Catch up on the sci-tech jobs announced across Ireland and Northern Ireland this week, as well as some expert tips and career insights.
For anyone on the lookout for a new job in 2020, February is proving to be a great month so far. Almost 350 science and tech-related jobs in Ireland and Northern Ireland were announced this week, from Belfast and Ballymoney down to Kerry.
Hiring across engineering, product development, design, finance, marketing and analytics is Slice, which is looking for 20 new team members for its recently expanded office in Belfast. The US technology firm has developed an app that connects independent pizzerias with customers, and has engaged with more than 12,000 restaurants in the US to date.
In Ballymoney, Co Antrim, payroll processing services provider Payescape has seen an investment of £1m that will involve hiring 20 new staff in customer service, implementation and sales. Payescape applies cloud-based technology to offer customised online HR products to clients.
Major news for Killorglin, Co Kerry, was also announced, with Fexco investing more than €21m in a new research and development hub. Part of the building has been donated to RDI Hub, a not-for-profit, public-private digital innovation hub. The hub is backed by Fexco, IT Tralee and Kerry County Council and plans to create more than 305 jobs by 2024 as well as initially supporting more than 35 tech start-ups.
Currently recruiting for graduates is Dun & Bradstreet. Senior engineer Dave Hill, who also leads in hiring graduates, told us that he’s seeking people with the potential “to make a strong impact on the company”.
And for those looking to break into an industry, ESB Networks opened for applications to its apprenticeship programme today (7 February). It consists of four paid years with hands-on learning and college-based education, leading to an internationally recognised certification.
Careers insights
As well as promising jobs news, we got some insights into some diverse career paths. Michelle McDaid told us about her journey from positions at AIB and Fidelity Investments to her role as director of engineering at Workhuman.
McDaid said that one of the best things about her job is seeing the potential in people, demonstrating she believes in them, “enabling them and then getting out of their way”.
At BMS, Richard Cribbin has been the associate director of finance for just a few months, but he already finds working at the pharmaceutical company “inspiring”. From his favourite subjects at school to his career path as an accountant, he discussed learning, embracing challenges and listening to advice.
And at Jaguar Land Rover’s Shannon site, cryptocurrency is being placed under the spotlight in a bid to help roads become safer, more environmentally friendly and less congested. A software developer on the distributed ledger technology team, Aaron Hetherington, told us about a typical day in his job. Watch the video here.
Words of wisdom
In expert advice, we learned from Jane McNeill, director of Hays Australia, about how you can become an excellent mentee. According to McNeill, mentorship should never be viewed as a one-way street, and a lot of the responsibility sits with the person receiving the guidance.
On the topic of robots in the workplace, we spoke to adjunct associate professor at Columbia University, Sameer Maskey, who believes that “AI will shake up work and displace some jobs – but it will make us better workers”.
Finally, for recruiters struggling to find great data scientists, HackerRank CEO Vivek Ravisankar gave us some tips, such as identifying people with a ‘boardroom presence’ and the ability to work cross-functionally.
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