Perplexity: both observations

I’d start with specialists : Portfolio Payroll and JGA Recruitment, with Oakleaf Partnership or McKinnon Talent as an additional option. For a hands-on Senior Payroll Specialist joining a small team, those are more closely aligned with your brief than a general recruitment agency: each has a dedicated payroll focus or team, rather than treating payroll as a small part of finance recruitment. jgarecruitment +3

Agencies to speak to

| Agency | Why it belongs on your shortlist | How to approach them |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Portfolio Payroll | The clearest starting point. It recruits permanent payroll staff across the UK, covers the full seniority range, and explicitly handles both in-house and bureau roles. That makes it a direct match for an experienced operational hire rather than an executive search. [theportfoliogroup](https://www.theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/) | Use its “register a role” route, or call London on 0207 247 9455 or Manchester on 0161 523 5585. [theportfoliogroup](https://www.theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/) |

| JGA Recruitment | A dedicated payroll and HR recruitment agency serving employers across UK sectors. Its payroll specialism makes it a sensible second conversation for defining the brief and finding relevant candidates. jgarecruitment +1 | Contact info@jgarecruitment.com or 01727 800377. Specify that this is a permanent, hands-on UK payroll role. [jgarecruitment](https://jgarecruitment.com/) |

| Oakleaf Partnership | Has a team dedicated exclusively to payroll, placing permanent and temporary candidates at all levels across the UK. Its coverage includes day-to-day payroll operations as well as implementation and international work. [oakleafpartnership](https://www.oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll) | Contact enquiries@oakleafpartnership.com or 020 7220 7030 and ask for the payroll recruitment team. [oakleafpartnership](https://www.oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll) |

| McKinnon Talent | A specialist payroll recruiter working across the UK, covering in-house, outsourced, bureau and accountancy-firm environments. Its advertised roles include permanent Senior Payroll Administrator positions—a useful adjacent title for your search. [mckinnontalent.co](https://www.mckinnontalent.co.uk/) | Contact admin@mckinnontalent.co.uk or 0161 507 0011. [mckinnontalent.co](https://www.mckinnontalent.co.uk/) |

This is a shortlist based on the agencies’ stated specialisms and services, not an independently verified ranking of placement quality. Their published information cannot establish which currently has the strongest candidates for your location, salary and working pattern.

How I’d brief them for your particular hire

Your key distinction is that you need another experienced person to share delivery—not necessarily a payroll manager. I’d give each agency the same brief:

“We’re expanding a small UK payroll team and need a permanent Senior Payroll Specialist who will remain hands-on, independently own payroll processing and provide reliable cover for colleagues. This is an additional operational hire, rather than a head-of-function role.”

Then include:

• Location, required office attendance and salary range.

• Employee numbers, payroll frequencies, number of entities and any expected growth.

• Payroll software and whether processing is in-house, outsourced or split.

• What the person will own: processing, reconciliations, statutory submissions, pensions, queries and checking colleagues’ work.

• Any genuine complexity, such as variable pay, multiple payrolls or international responsibilities.

How to choose between the agencies

I’d hold initial calls with Portfolio and JGA, then add Oakleaf or McKinnon if you want another comparison. Before instructing anyone, ask:

1. “What comparable permanent, hands-on senior payroll roles have you filled recently?”

2. “How would you assess whether someone can independently run our payroll—not just support it?”

3. “What salary and working pattern would make this brief competitive in our location?”

4. “What are your fee, payment trigger, rebate or replacement terms, and any exclusivity requirements?”

That gives you a more useful basis for choosing than agency size or marketing claims: relevant recent experience, a realistic understanding of your brief, and clear commercial terms.

For a permanent UK Senior Payroll Specialist , start with specialist payroll recruiters, then add one or two broader finance/HR agencies for market coverage. The strongest first conversations would be Portfolio Payroll, Oakleaf Partnership, Reed, Michael Page, and Robert Walters .

Specialist payroll recruiters

| Agency | Why speak to them | Best fit |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Portfolio Payroll | A dedicated UK payroll recruiter that has operated since 1988 and recruits permanent payroll roles from administrator through executive level; it also has a long-standing CIPP relationship and candidate-testing facilities. theportfoliogroup +2 | Best first call for a pure payroll brief, especially if you need someone strong on UK compliance and end-to-end processing. |

| Oakleaf Partnership | Its payroll division is a dedicated payroll consultancy covering permanent and interim roles from Payroll Administrator to Payroll Director, with UK and international sourcing capability. [oakleafpartnership](https://oakleafpartnership.com/business-areas/payroll/payroll-capabilities) | Strong option for a senior specialist with broader HR, reward, implementation, or global-payroll exposure. |

| McKinnon Talent | A specialist UK payroll recruiter covering in-house, bureau, outsourced, and accountancy-firm environments, from entry level to senior leadership. [mckinnontalent.co](https://mckinnontalent.co.uk/) | Useful if you want a boutique, payroll-only search and a more tailored candidate shortlist. |

Broader agencies worth including

| Agency | Why speak to them | Best fit |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Michael Page | Actively recruits permanent payroll roles, including Senior Payroll Specialist positions with end-to-end payroll, compliance, reconciliation, and stakeholder responsibilities. michaelpage.co +1 | Good if the role sits within finance and needs commercial/stakeholder-management skills. |

| Reed | Has a dedicated payroll specialism and advertises permanent senior payroll roles; its accountancy practice also recruits payroll managers and payrollers on a permanent basis. reed +1 | Useful for regional reach and a mix of payroll and finance/accountancy candidates. |

| Robert Walters | Provides permanent recruitment services and payroll solutions, with coverage across accounting, finance, HR, and related professional functions. robertwalters.co +1 | Worth approaching if the hire will also own payroll systems, process improvement, or team leadership. |

How to run the search

• Brief 2–3 agencies, not 6–8. For a single permanent hire, use one specialist payroll recruiter as lead, plus one broader agency for comparison; too many agencies can create duplicate CVs and weaken candidate experience.

• Define the actual workload split. Specify payroll frequency, headcount, pension/auto-enrolment, benefits, HMRC submissions, year-end/P60/P11D, systems, and whether the person will deputise for a Payroll Manager.

• Prioritise compliance evidence. Ask for examples of RTI submissions, statutory payments, pensions, terminations, reconciliations, and resolving employee or HMRC queries.

• Test practical capability. Use a short payroll scenario or technical assessment; Portfolio Payroll’s CIPP-linked testing is one example of how specialist agencies can support this. [linkedin](https://linkedin.com/in/tom-heppell-50b399325)

• Agree exclusivity or a clear fee structure. Exclusive contingent search often gets more consultant time for a senior permanent role; retainers are more appropriate if the position is hard to fill or business-critical.

If you want the simplest starting point: contact Portfolio Payroll and Oakleaf Partnership first, then add Michael Page or Reed depending on whether the role is more finance-led or regionally focused.