Financial services company creates another 75 city jobs

Date Published: {J}

By Dara Bradley

A financial services company is expanding its city base with the creation of about 75 high-tech jobs in Galway.

US multinational Fidelity Investments announced on Monday that it is creating 100 new jobs in software and IT at its Galway and Dublin operations.

The IDA-supported expansion represents an investment of €11 million over the next three years.

The company, one of the world’s largest providers of financial services, would not publicly give a breakdown of where the 100 positions will be created but sources within the company and the IDA indicate that the majority, roughly 75 positions, will be in Galway.

Fidelity Investments already employs 240 people at its two Irish locations, and about 125 of those posts are based at its Galway operation in Parkmore East Business Park.

About five years ago, Fidelity Investments moved from one premise in Parkmore into a neighbouring 35,000 metre squared purpose-built building that it had constructed with further expansion in mind.

Recruitment for the Galway jobs will commence shortly and the majority of the positions are expected to be filled by the end of this year with the remainder coming on-stream by mid-2012.

The new positions will be part of Fidelity Technology Group (FTG), which is responsible for the company’s technology research, services and operations. They will range from senior-management positions to entry-level, with the bulk coming from the latter in the form of third level graduates with degrees and masters in IT-related disciplines.

New employees will be engaged in software development such as Java and .NET, performance and test engineering, database development and management, systems analysis and QA.

Jim Murren, IDA West Regional Manager, told the Sentinel the addition of highly skilled technology jobs was an excellent endorsement of Galway and Ireland’s flexible workforce.

“The fact that a company of the stature of Fidelity is choosing Ireland, and principally Galway, to make this expansion is another indication that this is a good place for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI),” said Mr. Murren. “This is good news for Ireland and is a vote of confidence in Galway,” he added.