ChatGPT: both observations

For this brief, I’d target specialist payroll and finance recruitment firms, alongside executive recruiters with a strong HR operations practice . You need more than someone who can run UK payroll: the Head of Payroll must manage outsourced providers across the UK and Europe, lead a provider transition, and own service quality, controls, compliance and stakeholder relationships.

For a permanent, hybrid role based in Manchester, I’d prioritise recruiters who can reach candidates with experience in multi-country outsourced payroll, vendor management and payroll transformation .

My recommended recruiters

1. Portfolio Payroll

First choice

The strongest starting point. Its dedicated payroll practice recruits permanent and executive-level payroll leaders, including Heads of Payroll, European Payroll Managers and global payroll leaders. It also has a Manchester team. Portfolio Payroll +2

• Contact: Gillian Owen, Director, Manchester payroll team

• Phone: 0161 523 5585

• Email: [GillianOwen/Portfolio team ](https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/our-team/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

• Vacancy enquiry: [Portfolio Payroll — register a vacancy](https://portfoliopayroll.com/payroll/register-a-vacancy/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

2. JGA Recruitment

A strong specialist option for senior payroll and international payroll talent. JGA specifically recruits across payroll roles in the UK and EMEA, and its Manchester payroll recruitment practice is led by Nick Day. JGA Recruitment

• Contact: Nick Day

• Phone: 01727 800 377

• Email: Nick@jgarecruitment.com

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

3. McKinnon Talent

A dedicated payroll recruiter covering permanent appointments through to senior leadership. Worth approaching for candidates in payroll bureaux, outsourced providers and in-house payroll functions. Mckinnon Talent

• Phone: 0161 507 0011

• Email: admin@mckinnontalent.co.uk

• Website: [McKinnon Talent ](https://mckinnontalent.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

4. Frazer Jones

Particularly relevant if you want a strategic leader rather than a purely operational payroll manager. It offers dedicated payroll executive search and permanent recruitment, with access to UK and international payroll talent. Frazer Jones

• Contact: John O’Brien, Executive Director and Head of Payroll

• Phone: 020 7415 2171

• Website: [FrazerJones—payroll recruitment ](https://frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

5. Hays

A useful additional route because Hays has recruited for Manchester-based EMEA payroll roles involving outsourced providers, multi-country compliance and payroll controls. Confirm that the consultant handling your vacancy can deliver a permanent leadership search, not just interim cover. Hays UK

• Manchester payroll contact: Queenie Ng has handled an EMEA payroll assignment.

• Website: [Hays—payroll recruitment ](https://hays.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

How I would run the search

I would brief Portfolio Payroll and JGA first, then ask Frazer Jones to assess the senior executive-search market. This gives you specialist payroll coverage plus a route to more senior, potentially passive candidates.

Ask each recruiter to demonstrate that they can find candidates who have:

• Led outsourced payroll across the UK and multiple European countries.

• Managed a payroll provider change, including vendor selection, implementation, parallel runs, testing and go-live.

• Owned service-level agreements, escalations, payroll controls, reconciliations and compliance.

• Influenced senior HR, Finance, Procurement and external provider stakeholders.

• Led a permanent team and operated at Head-of-function level.

One important distinction: experience managing a mature outsourced service is not necessarily experience transitioning between providers. Make the latter a specific screening requirement.

Suggested recruitment brief

Email

Subject

Permanent Head of Payroll — Manchester hybrid | UK & European provider transition

Hi,

We are looking to appoint an experienced, permanent Head of Payroll for a hybrid role based in Manchester.

The successful candidate will lead UK and European payroll operations delivered through external payroll suppliers. A key priority will be overseeing a change of payroll providers, ensuring a controlled transition, continuity of service, strong governance and accurate, compliant payroll delivery.

We are looking for an established payroll leader with demonstrable experience in:

◦ Managing outsourced payroll providers across the UK and Europe.

◦ Leading or playing a senior role in a payroll provider transition or implementation.

◦ Managing vendor performance, SLAs, controls, reconciliations and compliance.

◦ Working across HR, Finance, Procurement and senior business stakeholders.

◦ Leading teams and driving continuous improvement in a multi-country environment.

The position is permanent and hybrid, with Manchester as the base.

Please let us know whether you have candidates who match this brief, how you would approach the search, and your proposed terms and indicative timescale.

We would particularly welcome candidates who have personally led a supplier change rather than only managed business-as-usual payroll delivery.

Kind regards,

[Your name]

Three details that would help me narrow the shortlist

The biggest factor in selecting the right recruiter is the seniority and scale of the role.

What salary range are you targeting for the permanent Head of Payroll? That will help determine whether you need a senior payroll manager stepping up, an established Head of Payroll, or a global payroll transformation leader.

For this role, I’d prioritise recruiters who specialise in senior payroll appointments and international payroll , rather than generalist HR agencies. You need someone who can find a permanent Head of Payroll in Manchester who has led UK and European outsourced payroll operations and can manage a provider transition, governance, controls and service quality.

My recommended recruiters

1. Portfolio Payroll — best first call

Top recommendation

A specialist payroll recruiter with a Manchester office and dedicated permanent and executive-search teams. It explicitly recruits Heads of Payroll, international payroll managers and global payroll leaders. Portfolio Payroll +2

• Manchester: 0161 523 5585

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

• Ask for: The Manchester consultant handling senior permanent and international payroll appointments.

Why I’d start here: your vacancy is a close match for its stated specialism, and it can search for an experienced payroll leader rather than simply someone who has managed a domestic payroll team.

2. JGA Recruitment — best for international payroll talent

JGA specialises in payroll recruitment across the UK and EMEA, with a Manchester-focused recruitment offering. Its advertised roles include Head of Payroll, International Payroll Manager and Global Payroll Director. JGA Recruitment +1

• Contact: Nick Day

• Email: Nick@jgarecruitment.com

• Telephone: 01727 800 377

• Website: [JGA Payroll Recruitment – Manchester](https://jgarecruitment.com/payroll-jobs-manchester/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Why I’d approach them: the UK-and-Europe remit makes international payroll experience essential, and JGA is worth testing for candidates with multi-country and outsourced-provider expertise.

3. Hays — strong for senior transformation leadership

Hays has a Manchester payroll specialism and has recently advertised a permanent, hybrid Global Payroll Director role involving multi-region operations, vendor relationships, governance and payroll transformation. Hays UK

• Manchester payroll contact: Queenie Ng

• Telephone: 0161 236 7272

• Website: [Hays Global Payroll Director search](https://www.hays.co.uk/job-detail/global-payroll-director--manchester_4717919?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Why I’d approach them: the transformation component of your brief is particularly relevant. Ask specifically for candidates who have changed payroll providers or led a complex implementation , not just overseen BAU delivery.

4. Robert Walters — good for EMEA payroll and vendor management

Its Manchester team recruits in finance and operations, and the firm has advertised a permanent hybrid Manchester payroll role covering 19 countries, multiple legal entities and outsourced providers such as ADP Celergo. Robert Walters

• Manchester telephone: 0161 214 7400

• Relevant consultant on the advertised role: Tunde Williams, 0161 214 7445

• Email: tunde.williams@robertwalters.com

• Website: [Robert Walters Manchester](https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Why I’d approach them: they have evidence of recruiting for the sort of multi-country, outsourced-payroll environment you describe. Confirm that their proposed search will be led by a payroll specialist.

5. Pro-Recruitment Group — useful for the EMEA talent pool

The firm has advertised a Manchester-based EMEA Payroll Manager vacancy involving 15 countries, ADP and outsourced payroll providers, with a permanent version of the role also advertised. EMEA +1

• Named contact: Matt Davidson

• Email: matt.davidson@pro-finance.co.uk

• Website: [Pro-Recruitment Group](https://www.pro-recruitment.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Why I’d approach them: they may have access to candidates with directly relevant EMEA payroll experience. Check that they can deliver a senior, permanent Head-of-Function appointment rather than a manager-level shortlist.

Manchester recruiter locations

Recruiters to contact in Manchester

What I would brief the recruiters to find

I’d make these requirements explicit in the job specification and initial recruiter call:

• Permanent leadership: proven Head of Payroll, Global Payroll Lead or equivalent experience.

• International scope: direct accountability for UK payroll and multiple European countries.

• Outsourcing expertise: management of payroll bureaux or global providers, service-level agreements, escalations, controls and supplier performance.

• Provider transition: experience selecting, replacing, implementing or migrating payroll providers, including parallel runs, data validation, testing and cutover.

• Governance: strong payroll controls, reconciliations, audit readiness, local compliance and executive stakeholder reporting.

• Hybrid Manchester: ability to attend the Manchester office on your agreed hybrid schedule.

I would ask each agency for three things before appointing them: examples of comparable permanent hires, how they will identify candidates who have personally led a provider change, and whether they can conduct a targeted search of passive candidates rather than relying on applicants.

My suggested approach

Start with Portfolio Payroll and JGA Recruitment , then brief Hays as a third option for the transformation-led aspect of the role. Bring in Robert Walters if you want to broaden the search across international payroll and finance operations.

One important question will help determine the right seniority and search strategy: how many employees and countries will the Head of Payroll oversee, approximately? That will help distinguish a senior operational leader from a Global Payroll Director-level appointment.