New York-based tech firm Qarik has set up a new Research and Delivery Hub in Northern Ireland, which includes 10 job opportunities aimed at graduates.
Founded in 2019 by senior technology consultants Joe Schenk and NI native, Gavan Corr, the company provides cloud-based data management and analysis software development services to corporate customers in the US.
Economy Minister Diane Dodds said: “The combination of opportunities for those starting out in their career and roles for those with experience brings a lot of benefit to our growing software development sector, as well as contributing nearly £2.2m in annual salaries to the NI economy.”
The Minister met Mr Corr and Mr Schenk during her week-long US visit programme in March 2020 to New York and Washington.
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The programme included a series of meetings with potential investors, hosted by Invest NI, who has offered £325,000 towards the 50 new roles.
Mr Corr said: “I grew up in Country Armagh, graduated from Queen’s University and completed a post-grad at Ulster University so I knew that 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. 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.”
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Mr Schenk commented: “Traditionally financial institutions have legacy systems that are either inadequate or not capable of handling complex data analytical processes. They also operate in a regulated environment which brings added complexity and sensitivities.
“The team in Belfast will work alongside our US team to research and develop new product solutions to address these issues. 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.”
The Minister was joined in welcoming the company to Northern Ireland by Invest NI CEO Kevin Holland who added: “The roles range from graduate level to very senior and are focused on data science, software engineering, DevOps and user experience design.
"The fact the company has been able to recruit so many of the roles so quickly is testament to both its commitment to this investment, and to the skills on offer here.”
Source: Written from press release
