Claude
JGA recommended.

Here’s a shortlist based on what I found. I can’t vouch for placement quality or fees, so treat it as a starting point for conversations.

Strongest evidence of relevant work

• Hays (Manchester): Their Manchester office has advertised senior payroll leadership roles on a hybrid basis. These include a Head of Payroll role with up to two days a week remote, plus Payroll Manager EMEA and outsourced-provider-facing payroll vacancies. They also have UK and Europe payroll roles that ask for experience managing external payroll providers. This suggests a candidate pool that overlaps with your brief. [dwp](https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/details/16962713?lang_code=en) [hays](https://hays.co.uk/job-detail/payroll-specialist---europe-london_4745086)

• JGA Recruitment: They describe themselves as a specialist payroll and HR recruitment agency, and they are advertising Manchester payroll roles. They look strongest at the specialist and manager level, so ask whether they have placed at head-of-function level. [overseasjobs](https://overseasjobs.com/job/details/29551205/hr-payroll-manager)

• Morgan McKinley: They are recruiting for UK-based EMEA payroll roles where the main duty is acting as the liaison with outsourced payroll providers and holding them to SLAs. That is close to your supplier-oversight requirement, though those roles are London-based, so check their Manchester reach. [efinancialcareers](https://efinancialcareers.com/jobs-UK-London-EMEA_Payroll_Specialist_Netherlands__Nordic.id24504154)

• SR Group / Frazer Jones: They describe themselves as global HR recruitment specialists across the UK and Europe, and have run searches for senior global payroll leaders. They are likely to be more expensive and more London-centric, but worth a call for a senior search. [personneltoday](https://jobs.personneltoday.com/job/1401654798/global-payroll-specialist/)

Other names worth considering

(from my general knowledge, not verified in this search): Page Personnel and Michael Page (finance and payroll, strong Manchester presence), Robert Walters, and Reed Specialist Recruitment. Retained or executive search firms may also be worth considering if the role is at director level.

Questions to ask each firm

1. Have they placed a payroll lead in the last 12 to 18 months who oversaw outsourced providers (not just processed payroll in-house)?

2. Can they show candidates with provider transition or re-tender experience, such as moving between bureaus or onboarding a new provider?

3. How do they source people with European payroll exposure, and do they cover Manchester-based and relocating candidates?

4. What are their fee structure, rebate period and typical time to shortlist?

Because supplier oversight and service transition are your core criteria, I’d brief two or three firms on the same spec and compare the quality of their shortlists. Specify the providers and countries involved, since that sharpens the search considerably. I can draft a role brief or a short outreach email to send to the agencies if that would help.