JGA STUDY · SAVED-TEXT EVIDENCE EXPORT
Original answer wording and recorded date preserved.

Answer ID: S09-B-claude-r2
Recorded UTC: 2026-10-21T16:11:12.474Z
Product: Claude
Observation: 2
Collection country: UK
Access: Dedicated signed-in / Free
Model label: Sonnet 5.5 Medium; Manual
Mode: Free; native Incognito; Manual

EXACT QUESTION
Which recruiters can find a Head of Payroll for a hybrid role in Manchester overseeing UK and European payroll suppliers? We are changing providers and need an experienced permanent leader.

FULL SAVED ANSWER
Here are agencies whose recent listings show they place payroll leadership roles in Manchester or oversee UK/European payroll. I haven’t verified their search capability, fees or current candidate pools, so treat this as a starting list.

Seen recruiting for Manchester payroll leadership

• Hays (Manchester):  It advertised a permanent, hybrid Senior Head of Payroll role in the North West at around £80,000. That role was a large shared-service environment, so they clearly work at this level. [hays](https://www.hays.co.uk/job-detail/senior-head-of-payroll-north-west_4714062)

• Robert Walters:  It has advertised a permanent Head of Payroll role for a Manchester city-centre client, leading multiple payrolls for a large workforce. [robertwalters](https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/accountancyfinance/jobs/financemanager/1828433-head-of-payroll.html)

• Michael Page:  It has recruited a permanent Head of Payroll in Greater Manchester on a hybrid basis, though that one was public sector at £53-60k. [page](https://manufacturing.page.com/job-detail/head-payroll/ref/jn-022025-6667818)

• Investigo:  It placed a Manchester Head of Payroll role at £80-90k plus bonus, covering global payroll for a large complex organisation. [investigo](https://www.investigo.co.uk/job/head-of-payroll-3)

• JGA Recruitment:  It describes itself as a specialist payroll and HR agency and has advertised Manchester payroll management roles. Its listings so far are more mid-level, so check it can handle a head-of-function search. [overseasjobs](https://overseasjobs.com/job/details/30281989/hr-payroll-manager)

Relevant for the UK and European supplier angle

• Morgan McKinley:  It runs an executive search arm and has recruited UK and European payroll roles that involve liaising with external vendors. [morganmckinley](https://morganmckinley.com/jobs/london/payroll-benefit-specialist-eu/1094702)

• Vaco/Highspring:  It has recruited a Europe payroll manager role overseeing service delivery across multiple external payroll partners. That is close to your supplier-management brief, though the role was London-based and more junior than yours. [vaco](https://jobs.vaco.com/job/14415/global_payroll_manager_europe/en)

Other options (from general knowledge, not from this search):

 Frazer Jones and Badenoch + Clark are well-known for senior HR, finance and payroll searches, and a retained executive search firm may suit a head-of-function role during a provider change.

Choosing between them

• Ask for evidence of Head of Payroll placements in the last 12 months, ideally with multi-country outsourced models.

• Specify the profile: experience of provider transitions or RFPs, vendor governance, and a CIPP or equivalent qualification.

• Decide between contingent and retained. Contingent gives you speed and several agencies in parallel, while retained gives deeper headhunting of passive candidates, which can matter for a role this senior.

• Check salary expectations against the market. The listings above ranged from about £53k (public sector) to £80-90k plus bonus, and a role with European scope will likely sit at the upper end.

If you’d like, I can draft a briefing note for agencies covering the role scope, requirements and what you want from their search process.


SOURCES
S09-B-claude-r2-D1 | supporting_citation | https://hays.co.uk/job-detail/senior-head-of-payroll-north-west_4714062
S09-B-claude-r2-D2 | supporting_citation | https://robertwalters.co.uk/accountancyfinance/jobs/financemanager/1828433-head-of-payroll.html
S09-B-claude-r2-D3 | supporting_citation | https://manufacturing.page.com/job-detail/head-payroll/ref/jn-022025-6667818
S09-B-claude-r2-D4 | supporting_citation | https://investigo.co.uk/job/head-of-payroll-3
S09-B-claude-r2-D5 | supporting_citation | https://overseasjobs.com/job/details/30281989/hr-payroll-manager
S09-B-claude-r2-D6 | supporting_citation | https://morganmckinley.com/jobs/london/payroll-benefit-specialist-eu/1094702
S09-B-claude-r2-D7 | supporting_citation | https://jobs.vaco.com/job/14415/global_payroll_manager_europe/en