US tech firm Greenhouse to open Dublin base as it eyes EMEA expansion

Move will likely see hiring software company take on more than 100 people for new office

Tech veteran Colm O’Cuinneain, who will take up the role of general manager of EMEA
Tech veteran Colm O’Cuinneain, who will take up the role of general manager of EMEA

US hiring software company Greenhouse is to open a base in Dublin as it seeks to drive expansion in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

The company hasn’t yet said how many people it will hire for the new office. But as Dublin will be its first international base and will be instrumental in driving the company’s European growth, it will be a significant number, likely in excess of 100.

The office will be led by tech veteran Colm O'Cuinneain, who will take up the role of general manager of EMEA. Mr O'Cuinneain has more than two decades of experience in software as a service and enterprise software for the technology companies such as LinkedIn, Oracle and HP.

Founded in 2012, Greenhouse works with more than 4,000 companies in 45 countries, including Irish firms LearnUpon, Stripe and Intercom. It offers clients a complete suite of software for hiring, combined with services and a partner ecosystem.

READ MORE

"Companies, now more than ever, are recognising how essential it is to hire the best talent for long-term success, and we're thrilled to have Colm helm our first international office as we bring our platform to many more European organisations, fundamentally improving how they hire through technology and our domain expertise," said Daniel Chait, chief executive and co-founder of Greenhouse.

Healthy ecosystem

"Dublin is a thriving tech hub at the heart of the EU, teeming with talent and a healthy ecosystem of small and medium business, mid-market and enterprise companies. There is a depth of experienced leadership in Ireland that understands the necessity to be best in class in attracting talent," Mr O'Cuinneain said.

“The well-known companies we work with in the US want us to bring that edge to Europe. Ireland, as a progressive, young, business-friendly country, provides the perfect base for this expansion across Europe as our first international outpost.”

Among the positions available are roles for account executives, account managers and customer success managers.

Meanwhile, digital agency Granite said it would create 50 jobs in Dublin, Cork and Galway as it invests €2.5 million in its business.

The jobs, which will be added in the next three years, will almost double the company’s workforce, bringing it to more than 100 people.

Granite, which provides digital solutions in areas such as strategy, web design, web development, digital marketing, search engine optimisation and “pay per click” advertising consultancy and managed hosting to its more than 1,400 clients, is on track to double its revenue to €10 million by 2022.

The new roles include data analysts, cloud infrastructure experts, software developers, creative roles and UX designers, with the company targeting experienced professionals and graduates as part of its academy programme.

"We have a strong presence in Dublin, Cork and Galway and it's fantastic to be able to create further quality employment opportunities in these regions. We have a highly ambitious growth strategy which we believe is achievable by bringing the right talent on board so we have the skills and capacity to capitalise on business opportunities," said chief executive Conor Buckley.

Engaging

“The demand for customer-focused, engaging websites and applications has grown exponentially in recent years and we’ve experienced significant growth on the back of this.”

Among the areas of growth for Granite have been the fintech, healthcare, education and hospitality sectors. It counts Enterprise Ireland, Dalata Hotel Group, UCC, UCD, University of Wolverhampton, Uniphar, St James's Hospital, Bons Secours Health System, Dublin Bus, Davy, Fexco and Aon among its clients.

"Granite is pioneering the way forward when it comes to developing cloud solutions and digital transformation services in this country," Minister of State Jim Daly said. "Their story also goes to show how a world-class business such as Granite can grow from just a small base in rural Ireland, to a large multi-national business trading in the capital city, when the adequate infrastructure is provided to allow it to thrive."

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist