Starling set to create 1,000 jobs in new Manchester office

CEO Anne Boden said there was “never any doubt” that Manchester would mark the bank’s first step into the North.

Starling Bank is planning to hire up to 1,000 people as it opens its fourth UK office in Manchester.

The bank is recruiting for roles across the company, including in software engineering, operations, data science, cyber security and customer service, with nine job openings already live.

The move to Manchester rounds off an impressive year for Starling, which saw it report its first full year of profitability, hit three million current account users, launch a number of new partnerships and just last week reveal that it is actively developing a mortgage product.

Adding to its existing offices in Southampton, Dublin and Cardiff, Starling is proving that while London may have edged ahead of its competitors across the pond as the biggest centre of fintech investment, the rest of the country also has a lot to offer.

“What better place to set-up shop than in Manchester?” Starling CEO Anne Boden said.

“As the world’s first industrial city, with three brilliant universities on its doorstep and a thriving technology scene, there was never any doubt that Manchester would house our first step into the North.”

Starling said it picked the city as its next base because of its “deep pool of tech talent” and “rich cultural and creative heritage”.

The base will open in the first half of 2023 to bolster the bank’s plans for growth and add to the more than 2,000 employees currently working across the country.

“We’ve expanded our headcount by 20 per cent this year and only continue to grow,” Starling chief people officer Susanna Yallop said.

“Our sights are now firmly set on Manchester, where we can draw from its potential workforce of more than seven million, allowing us to grow our headcount even further with some of the North’s finest talent.”