Business

Belfast-headquartered Novosco to create 150 jobs in £20m expansion

Announcing the major expansion plans at Novosco are Alastair Hamilton, CEO, Invest NI and Patrick McAliskey, managing director, Novosco.
Announcing the major expansion plans at Novosco are Alastair Hamilton, CEO, Invest NI and Patrick McAliskey, managing director, Novosco. Announcing the major expansion plans at Novosco are Alastair Hamilton, CEO, Invest NI and Patrick McAliskey, managing director, Novosco.

BELFAST IT firm Novosco is to create 150 jobs as part of a £20 million expansion project

The managed cloud provider is to almost double its workforce over the next three years to more than 330 as the business continues to grow at a rapid rate. The new roles, 114 of which will be based in Belfast, include IT infrastructure engineers, service delivery roles, project managers, cloud experts and cyber security specialists and will generate an additional £4.8m annually in salaries for the local economy.

The business is also planning to recruit 32 new employees to be located in England, where Novosco has an office in Daresbury, near Manchester.

The major announcement comes just days after Novosco secured a lucrative £107m contract with the NHS in England.

The company has agreed a deal to manage IT infrastructure and support services for Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust.

Novosco managing director, Patrick McAliskey said the new deal has helped facilitate the company's expansion.

"Novosco provides services to many of Northern Ireland’s leading businesses and public sector bodies as well as to universities, NHS Trusts, housing associations and businesses across the UK and Ireland. Our latest contract with CUH will propel our growth in the English market and require us to significantly expand our Belfast headquarters.

"Our latest contract with CUH will propel our growth in the English market and require us to significantly expand our Belfast headquarters."

“Expanding our workforce will be critical to driving the next phase of our business strategy and Invest NI support will assist us to secure the right skills to ensure our continued growth," he said.

Invest NI has offered Novosco £1.2m towards the new roles, while Danske Bank is providing finance for the capital investment required to support the company’s expansion and continued growth.

Invest NI chief executive, Alastair Hamilton said the expansion marks another milestone in Novosco’s development.

“Novosco has been part of our Scaling programme since October 2012. It has grown rapidly in recent years to become a significant player in Northern Ireland’s thriving IT industry. This growth has been through a combination of investment in leadership, skills and exports."

“Our support towards these new jobs will ensure Novosco has the additional resources it needs to grow its business," he added.

Novosco currently employs around 180 people, mostly at its Belfast headquarters at Catalyst Inc in the Titanic Quarter.