Claude
JGA recommended.

Several UK agencies specialise in payroll hiring and place permanent staff at manager level. The best-documented ones are below.

Payroll specialists

• Portfolio Payroll (The Portfolio Group): Founded in 1988, it recruits only payroll professionals across all industry sectors in the UK, with permanent, temporary and contract options at all levels. It is also an official corporate partner of the CIPP, and the partnership includes a payroll test written exclusively for Portfolio by the CIPP. That testing is useful when you’re vetting a manager-level hire. Phone: 020 7247 9455. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/436939326/57) [a-leads](https://a-leads.co/company/1310115_db8aecdb)

• James Gray Associates (JGA): It specialises in payroll, HR and reward recruitment, covering permanent, contract and interim roles, and has offered CIPP members 20% off standard terms. It lists Payroll Manager among the roles it fills and says it works with large household-name employers. Phone: 01727 800 377. [Professional February 2024 (Sample) +2](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/463504591/57/)

• Payroll Elite: A London-based consultancy that offers contract and permanent recruitment by pre-selecting candidates against the client’s requirements. Phone: 0203 815 7064. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/833150/55/)

Larger firms with payroll practices

• Hays: Its payroll team recruits across a range of UK industries and specialises in placing professionals into payroll jobs. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/833150/55/)

• Frazer Jones: It built a payroll specialist practice in response to growing payroll complexity. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/366801720/57/)

• Robert Walters: It is currently recruiting for payroll roles in London, so it has a live payroll presence. [robertwalters](https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/humanresources/jobs/otherspecialistpositions/1894184-payroll-specialist---temp-tp-perm.html)

Tips for choosing

• Check the sources’ age. Most of this comes from CIPP directory listings dated 2018 to 2024. Confirm the contact details and that each agency still covers permanent payroll before you call.

• Ask for a shortlist and terms upfront. Ask for fee percentages, rebate or replacement periods if the hire leaves early, and how they screen for UK payroll compliance (HMRC/RTI, auto-enrolment, statutory pay).

• Compare two or three agencies. Their candidate pools overlap less than you’d expect, so a short comparison is worthwhile.

• Mention your payroll software (Sage, ADP, iTrent, etc.) and whether you need hands-on processing or team leadership as well. This makes matching much faster.

• Consider the CIPP. The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals publishes a recruitment agency directory and runs a jobs board, which may suit a mid-sized business.

If you tell me your location, industry and approximate salary band, I can narrow this down to agencies that fit best.