A New York software firm has said it will create 17 jobs as it sets up a new base in Belfast.
Symphony, which develops communications software for the global finance sector, said it decided to invest in Northern Ireland following last September’s two-day investment summit and after speaking to a range of other local investors.
Invest Northern Ireland, which helped bring the company to Belfast, said the new jobs will pay well above the average salary in the sector, contributing £845,000 in annual salaries to the local economy.
Symphony employs over 500 global staff in a range of global offices in New York, London, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sophia Antipolis, Tel Aviv, Stockholm and Vietnam.
The company’s chief financial officer Ben Chrnelich said he had been impressed by Belfast on his visit to the summit.
“The NI Investment Summit was by far the best investment event I’ve ever been to, and I was keen to explore the potential of Northern Ireland for Symphony,” he said. “After speaking to other investors and to the local universities, we were convinced that Northern Ireland offered a great fit for us.
“The new hub will help Symphony to achieve its growth plans by providing the capacity required to support our rapidly growing business. We are excited about the availability of talent in Northern Ireland and will be partnering with the universities to offer placement and employment opportunities in the future. Our intention is to grow beyond the initial 17 roles and establish a much larger operation in Belfast.”
The new jobs will span engineering, finance, legal and compliance roles and, while the company’s office space will be in Belfast, hybrid working options will create employment opportunities for people across Northern Ireland.
“Symphony has indicated that Northern Ireland’s highly skilled talent supply across a number of functions as well as strong business links to academia were important factors in its decision to locate here,” Steve Harper, Invest NI’s executive director of International Business, commented. “The company’s presence here will further strengthen Northern Ireland’s reputation as a centre of excellence for tech and financial services.”