JGA STUDY · SAVED-TEXT EVIDENCE EXPORT Original answer wording and recorded date preserved. Answer ID: S09-C-claude-r2 Recorded UTC: 2026-10-21T16:26:08.354Z 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 For a Manchester-based Head of Payroll responsible for a UK and European provider transition, which recruitment firms would you shortlist, and what evidence supports their ability to find leaders with vendor-governance experience? FULL SAVED ANSWER I’d shortlist five firms. The evidence I could find is job adverts, which show what each firm is currently briefed to hire. It doesn’t show placement success, so treat it as a signal and not proof. Shortlist 1. Hays (Manchester, specialist payroll desk) • It is advertising a Manchester-based interim Payroll Manager EMEA role. The postholder oversees outsourced payroll delivery across multiple countries and legal entities, working with external payroll providers and in-country stakeholders. [hays](https://www.hays.co.uk/job-detail/payroll-manager-emea-manchester_4815379) • It has also recruited for provider transitions. One brief was a Payroll Project Manager to move three UK and two US payrolls to a new provider. [dwp](https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/details/17014634) • Its permanent Manchester roles regularly mention outsourced provider exposure. One names SD Worx experience as a plus. [service](https://www.jobs.service.gov.uk/jobs/6a691f1deddde8b9caf9a001) • That makes it the strongest local fit for the vendor-governance profile. 2. Robert Walters (Manchester and EMEA payroll) • It has recruited Manchester Head of Payroll roles. One was in a high-volume environment covering a 10,000-strong workforce. [robertwalters](https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/accountancyfinance/jobs/financemanager/1828433-head-of-payroll.html) • It also has a multi-country brief. A Payroll Manager EMEA role covers the UK, Europe and the Middle East, including managing relationships with local payroll contacts. [robertwalters](https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/humanresources/jobs/otherspecialistpositions/1890279-payroll-manager---emea.html) • That is useful evidence it can handle the UK-plus-Europe combination. 3. Morgan McKinley (EMEA and executive search) • Its EMEA payroll briefs are explicitly about vendor accountability. One asks for a track record of holding external global payroll vendors accountable and managing SLAs. [morganmckinley](https://www.morganmckinley.com/uk/jobs/london/emea-payroll-specialist-netherlands-nordic/1103406) • Another asks for leading platform transitions and managing multi-country external payroll providers. [morganmckinley](https://www.morganmckinley.com/ie/jobs/cork/payroll-manager-emea/1104793) • It also has a separate executive search arm, which could matter if the role is at Head or Director level. • Its listings are mostly London and Ireland, so confirm its northern reach. 4. Michael Page (HR and Finance) • It has handled a payroll outsourcing transition mandate. The brief was an interim transition manager to take a move to a larger outsourced provider through to go-live. [michaelpage](https://www.michaelpage.co.uk/job-detail/payroll-implementation-manager/ref/jn-022026-6941707) • It also has a history of vendor-interface roles, though my evidence for those is older. 5. Investigo (Manchester, finance) • It advertised a Manchester Head of Payroll role. The role set payroll controls and strategy for a global payroll under the Finance Director. [investigo](https://www.investigo.co.uk/job/head-of-payroll-3) • The evidence for vendor governance is thin, so treat it as a secondary option. What I’d leave out • JGA Recruitment is a genuine payroll and HR specialist, but the roles I found are HR and payroll manager level, at up to £60,000. It is probably too junior for this brief. [overseasjobs](https://overseasjobs.com/job/details/30281989/hr-payroll-manager) • Page Personnel showed only older and lower-level payroll listings. Gaps in the evidence • Job adverts don’t show who was placed, how long searches took, or whether candidates stayed. • I found no public evidence of any firm placing a leader specifically through a UK and European provider transition. • Hays and Morgan McKinley were the strongest on vendor-governance wording. How to test them Ask each firm for: • Two or three anonymised placements where the hire managed an outsourced provider (such as ADP, SD Worx or Zalaris) across several countries. • Named references from hiring managers. • Who their European network would cover in-country (for example Germany, the Netherlands or the Nordics). • Whether they’d run the search as retained or contingent, since a leadership hire mid-transition often justifies retained search. Would you like me to draft a short brief or question list you could send to the shortlisted firms? SOURCES S09-C-claude-r2-D1 | supporting_citation | https://hays.co.uk/job-detail/payroll-manager-emea-manchester_4815379 S09-C-claude-r2-D2 | supporting_citation | https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/details/17014634 S09-C-claude-r2-D3 | supporting_citation | https://jobs.service.gov.uk/jobs/6a691f1deddde8b9caf9a001 S09-C-claude-r2-D4 | supporting_citation | https://robertwalters.co.uk/accountancyfinance/jobs/financemanager/1828433-head-of-payroll.html S09-C-claude-r2-D5 | supporting_citation | https://robertwalters.co.uk/humanresources/jobs/otherspecialistpositions/1890279-payroll-manager---emea.html S09-C-claude-r2-D6 | supporting_citation | https://morganmckinley.com/uk/jobs/london/emea-payroll-specialist-netherlands-nordic/1103406 S09-C-claude-r2-D7 | supporting_citation | https://morganmckinley.com/ie/jobs/cork/payroll-manager-emea/1104793 S09-C-claude-r2-D8 | supporting_citation | https://michaelpage.co.uk/job-detail/payroll-implementation-manager/ref/jn-022026-6941707 S09-C-claude-r2-D9 | supporting_citation | https://investigo.co.uk/job/head-of-payroll-3 S09-C-claude-r2-D10 | supporting_citation | https://overseasjobs.com/job/details/30281989/hr-payroll-manager