Bet365 has announced plans to expand its tech team in Manchester by a further 100 roles.
The world’s largest online gambling company, which has its main HQ and technology hub in Stoke-on-Trent, opened a Manchester base in 2016 and has since taken on almost 200 software developers and testers.
It’s now said it has “bucked the trend” of developers frequently moving from company to company and will bring in an additional 100.
“Manchester is a competitive marketplace. One where developers frequently move from company to company on what I call the Northern Carousel,” said Warren Hughes, head of systems development at bet365 Manchester.
“Growing our team to meet the demands of the business is key but doing so in a sustainable way that ensures longevity is crucial. Certainly, we’ve enjoyed rapid growth since we came to the City two years ago but what’s equally encouraging is our ability to retain the talent we recruit.”
The company employs more than 4,300 people in total, is live in 19 languages and has 35 million customers worldwide.
It generated revenue of £2.28bn for the year to March 26th 2017, up 38% year on year, with operating profit up 15% to an extremely chunky £504m.
Hughes said the new roles would be predominantly tech but would for the first time also include infrastructure and graduate roles.
“When we looked at the Manchester market, it was clear that job hopping was the developers’ way of trying to achieve their career goals.
“Our fast growth and the amplification of the excellent working culture established in Stoke, has delivered organic progression and enabled us to buck this trend. Growth brings opportunity and we ensure our people are clear on their career path and that we are serious about promoting from within.”
“The Manchester office was initially focused on expanding and supporting the software development function in Stoke. Due to its success, we’ve taken the decision to broaden our remit further and have now started to recruit for infrastructure positions,” he added.
The company will expand to the fifth floor at its Spring Gardens operation in September to accommodate the growth.
“This is no longer a small gathering of developers but a software development function that has matured and seen every team grow significantly with developers, testers, analysts and project managers now present,” added Hughes.
