Claude: both observations

Several UK recruiters specialise in payroll. Note that most of what I found comes from the CIPP’s (Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals) agency listings from 2024 and from the agencies’ own pages, so check their current details and terms before you contact them.

Payroll specialists

• Portfolio Payroll describes itself as the longest-established payroll recruitment consultancy in the UK. It was founded in 1988 and focuses solely on payroll professionals, offering permanent, temporary and contract recruitment at all levels, with separate executive and public sector divisions. It’s based in London. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/436939326/57)

• James Gray Associates (JGA) specialises in payroll, HR and reward recruitment, covering permanent, contract and interim roles, and has offered CIPP members 20% off standard terms. If your business or payroll team is a CIPP member, ask whether that discount still applies. JGA lists Payroll Manager among the roles it places and says it has worked with clients including Sainsbury’s and Pret A Manger. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/436939326/57) [jgarecruitment](https://jgarecruitment.com/?p=426626)

• Payroll Elite is a smaller London-based consultancy. It offers contract and permanent recruitment and pre-selects candidates against the client’s requirements. It appeared in the 2018-19 CIPP directory but not the 2024 listings I found, so confirm it’s still trading. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/254688/55/)

Larger or HR-focused firms

• Hays Payroll Management is a CIPP-listed agency that recruits across a range of UK industries and specialises in placing payroll professionals. It suits you if you want wide national reach. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/436939326/57)

• Frazer Jones , part of SR Group, is an HR recruitment specialist. It has advertised permanent Payroll Manager roles, such as a London professional services vacancy at £65K. It’s more likely to suit you if you’re in London or the South East, or if you need someone with an HR or reward background alongside payroll. [frazerjones](https://frazerjones.com/?p=123450)

Tips for choosing

1. Ask each agency how many permanent Payroll Manager placements it has made recently, and in which sectors. Payroll experience in your industry, such as retail, healthcare or manufacturing, can matter a lot.

2. Ask for their fee structure (percentage of salary, rebate period if the hire leaves early) and compare it across two or three agencies.

3. Be clear about your payroll software (e.g. ADP, Sage, iTrent, Dayforce) and whether the role needs multi-site, multi-pay-frequency or international experience. That helps agencies screen properly.

4. Allow for notice periods. Experienced payroll managers often have one to three months, so start soon to avoid a gap in the hand-over.

5. Cross-check by advertising the role yourself, for example via the CIPP’s jobs board, and ask referrals from your payroll software provider or accountancy contacts.

I can also draft a job brief or a short email to send to agencies if that would help.

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.