Posts

Belfast gaming start-up Rocket Flair Studios to create several new jobs

Belfast gaming start-up Rocket Flair Studios to create several new jobs

/8 Comments/in /by

Rocket Flair Studios is best known for the ancient Egyptian city-building game Dynasty of the Sands, which is available on PC.

Start-up based in Belfast that develops video games 14 new positions will be created at Rocket Flair Studios, covering full-stack and front-end development, lighting and animation engineering, and quality assurance.

Invest Northern Ireland has provided the company £98,000 in funding to help create the positions, eight of which are already in place.

Following the completion of a multimillion-pound contract with an unnamed worldwide games developer, the company announced its employment plans. In order to fulfill its contract with the games producer, the start-up will invest £700,000 in its operations in addition to hiring additional employees.

In 2017, Rocket Flair Studios opened its doors in Belfast. It focuses on creating specialty city-builder games for PC using immersive technologies such as AR and VR. Dynasty of the Sands, a legendary ancient Egypt city-building game, was created by it.

“We are delighted that our innovative products have led us to secure a multimillion-pound contract with a prominent global games developer,” said the start-up’s managing director, James Bradley.

“This is a huge step forward for us, especially as 94pc of the sales from the project will be in markets outside Northern Ireland. This will bolster our reputation globally.”

Bradley noted that the company approached Invest Northern Ireland in 2020 when it was still a six-person team. Rocket Flair Studios was able to increase its staff thanks to the agency’s help, he said, giving it “the capacity and specialist skills to secure and deliver this contract.”

“We now hope to make our plans to create a centre of expertise for strategy-based PC games in Northern Ireland a reality,” he added.

Susan O’Kane, Invest NI’s eastern regional manager, said that the gaming start-up “really understands the global gaming industry and has created a niche with Dynasty of the Sands, which it has received worldwide recognition for”, and that securing a multimillion-pound contract at such an early stage in its business is a “significant achievement”.

She added that the Invest NI team is continuing to work closely with Bradley and Rocket Flair Studios to “help deliver a strategic plan for the company to progress at pace and scale”.

 

The 6 local NI councils that are currently hiring

The 6 local NI councils that are currently hiring

/7 Comments/in /by

Ards & North Down Borough Council

Ards & North Down Borough Council have 2 key vacancies this month. They are recruiting for an Assistant Regeneration Officer and a Business Researcher. You’ll find out more and how to apply for these jobs on the link below.

Location: Bangor

Salary: £20k-£30k

Find out more

Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council

Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council are recruiting for 3 vacancies in March. They are looking for a Senior Planning Officer £35k-£45k, a Corporate Project Manager £30k-£40k and Technical Assistant £20k-£30k. Check out the full list of jobs to see if there is something for you.

Location: Banbridge

Salary: Varied see above

Find out more

Belfast City Council

Belfast City Council is currently recruiting for the following roles: Housing Officer £30k-£40k, Grants Officer £30k-£40k and Project Officer £30k-£40k. They are also looking for an Area Intervention Officer £40k-£50k to work in wider University and Lower Ormeau Area. View the latest job opportunities on nijobfinder today.

Location: Belfast

Salary: varied

Find out more

Derry City & Strabane District Council

Derry City and Strabane District Council have 3 jobs available in March. The first role is for a Business & Investment Project Officer with a salary of £30k-£40k. They then have 2 legal roles – a Solicitor £30k-£40k and a Junior Solicitor £20k-£30k. See more details on nijobfinder.

Location: Derry City

Salary: varied

Find out more

Mid & East Antrim Borough Council

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council based in Ballymena are looking for a Communications and Media Relations Officer and are offering a salary of between £30k and £40k. For more details click on the link below.

Location: Ballymena

Salary: £30k-£40k

Find out more

Newry, Mourne & Down District Council

Newry, Mourne & Down District Council has 2 jobs listed this month, both based in Newry/Downpatrick. The first one is a for a Skills & Employability Manager and the second one is for a Skills & Employability Officer. Both roles have a salary band of £30k-£40k. Find out more on the link below.

Location: Newry / Downpatrick

Salary: £30k-£40k

Find out more

View all Northern Ireland Council jobs on nijobfinder

Never miss out on your dream job by signing up to nijobfinder today. Get job alerts by email, set handy reminders to apply for jobs, quickly apply from all devices and track your applications all in one place! It has never been easier to find your next career move.

According to a survey, employment in Northern Ireland has hit record highs

According to a survey, employment in Northern Ireland has hit record highs

/4 Comments/in /by

Last month, the number of employees in Northern Ireland reached a new high of 777,300, indicating that the employment market rebound following Covid-19 is taking root.

According to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, the number of employment paid through the PAYE system increased by 5.4 percent year on year and 0.5 percent in February (Nisra).

Employee numbers were up 3.3 percent from March 2020, marking the ninth month in a row that they were higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Overall employment levels, including self-employed people, as well as total hours worked, have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to Nisra.

HMRC PAYE statistics also revealed that, at £1,904 per month, workers’ median monthly income had declined by £35 over the month, but was up £113 over the year.

Separate figures from the labor force survey indicated that unemployment and employment rates remained stable from November to January, at 2.7 percent and 70.4 percent, respectively.

The rate of economic inactivity – defined as individuals who are neither working nor seeking for job – remained stable at 27.5 percent.

The number of people receiving unemployment benefits was 39,600, or 4% of the workforce, down 900 from January’s revised total.

It was also 38% lower than the pre-pandemic total of March 2020, but 30% higher than the pandemic era peak of May 2020.

In February, 40 individuals were laid off, bringing the total number of verified layoffs for the year to 2,070, a reduction of 64% from the previous year.

In February, 210 people were nominated for layoffs, for a total of 2,040 in the year to February, an 81 percent decrease from the previous year.

In December, a separate measure of employee jobs – which is less up to date than the HMRC PAYE statistics – reached a new record of 782,450, up 12,290 jobs year on year and 2,850 jobs quarter on quarter.

The number of jobs in the services industry reached a new high in December, with 636,290. In the three months leading up to December, the sector created almost 2,000 new positions, including 900 construction jobs.

However, in the quarter ending in December 2021, there were 290 fewer manufacturing employment.

In the year to December, both the private and public sectors added jobs, with the private sector adding 563,940 positions and the public sector adding 217,790.

For November to January, the number of weekly hours worked was anticipated to be 26.9 million, down 3.2 percent from the previous quarter.

Home Bargains creating 120 jobs at new Belfast outlet

Home Bargains creating 120 jobs at new Belfast outlet

/11 Comments/in /by

In April, Home Bargains will open a new 33,000-square-foot store in west Belfast’s Kennedy Centre, employing 120 people.

Home Discounts said it was “delighted” to serve the community and that its investment in the store would enable it to deliver “even more bargains” to west Belfast.

Despite the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the shopping center reported its greatest Christmas ever for 2021.

Over the holiday season, the Kennedy Center had a 24 percent increase in foot traffic compared to the prior record day, with nearly 30,000 people passing through the doors.

In addition to the new Home Bargains store, Peacocks, a bargain fashion brand, has secured a 10-year lease on its 10,000 sq ft location.
Titanic Telecommunications has also secured a five-year lease for a new office, while the popular 26 West Bar and Grill has also inked a new 10-year lease.

“We are approaching the centre’s 31st year in business on a high,” Kennedy Centre manager John Jones said of the latest results and the year ahead.

“We are delighted with the latest figures, which are testament to the fantastic offerings at the centre, and we are grateful to our loyal customers who have supported us over the years.

“Many of our retailers also reported record sales. During a turbulent time through the pandemic, the end of last year and into the start of 2022 is proving to be a really positive and encouraging time.”

Mr Jones added that there will be some “more big announcements” for the centre over the coming months.

“We have 57 businesses located at the centre and we are looking forward to seeing the offerings expand for our customers,” he stated.

 

EZ Living has created 25 new Belfast jobs

EZ Living has created 25 new Belfast jobs

/0 Comments/in /by

After investing in a 9,000 square foot warehouse, furniture retailer EZ Living Interiors has created 25 new jobs in Belfast.

EZ Living Interiors will use the warehouse in Channel Commercial Park in Titanic Quarter for deliveries throughout Northern Ireland as well as custom collections. Amazon, which has a 411,000 square foot warehouse at Channel Commercial Park, is one of its neighbors.

“A central warehouse means our customers can easily collect smaller items six days a week, making our services more accessible to families whose free time is precious given the difficult times we find ourselves in,” said Oliver Campbell, store manager at EZ Living Interiors.

“We’ve invested in six delivery vans and three container lorries to ensure that furniture is delivered quickly and efficiently.

“Covid-19 has been a strain on everyone but at EZ Living Interiors we used the time as an opportunity to improve our customer experience, including better order fulfillment on our product range to ensure that our customers can have what they want quickly and easily.”

Belfast is home to two locations of the Irish furniture retailer.

Lisa McAteer, director at commercial property agency CBRE NI, secured the letting on behalf of landlord Titanic Quarter.

She said: “We are thrilled to have helped facilitate this extremely exciting phase of expansion for EZ Living Interiors, as the business up-scales to a new fulfillment and delivery facility in Belfast.

“There has been increased competition for industrial and logistics units in Northern Ireland over the last year due to Covid-19 and the surge in online retailing, which has led to a demand for manufacturing, storage, and distribution space.”

Titanic Quarter Ltd commercial director James Eyre stated that the park’s “strategic” location was a key deciding factor for EZ Living Interiors.
“They join several existing local, national, and international occupiers in the park,” says the park’s manager.