Claude
JGA recommended.

For a permanent Senior Payroll Specialist hire in the UK, I’d start with the payroll specialists and use one or two generalist firms as a comparison.

Payroll-specialist agencies

• Portfolio Payroll (part of The Portfolio Group, London) describes itself as the longest-established UK payroll recruiter, founded in 1988 and focused solely on payroll professionals. It is also a corporate partner of the CIPP and offers candidate testing with a payroll test written with the CIPP, which is handy for checking technical depth in a senior hire. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/463504591/57/)

• JGA Recruitment (James Gray Associates) specialises in payroll, HR and reward. Their own materials say they offer CIPP members a 20% discount off standard terms, so ask whether you or your payroll lead qualify. It’s a smaller agency, and it has advertised many payroll roles across the UK. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/463504591/57/)

Larger generalist firms with payroll practices

• Hays has a dedicated payroll practice and recruits across a range of UK industries, specialising in placing experts into payroll jobs. It has a wide reach and recent permanent payroll vacancies. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/463504591/57/)

• Robert Walters also advertises UK payroll specialist roles, including in financial services and HR operations.

• Oakleaf Partnership describes itself as the UK’s largest independent HR recruitment consultancy, and has placed payroll roles. It’s a good option if you also hire in HR. [personneltoday](https://jobs.personneltoday.com/job/1401603356/payroll-specialist-/)

How I’d approach it

1. Brief two or three agencies rather than all of them, mixing a specialist with one larger firm.

2. Negotiate fees. Permanent placement fees are commonly a percentage of first-year salary, and they are often negotiable, especially if you hire more than once.

3. Ask about guarantee periods and rebate terms in case the hire doesn’t work out.

4. Ask how they assess candidates for technical depth: payroll tests, system knowledge (for example, your payroll software), and year-end and RTI experience.

5. Be specific in the brief about system experience, team size, and whether the role is hybrid, because senior payroll candidates are in demand and often have multiple offers.

I’ve drawn the descriptions from agency and trade publications, some of which date from 2024, so check each agency’s current services and terms with them directly. Fees and market rates vary, and I haven’t verified any of them here. A free alternative to add alongside agencies is posting the role directly, for example through the CIPP’s job board and LinkedIn.

If it would help, I can draft a role brief or a short list of screening questions for the agencies.