Claude: both observations

Specialist payroll recruiters are worth using here, because skilled payroll people are in short supply and generalist job boards tend to pull in mostly junior applicants. My search results were thin and skewed towards the agencies’ own marketing, so treat this as a shortlist to vet, not a ranking.

Specialists worth a conversation

• Portfolio Payroll (London): describes itself as a recruitment consultancy focused solely on payroll professionals at all levels, and says it is a corporate partner of the CIPP, offering a payroll test written with the institute. A CIPP-linked skills test is useful when you’re hiring for technical depth. [a-leads](https://a-leads.co/company/1310115_db8aecdb)

• JGA Recruitment : positions itself as a payroll talent specialist covering the UK and globally, and claims a 97.6% candidate retention rate and over 100 five-star Google reviews. They also host a payroll podcast, which gives them visibility in the community. These figures are the agency’s own claims, so ask for references. [jgarecruitment](https://jgarecruitment.com/?p=34) [jgarecruitment](https://jgarecruitment.com/)

• Oakleaf Partnership and Hays Payroll Management : both appear in a 2017 professional directory listing of payroll recruiters. That source is old, so check they are still active in the payroll space. Hays is a large generalist with a payroll practice, and Oakleaf is a smaller HR and payroll specialist. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/301090/54/)

Questions to ask any agency

1. How many UK payroll placements have they made at senior level in the last 12 months, and in businesses of your size?

2. Do they screen technically (statutory pay, RTI, pensions auto-enrolment, year-end, your payroll software) or just forward CVs?

3. What are the fee percentage, the rebate or replacement period if the hire leaves, and any exclusivity terms?

4. Can they offer temp or contract cover while you hire permanently, which helps with month-end and year-end peaks?

5. Can they speak to your specific system, such as Sage, Iris, ADP, Zellis or Dayforce?

Things that help regardless of agency

• Give a salary range. Payroll candidates are heavily courted, and vague pay slows everything down.

• Look at the CIPP’s network and job board, and at payroll LinkedIn groups, to complement agency work.

• Consider asking two specialists to work on a non-exclusive basis at first, then narrow down once you see who sends relevant candidates.

If you tell me your location, payroll software and rough salary budget, I can help you draft a brief for recruiters or a job description. I can also dig further into reviews or fee norms for specific agencies.

For a senior UK payroll hire, the sensible approach is to pair one or two payroll-only specialists with a larger generalist agency. The evidence below comes mostly from the agencies’ own marketing and CIPP magazine adverts, so treat it as a shortlist to test, not an endorsement.

Payroll-only specialists (worth speaking to first)

• Portfolio Payroll is the best known. It was founded in 1988, focuses solely on payroll professionals, and covers permanent, temporary and contract hiring at all levels. It is also a corporate partner of the CIPP and offers a payroll test written exclusively for it by the CIPP. That test is useful for vetting a senior hire. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/436939326/57) [a-leads](https://a-leads.co/company/1310115_db8aecdb)

• JGA Recruitment (James Gray Associates) covers payroll, HR and reward. It has offered CIPP members a 20% discount off standard terms. If your team is CIPP-affiliated, ask whether that still applies. It won Best Small Permanent Agency at the RDLC Awards in 2020. It also publishes a fair amount on payroll salaries and the skills shortage, which is handy for benchmarking. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/436939326/57) [jgarecruitment](https://jgarecruitment.com/?p=413823)

• Oakleaf Partnership and Payroll Elite both appear in CIPP directories. Oakleaf’s advert said it covers roles from Payroll Administrator up to Global Head of Payroll. Those listings date from 2016 to 2020, so confirm they are still active and still strong in payroll. [flippingbook](https://online.flippingbook.com/view/887100/59/)

Larger agencies with payroll desks (useful for reach and comparison)

• Hays has a dedicated payroll practice. It is currently advertising Senior Payroll Specialist roles, including one in Manchester. [service](https://jobs.service.gov.uk/jobs/6a691f1ceddde8b9caf9a000)

• Morgan McKinley advertises permanent payroll roles across the UK, including senior payroll positions. [morganmckinley](https://morganmckinley.com/uk/jobs/gloucestershire/payroll-specialist/1101106)

• Robert Half (finance and accounting) is recruiting a fully remote Senior Payroll Specialist at £60,000 to £65,000. That gives a rough sense of what remote senior roles are costing. [roberthalf](https://roberthalf.com/gb/en/jobs/st-albans/human-resources)

Questions to ask any agency

• Fee terms: ask for the permanent placement percentage, the rebate or replacement period if the hire leaves, and whether they’ll flex on fees if you expect repeat hiring.

• Payroll depth: ask whether their consultants have recruited payroll specifically for years, and which candidates they’d put forward for a small-team environment. Candidates from a large corporate team often differ from those used to running end-to-end payroll alone.

• Technical vetting: ask how they test technical knowledge (RTI, statutory payments, pensions auto-enrolment, year-end) and your specific software.

• Candidate pool: ask whether they can show candidates who aren’t already on every job board. A skills shortage means hiring can take several months. [jgarecruitment](https://jgarecruitment.com/blog/how-to-recruit-payroll-specialists/)

Practical suggestion:

instruct two specialists on the same role for a short, defined period. Also post it yourselves on LinkedIn and through CIPP channels, which keeps agencies honest on quality and fees. As you scale, a preferred-supplier agreement with whichever agency performs best usually gets you better terms. If you tell me your payroll software, whether the role is remote or hybrid, and your location, I can suggest what to prioritise in the brief and what salary range to expect.