SaaS company Lightyear has announced plans to hire for 12 new people in Northern Ireland across software development, sales and more.
Fintech software firm Lightyear is doubling its workforce in Belfast on the back of a £1m investment. The company will hire 12 new staff members as it expands its global export reach.
As well as its headquarters in Belfast, Lightyear also has an office in New South Wales, Australia. It specialises in cloud-based automation software for procurement and invoice processing, catering to SMEs and mid-market companies. Its SaaS product extracts data to inform team collaboration and customisable workflows.
In the past two years, the company has onboarded more than 3,000 customers across 11 countries. Its recent growth has seen it move into a new 5,000 sq ft office at Catalyst in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.
Lightyear founder and CEO Chris Gregg is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast and has previously worked for financial software companies Invitco and Intuit.
Speaking about Lightyear’s expansion, Gregg said the business has seen “a surge” of new clients across diverse industries as Covid-19 has driven businesses online.
“We have identified new opportunities in the education, retail and fuel-distribution industries in Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, and have signed strategic partnerships with key accounting-software providers that specialise in these industries,” he said.
“The 12 new roles will expand the capability of our team so that we can capitalise on these new sectors and start to break into new international markets such as the US. We have started recruiting and are already impressed with the high level of talent we have been able to add to the team.”
Invest NI is supporting Lightyear’s expansion with an investment of £90,000. The agency’s eastern regional manager, Susan O’Kane, said that the announcement is “a welcome boost” for the fintech sector in Northern Ireland.
“Lightyear’s intelligent software has been met with great success helping companies transition to remote workforces by delivering a paperless office, eliminating data entry and automating complex invoice approvals processes,” she said.
“Once in place, the jobs will contribute almost half a million pounds in additional annual salaries to our local economy.”
Recruitment has begun for jobs at Lightyear, which span software development, sales, marketing, customer service and management. For more information, visit its website here.
