Global finance firm announces drive to recruit 170 people at its Yorkshire hub

Link Group said that Leeds is "very much our UK hub"

The firm is looking to fill all 170 roles in the first quarter of 2021.

The roles make up almost half of the 400 jobs Link Group pledged to create in the region when it opened its Leeds office last September.

Located in Central Square, the £27m strategic hub received support from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Trade and Investment team and the Department of International Trade throughout the decision-making process.

Link Group is recruiting people for its technology & operations function, as well as its funds solutions and corporate markets businesses to work alongside the existing 450 hub employees.

Tim Gillman, chief operations officer EMEA at Link Group, said: “At an undeniably difficult time for the job market, we are proud to be creating jobs for so many people in Leeds.

“This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to the region which has a strong digital infrastructure, thriving university, and blossoming financial services sector. We are looking forward to attracting and retaining high quality employees who will be able to grow their careers and offer excellent service to our clients.”

The roles will be advertised via LinkedIn and various local agencies.

Mr Gillman said: “I know from my Barclays days, Leeds has got an up and coming reputation. It’s got fantastic universities and graduates and if you look at the offices in Leeds, they are superb offices. They are places you really want to go in and work. The office environment is fantastic.

“Link invests in its strategic hubs. Leeds is very much our UK hub. It’s where we want to be.

“Leeds has a strong business infrastructure. Various companies have set up there, television related companies like Channel 4. It seems to be attracting more technologically based industries.”

Link said its investment in the region comes at a time when some banks are talking about downscaling their Leeds operations.

“From our perspective, it’s great to be putting something in rather than taking away,” said Mr Gillman.

Link is keen to tap into the high level of quality graduates from universities close to Leeds.

“I think the region’s universities are absolutely key,” said Mr Gillman.

“We are offering a range of roles. Some of those are very much entry level roles, some are managerial roles and some are senior managerial roles.

“We want to offer a career path through the organisation. It’s very possible you could join us at starter level in quarter one next year and then pursue a career based in Leeds working up to managerial level.”

He said the need for Link’s services is growing as more companies rely on the web for trading.

“What you find in operations generally is that an awful lot of things are going online,” said Mr Gillman.

“What that means is that when processes don’t work, or the customer needs to speak to someone and get some help, you want to speak to someone who is highly trained, intelligent who can give great customer service. Those are the kind of people we are looking to recruit and help them with their careers.

“This is a major recruitment for us. Leeds is our prime UK destination. I think we will be in a continual process of recruitment. This is just the start of it for us and I’m sure they will be more to come down the road.”

He said that all employees have had to change their ways of working during the lockdown.

“We’ve all had to adapt to lockdown. As people are being recruited, we equip people with laptops and Zoom has come to the rescue in terms of training,” said Mr Gillman.

“For us as a company, we have learned to be more flexible in our working practices. There are also quite a few people onsite as well. It’s not the case that you can do everything remotely.”

Link Group is a financial services organisation, providing both corporations and public sector organisations with governance, administration and asset servicing support. The group employs around 6500 people globally with 3000 people across the UK and Europe.

For more information about the roles, visit https://www.linkgroup.eu/careers/