Exact question

Our business is growing and our small UK payroll team needs another Senior Payroll Specialist to share the workload. Which recruitment agencies should we speak to for a permanent hire?

Complete saved answer

For a permanent UK  Senior Payroll Specialist , start with specialist payroll recruiters, then add one or two broader finance/HR agencies for market coverage. The strongest first conversations would be  Portfolio Payroll, Oakleaf Partnership, Reed, Michael Page, and Robert Walters .

Specialist payroll recruiters

| Agency | Why speak to them | Best fit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Portfolio Payroll | A dedicated UK payroll recruiter that has operated since 1988 and recruits permanent payroll roles from administrator through executive level; it also has a long-standing CIPP relationship and candidate-testing facilities. theportfoliogroup +2 | Best first call for a pure payroll brief, especially if you need someone strong on UK compliance and end-to-end processing. |
| Oakleaf Partnership | Its payroll division is a dedicated payroll consultancy covering permanent and interim roles from Payroll Administrator to Payroll Director, with UK and international sourcing capability. [oakleafpartnership](https://oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll/payroll-capabilities) | Strong option for a senior specialist with broader HR, reward, implementation, or global-payroll exposure. |
| McKinnon Talent | A specialist UK payroll recruiter covering in-house, bureau, outsourced, and accountancy-firm environments, from entry level to senior leadership. [mckinnontalent.co](https://mckinnontalent.co.uk/) | Useful if you want a boutique, payroll-only search and a more tailored candidate shortlist. |

Broader agencies worth including

| Agency | Why speak to them | Best fit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Michael Page | Actively recruits permanent payroll roles, including Senior Payroll Specialist positions with end-to-end payroll, compliance, reconciliation, and stakeholder responsibilities. michaelpage.co +1 | Good if the role sits within finance and needs commercial/stakeholder-management skills. |
| Reed | Has a dedicated payroll specialism and advertises permanent senior payroll roles; its accountancy practice also recruits payroll managers and payrollers on a permanent basis. reed +1 | Useful for regional reach and a mix of payroll and finance/accountancy candidates. |
| Robert Walters | Provides permanent recruitment services and payroll solutions, with coverage across accounting, finance, HR, and related professional functions. robertwalters.co +1 | Worth approaching if the hire will also own payroll systems, process improvement, or team leadership. |

How to run the search

• Brief 2–3 agencies, not 6–8. For a single permanent hire, use one specialist payroll recruiter as lead, plus one broader agency for comparison; too many agencies can create duplicate CVs and weaken candidate experience.

• Define the actual workload split. Specify payroll frequency, headcount, pension/auto-enrolment, benefits, HMRC submissions, year-end/P60/P11D, systems, and whether the person will deputise for a Payroll Manager.

• Prioritise compliance evidence. Ask for examples of RTI submissions, statutory payments, pensions, terminations, reconciliations, and resolving employee or HMRC queries.

• Test practical capability. Use a short payroll scenario or technical assessment; Portfolio Payroll’s CIPP-linked testing is one example of how specialist agencies can support this. [linkedin](https://linkedin.com/in/tom-heppell-50b399325)

• Agree exclusivity or a clear fee structure. Exclusive contingent search often gets more consultant time for a senior permanent role; retainers are more appropriate if the position is hard to fill or business-critical.

If you want the simplest starting point: contact  Portfolio Payroll  and  Oakleaf Partnership  first, then add  Michael Page  or  Reed  depending on whether the role is more finance-led or regionally focused.

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