Tech firms to create 165 jobs

Technology firm Pivot Acquisition Corporation is to open a shared services centre in Galway, creating up to 100 jobs by the end of next year.

The centre is designed to support the Canadian-based company's international expansion. Some 25 positions will be created this year, with the remaining 75 jobs expected to be added in 2012.

The jobs will be across a number of areas, including information technology, software development, finance, international customer support, process innovation, project management, and marketing operations.

Pivot's chief operations officer Ted Glahn said the Galway operation would become a centre of excellence, providing "world-class operations support and technology solution development”.

The news was welcomed by IDA Ireland, with chief executive Barry O'Leary saying it endorsed the country's reputation as a leading location for global business and IT services.

Galway is said to have been selected ahead of Chicago in the US, Toronto in Canada and Mumbai in India for the new centre.

IDA Ireland also announced three of its client companies are to establish international headquarters in Dublin.

US-based Engine Yard, Pinger and Commence will set up operations in the capital and create a total of 65 jobs over the next three years.

Tech firm Engine Yard, which offers clients a platform to build and run cloud-based applications, will create 30 high quality jobs in the next three years, but said there was the chance that recruitment could be accelerated as the company looks to other markets for growth and international expansion.

"Engine Yard is expanding globally, and we are excited to open our EMEA headquarters in Ireland and support the region's thriving technology community," said John Dillon, chief executive of Engine Yard.

"Joining forces with Dublin-based Orchestra strengthens both our technological and geographical coverage, bringing our industry-leading platform to an even greater number of customers seeking to leverage the cloud for competitive advantage."

Cloud-based telecoms firm Pinger will set up its EMEA headquarters, and a customer and technical support operation in Dublin, creating 15 jobs over the next two years.

The company develops applications that allow you to text and call through the iPod touch, iPad, iPhone, Android phones and the web. The service handles more than 1.6 billion texts each month.

Twenty jobs will also be created over the next two years with the opening of customer relationship management software company Commence Corporation's operation in Dublin.