UKFast to employ another 100 staff in Manchester

Hosting and cloud services firm UKFast is to create 100 new jobs in Manchester. The company recently secured a £40 million fund from RBS to fuel growth.

UKFast founder Lawrence Jones attributes the recruitment drive to “surging demand” for eCloud, the company’s British-based cloud service launched in 2013.

He says: “With our eCloud and the hands-on support we deliver, we are finding clients want accountability and someone at the end of a phone – particularly now, with concerns over Safe Harbour and data privacy.

“It’s a service that can’t be replicated by mass hosing providers, and it’s proving very successful. Building something like this requires great people and lots of them.”

By hosting customer data and delivering services using UK facilities, the company has a trump card when it comes to addressing data sovereignty concerns.

Jones’ investment in team rewards last year included an ice-rink outside the office at Christmas, regular ski trips to Switzerland, multiple movie premier screenings, and a “Zoofari” takeover at Chester Zoo.

Summer also saw UKFast’s car park transformed into a full-scale beach, allowing the team to take advantage of the good weather. This year Jones is organising the second “UKFest”, a mini festival for friends and family as well as the direct team.

UKFast’s training and development centre represents a £4.5 million investment. “Perks and days out are nice things to have, but I’ve learned that to make UKFast a truly great place to work we had to focus on giving people the opportunity to learn and develop.”

The newly created roles will be filled through a series of recruitment days during the coming months. The firm currently has over 260 staff across offices in Manchester, London and Glasgow.

@AntonySavvas