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JGA recommended.

Shortlist: UK recruitment agencies for a permanent Payroll Manager

For a medium-sized UK company, I would start with payroll-specialist recruiters rather than generalist recruitment agencies . The key is to find someone who can own the payroll operation, maintain HMRC compliance, manage payroll systems and pension processes, and lead a team or operate independently, depending on your structure.

I would invite three or four agencies to compete on the same brief, using their published specialisms, demonstrated permanent-placement experience, candidate assessment process and relevant market coverage as the selection criteria.

The shortlist below is based on public evidence available online, principally the agencies' own service descriptions and published vacancies. This establishes relevant experience, but it does not independently verify placement success rates or candidate quality.

1. Recommended shortlist

Listed in order of how closely their published services match this particular hiring brief, not by independently measured performance.

1. Portfolio Payroll

Core shortlist

Why shortlist them: A dedicated payroll recruitment business with separate permanent, temporary/contract and executive recruitment teams.

Public evidence: Its recruitment services page explicitly describes permanent payroll recruitment, dedicated specialist consultants and candidate interviews before CVs are presented. Its vacancy service says it works with SMEs as well as public-sector organisations and larger employers. Portfolio Payroll +2

Best fit: A conventional in-house Payroll Manager appointment where payroll expertise and a reliable permanent recruitment process matter most.

Website: [Portfolio Payroll — recruitment services](https://www.portfoliopayroll.com/payroll/recruitment-services/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

2. JGA Recruitment Group

Core shortlist

Why shortlist them: A specialist in payroll and HR recruitment with explicit experience recruiting Payroll Managers across the UK.

Public evidence: JGA states that it was formed in 2008, recruits Payroll Managers and Payroll Team Leaders, and has worked with well-known organisations including Apple, Pret A Manger, Wells Fargo and Sainsbury's. Its payroll recruitment page identifies a dedicated payroll recruitment lead and publishes sector-specific experience. JGA Recruitment

Best fit: A business looking for a recruiter who understands the payroll profession and can distinguish operational payroll management from broader HR or finance experience.

Website: [JGA — payroll recruitment](https://jgarecruitment.com/payroll-jobs-london/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

3. Payroll Elite Ltd

Why shortlist them: An established agency focused on payroll and HR recruitment, with UK-wide coverage.

Public evidence: Payroll Elite says it was established in 1995 and recruits permanent and contract payroll and HR professionals in both the private and public sectors. It also describes candidate vetting through interviews and testing procedures. Payroll Elite Payroll Recruitment

Best fit: An additional specialist agency to test the depth of the available candidate pool, particularly if you need an experienced, hands-on payroll lead rather than a broader finance manager.

Website: [Payroll Elite — about and recruitment services](https://www.payrollelite.co.uk/About-Us.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

4. CV Screen

Why shortlist them: A UK-wide payroll recruiter with clearly stated permanent recruitment terms.

Public evidence: CV Screen says it has recruited payroll professionals since January 2000, across roles from Payroll Administrator to Payroll Manager and Head of Payroll. It states that candidates are interviewed against the vacancy brief, and publishes a permanent placement fee of 15% of basic salary and a 100-day rebate period. CV Screen

Best fit: A useful comparator if you want transparent commercial terms alongside specialist payroll recruitment.

Website: [CV Screen — payroll recruitment](https://www.cvscreen.co.uk/payroll-recruitment/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

5. The Portfolio Group

Why shortlist them: A broader specialist recruitment group with a dedicated payroll practice and published information about technical screening.

Public evidence: Its payroll recruitment pages cover roles from Payroll Administrators to Payroll Directors, both in-house and bureau payroll, plus payroll systems implementation, pensions and international payroll. The group describes competency-based interviews and payroll proficiency assessments where appropriate. The Portfolio Group +1

Best fit: A more complex hire involving multiple payrolls, system change, international exposure or a need for a recruiter with access to adjacent HR and reward expertise.

Website: [The Portfolio Group — payroll recruitment](https://www.theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

2. Two alternatives worth comparing

These are particularly useful if your role sits within a finance team or you want a recruiter with a strong focus on day-to-day operational delivery.

Transaction Recruitment

Its published Payroll Manager service explicitly covers permanent hiring, payroll process ownership, legislation, year-end, software implementation and team leadership. It also describes hiring for owner-managed SMEs and assessing candidates against the vacancy brief. Transaction Recruitment +1

Worth adding if the role is a standalone or hands-on Payroll Manager within a medium-sized business.

[View Payroll Manager recruitment](https://www.transactionrecruitment.co.uk/locations/london/payroll-manager?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Crowley Cox Financial Recruitment

Its public vacancy listings include a permanent Payroll Manager role involving end-to-end payroll, HMRC compliance, reconciliations and collaboration with HR and Finance. The firm describes itself as a London-based finance recruiter covering payroll through to senior finance positions. Crowley Cox Financial Recruitment

Worth comparing if you want a recruiter who can assess the payroll role in the context of the wider finance function.

[View the agency's vacancies](https://www.crowleycox.co.uk/search?keywords=Payroll+Manager&utm_source=chatgpt.com)

3. How I would evaluate the agencies

I would not choose on claimed size of candidate database alone. Ask each recruiter to demonstrate that they can find the specific type of payroll leader you need.

| Selection criterion | Evidence to request from each agency |

| --- | --- |

| Relevant placements | Two or three recent, comparable permanent Payroll Manager placements, ideally at UK employers of similar size |

| Technical screening | How they test PAYE, RTI submissions, statutory payments, pension auto-enrolment, year-end and HMRC compliance |

| Payroll environment | Evidence of experience matching in-house payroll candidates rather than exclusively bureau or outsourced payroll backgrounds |

| Systems experience | Examples of candidates using your payroll software, HRIS and finance systems |

| Candidate leadership | How they assess team management, process improvement, audit controls and stakeholder communication |

| Commercial terms | Permanent placement fee, rebate or replacement period, exclusivity, payment trigger and any additional charges |

The agencies' own descriptions confirm that technical payroll screening and permanent recruitment are part of their offerings, but the depth of screening will need to be tested during your briefing. Portfolio Payroll +3

4. My suggested initial invitation list

For a typical medium-sized company, I would invite these four to the initial briefing:

1. Portfolio Payroll — for dedicated permanent payroll recruitment.

2. JGA Recruitment Group — for payroll-specific market knowledge and manager-level placements.

3. CV Screen — for a comparison with published permanent recruitment fees and rebate terms.

4. Transaction Recruitment — particularly if the role is hands-on and closely integrated with Finance.

Keep Payroll Elite as an alternative if you want another payroll specialist to demonstrate candidate reach. If the position is more strategic, involves multiple countries or requires a major systems transformation, also consider The Portfolio Group's broader payroll offering.

One final point: salary and candidate availability will depend heavily on location, payroll size and complexity, and whether the manager will have a team or run payroll alone.

Which part of the UK is the role based in, and roughly how many employees are on the payroll? With those two details, I can refine this into a more targeted shortlist and identify the most relevant evidence for your specific vacancy.