The HR Specialists
The HR Specialists is a UK-based HR consultancy founded in 2017 that delivers outsourced, project, and retainer HR, payroll, health and safety, recruitment, psychometric, and training services to small businesses, start-ups, and small charities, supported by a proprietary Cloud HR SaaS platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersBishops Stortford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The HR Specialists does
The HR Specialists is a privately held UK HR consultancy founded in 2017 and headquartered in Hertfordshire, delivering outsourced and project-based human resources support to small businesses, start-ups, small charities, and select larger organizations. Its service portfolio spans employee relations, performance management, disciplinary and grievance handling, re-organisation, organisational change, payroll (HMRC liaison, BACS, RTI, auto-enrolment), health and safety, psychometric profiling, recruitment, and training, delivered remotely, online, or in person. The company operates under sub-brands (The Payroll Specialists, The HSE Specialists, The Recruiting Specialists, The Training Specialists) and is led by Managing Director Kerry McGowan with a small named team of four professionals.
The technical backbone is a proprietary Cloud HR system that automates and centralises holiday booking, absence management, employee data, document storage, training, performance, time logs, and expenses, with GDPR-compliant encrypted data storage. Pricing for the cloud platform starts at £108+VAT annually for under 10 staff and is offered with a 50% discount or free use for small charities. Psychometric profiling is delivered through an SHL Recruiter Partner arrangement, providing access to SHL's testing and role-profiling questionnaires rather than in-house tooling.
The business model blends professional services (project, retainer, and pay-as-you-go consulting) with a low-ARPU SaaS subscription and a managed payroll service. Go-to-market is sales-led, using direct phone and email contact, website lead capture, free HR audits, word-of-mouth referrals from professional services firms, employment lawyers, and accountancy firms, and a baseline Twitter presence. The company serves a single-country UK market and has no disclosed funding, M&A, or external investors.
The HR Specialists firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The HR Specialists
- Legal name
- The HR Specialists
- Website
- https://thehrspecialists.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The HR Specialists is a UK-based HR consultancy founded in 2017 that delivers outsourced, project, and retainer HR, payroll, health and safety, recruitment, psychometric, and training services to small businesses, start-ups, and small charities, supported by a proprietary Cloud HR SaaS platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The HR Specialists industry classification
Industry- Product category
- HR Consulting
- NAICS
- Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Payroll Services (541214), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- HR Service Delivery, Shared Services & HR Operating Model Advisory (BPACAJAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Comprehensive HRO (Multi-Process HR Outsourcing) (BPACAKAA), Core HR & HRIS (BPACAPAA), HR Operations Administration (HRIS Admin, Records, Employee Data Mgmt) (BPACAKAC)
Keywords
Where The HR Specialists is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bishops Stortford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The HR Specialists business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- HR Consulting Services: Project-based consulting or retainer arrangements for HR support including employee relations, performance management, disciplinary processes, grievance handling, organisational change, and re-organisation support
- Cloud HR Software Subscription: Annual subscription for cloud-based HR administration system with pricing based on company size. Includes 50% discount for small charities
- Payroll Services: Full payroll management service including HMRC liaison, tax calculations, pension payments, BACS payments, RTI returns, and end of year filings
- Health and Safety Services: Risk assessments, safety inspections, policy development, environmental management systems, and H&S training
- Recruitment Services: Full recruitment support including job descriptions, short-listing, interview support, assessment centres, psychometric testing, and background checks
- Psychometric Profiling Services: Personality questionnaires, role profiling, individual development reports, and group development reports for team building and recruitment
- Training Services: HR training packages including strategy, leadership and management, business skills, and HR topics. Delivered in-house or one-to-one
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Cloud HR System - Under 10 staff |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free HR Audit |
| Hybrid | Pay-as-you-go | Consultancy Services |
| Professional services/ project-based | Pay-as-you-go | Recruitment Support |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The HR Specialists product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The HR Specialists is a UK HR consultancy that provides outsourced HR support covering employee relations, performance management, disciplinary and grievance handling, organisational change, and re-organisation. Alongside HR consulting, the firm delivers payroll management, health and safety services, recruitment support, psychometric profiling (via an SHL partnership), and training, and offers a proprietary cloud-based HR administration system (Cloud HR) for automating holiday booking, absence, employee data and documents. Engagement is flexible — full HR outsourcing, project-based work, retainers, or pay-as-you-go.
Product overview
The HR Specialists offers a suite of integrated HR services including HR consulting, Cloud HR (a cloud-based HR administration system for automating holidays, absence, employee data, and documents), Payroll Services (including BACS, RTI, and Automatic Enrolment), Health and Safety (HSE) Services, Psychometric Profiling (as an SHL Partner), Recruitment Services, and Training. The Cloud HR platform serves as the central digital product with prices starting from £108 + VAT per year for under 10 staff, while other services are delivered as consultancy engagements on a project, retainer, or pay-as-you-go basis.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Payroll Specialists: Payroll services including HMRC liaison, statutory pay calculations, pension management, BACS payments, RTI returns, and end of year filings
- The HSE Specialists
- The Recruiting Specialists
- The Training Specialists
Products and services
- HR Services Core HR consulting and support for UK businesses, covering employee relations, performance management, disciplinary and grievance handling, re-organisation, and interim resourcing. Offered as full outsourcing, project-based work, retainers, or pay-as-you-go.
- Cloud HR Cloud-based HR administration system that automates holiday booking, absence management, employee data, documents, notifications, and time-saving tasks; priced annually from £108 + VAT for under 10 staff with a 50% discount for small charities.
- Payroll Services Full-service payroll management including HMRC liaison, statutory pay calculations (SSP, SMP, SPP), pension payments, BACS payments, RTI filing, end-of-year returns, and Automatic Enrolment, for UK employers.
- Health and Safety (HSE) Services Health and safety consultancy including policy development, risk assessments, safety inspections, audits, environmental management systems, and e-learning courses for small and medium-sized businesses.
- Psychometric Profiling Psychometric testing and personality profiling services offered via an SHL Recruiter Partner relationship, including online personality questionnaires, role profiling, individual development reports, and group development reports for team assessment and recruitment.
- Recruitment Services End-to-end recruitment support including job description writing, shortlisting, interview question development, assessment centres, psychometric testing, competency-based interviewing, and background checks (DBS, FCA, financial).
- Training Services HR training packages covering strategy, HR, leadership and management, and business skills, delivered as one-to-one or group training, including short courses on H&S, Word, Excel, and custom course development.
Quantifiable outcome
- Organisations achieve full compliance with employment legislation without employing expensive HR staff
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The HR Specialists
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The HR Specialists technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The HR Specialists partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The HR Specialists competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Charlie HR: UK-based HR platform for small businesses offering employee records, time-off, document storage and onboarding workflows. Directly competes with Cloud HR in the UK SMB segment.
- HR Dept: UK network of outsourced HR consultancies serving SMBs with HR, employment law and tribunal support on a retained or project basis. Closely comparable to The HR Specialists on core service mix and SMB target market.
- Citation Group: UK provider of HR, employment law, health & safety and ISO consultancy to SMBs, combining professional advice with a cloud compliance platform. Direct competitor across consulting, HSE and compliance SaaS.
- Breathe HR: UK cloud HRIS platform purpose-built for small businesses, automating holiday, absence and employee records on a subscription model. Direct competitor to The HR Specialists' Cloud HR product on features, pricing and target buyer.
- WorkNest: UK HR, employment law, health & safety and ISO consultancy delivering outsourced advisory and compliance services to SMB and mid-market clients. Comparable outsourced HR operating model and SMB focus.
Broad incumbents
- IRIS HR & Payroll: Established UK vendor of payroll and HR software for SMBs and accountants, including HRIS, auto-enrolment and managed payroll services. Comparable on payroll/HRIS overlap and accountancy-firm referral channel.
- Moorepay: UK payroll bureau and HR software provider serving SMB and mid-market employers with managed payroll, HRIS and auto-enrolment services. Directly comparable to The Payroll Specialists and Cloud HR propositions.
- Employment Hero: Multi-country HR, payroll and employee benefits platform expanding into the UK with HRIS, payroll and people-management tools. Comparable SaaS product overlap with Cloud HR and broader outsourcing ambition.
- Croner (Wakeley): Established UK HR, employment law, payroll and H&S consultancy serving SMBs through retained advisory and a SaaS HR documentation platform. Overlaps heavily with The HR Specialists' consulting and product offerings.
- Peninsula Group: Large UK incumbent offering HR, employment law, health & safety and payroll outsourcing plus MyPeninsula HR software to SMB and mid-market clients. Comparable service portfolio at significantly larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The HR Specialists social profiles
Digital presenceThe HR Specialists compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The HR Specialists financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The HR Specialists leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The HR Specialists funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The HR Specialists M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The HR Specialists
What does The HR Specialists do?
The HR Specialists is a UK HR consultancy that provides outsourced HR support covering employee relations, performance management, disciplinary and grievance handling, organisational change, and re-organisation. Alongside HR consulting, the firm delivers payroll management, health and safety services, recruitment support, psychometric profiling (via an SHL partnership), and training, and offers a proprietary cloud-based HR administration system (Cloud HR) for automating holiday booking, absence, employee data and documents. Engagement is flexible — full HR outsourcing, project-based work, retainers, or pay-as-you-go.
Is The HR Specialists a public or private company?
The HR Specialists is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The HR Specialists founded?
The HR Specialists was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The HR Specialists based?
The HR Specialists is headquartered in Bishops Stortford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The HR Specialists make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. HR Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are cloud HR Software Subscription, payroll Services, health and Safety Services, recruitment Services, psychometric Profiling Services and training Services.
Who are The HR Specialists's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Charlie HR, HR Dept, Citation Group, Breathe HR and WorkNest. Broad incumbents are IRIS HR & Payroll, Moorepay, Employment Hero, Croner (Wakeley) and Peninsula Group.
Does The HR Specialists have an API?
No public API is recorded for The HR Specialists.
What industry is The HR Specialists in?
The HR Specialists's product category is HR Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAJAE, HR Service Delivery, Shared Services & HR Operating Model Advisory, with a secondary code of BPACAKAA, Comprehensive HRO (Multi-Process HR Outsourcing). Its NAICS code is 541612 and its SIC code is 8742.