American tech firm Symphony’s new hub in Belfast to create 17 highly paid jobs

The investment has been supported by Invest NI.

It said it began engaging with the firm in 2021 and invited Ben Chrnelich, president and chief financial officer, to attend the NI Investment Summit in September 2023.

Mr Chrnelich said: “The NI Investment Summit was by far the best investment event I’ve ever been to, and I was keen to explore the potential of Northern Ireland for Symphony.

“After speaking to other investors and to the local universities, we were convinced that Northern Ireland offered a great fit for us.

“The new hub will help Symphony to achieve its growth plans by providing the capacity required to support our rapidly growing business. We are excited about the availability of talent and will be partnering with the universities to offer placement and employment opportunities in the future.

“Our intention is to grow beyond the initial 17 roles and establish a much larger operation in Belfast.”

The new jobs will cover engineering, finance, legal and compliance roles and, while the company’s office will be in Belfast, hybrid working options will create employment opportunities for people across Northern Ireland.

Steve Harper, Invest NI’s executive director of international business, said: “This investment comes as a direct result of the investment summit, and I believe it will be the first of many.

“The new jobs created by Symphony will all pay well above the Northern Ireland private sector median and will contribute £845,000 in additional annual salaries to the local economy.

“Symphony has indicated that Northern Ireland’s highly skilled talent supply across a number of functions as well as strong business links to academia were important factors in its decision to locate here.

“The company’s presence here will further strengthen Northern Ireland’s reputation as a centre of excellence for tech and financial services.”