Challenger bank to bring 1,000 new jobs to Greater Manchester

Challenger bank, Starling, has revealed plans to open a fourth office in Manchester, creating around 1,000 new jobs in the city-region.

Set to open in the first half of 2023, the online-only bank employs over 2,000 people in sites in London, Cardiff, Southampton and Dublin, and plans to leverage Greater Manchester’s strong tech and financial talent pool to further expand its workforce. The bank cites the city-region’s £5 billion digital ecosystem and recent crowning as the UK’s Top Digital Tech City in its justification for choosing Manchester as its next base.

Anne Boden, founder and CEO of Starling Bank said:

“What better place to set up shop than in Manchester? 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 Bank already begun the recruitment process for up to 1,000 roles in operations, software engineering, cybersecurity and customer services, which will be based out of Manchester city centre. The expansion follows the challenger bank reaching the milestone of 3 million accounts, and achieving its first full year of profitability in 2022.

Susanna Yallop, Chief People Officer at Starling Bank said:

“We’ve expanded our headcount by 20% this year and only continue to grow. 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.”

The announcement follows Starling’s investment in Women’s football in the region, working with former and current Manchester City players Jill Scott and Lauren Hemp during the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, and providing grants to local women’s grassroots clubs.