Qarik will be hiring senior staff and graduates for roles spanning data science, software engineering, DevOps and UX design.
Today (15 September), New York-headquartered tech firm Qarik has said it will hire for 50 new roles in Northern Ireland, as it establishes a research and delivery hub in Belfast.
The company was founded in 2019 by Gavan Corr, previously the principal for Google Cloud Financial Services, and Joe Schenk, former Jefferies CFO. It offers cloud-based data management and analysis software development to US clients.
Northern Ireland’s economy minister, Diane Dodds, said she had met Corr and Schenk in New York earlier this year and is “delighted that the discussions with Invest NI, which started just over 12 months ago, have not only reached a positive conclusion but that the company is already up and running with a team in place as part of its new research and delivery hub”.
Dodds said that the 50 jobs include senior-level positions as well as 10 roles specifically for graduates. She added that it will contribute almost £2.2m in annual salaries to the local economy.
‘The right place’
Corr, who grew up in Armagh and graduated from Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University, said that he “knew Northern Ireland was the right place for this research team”.
“Not only has this been the right decision, it has been such a positive experience that we have been able to grow the team much quicker than anticipated,” Corr added.
“Exceeding all our expectations, we already have 37 of the 50 jobs in place. This not only gives us confidence in our decision but optimism for future growth here.”
Schenk added that Qarik’s new Belfast team will collaborate with employees in the US to address legacy issues of traditional financial institutions and the “complexity and sensitivities” brought by a regulated environment.
“These bespoke solutions, hosted in the cloud, will enable these financial institutions to integrate, manage and interrogate large volumes of data in compliance with industry regulations,” he said.
Invest NI has offered £325,000 towards the new roles. According to Invest NI CEO Kevin Holland, the new jobs at Qarik will range “from graduate level to very senior and are focused on data science, software engineering, DevOps and user-experience design”.
A report released earlier this month highlighted that Belfast ranks strongly against other UK cities when it comes to tech jobs. A number of US companies have recently announced plans to set up tech bases in the city, including Peak6, Envorso and Cygilant.
