Deliveroo to create 70 skilled jobs as new flagship Edinburgh headquarters announced

The food delivery group is already a familiar sight in Edinburgh. Picture: Greg Macvean

The move follows on from the group’s acquisition of the software design and development firm Cultivate last year. The prospect of additional jobs and expansion was flagged at the time.

Now, Deliveroo is looking to take on as many as 70 skilled workers this year for its burgeoning capital technology hub, which it said reflected “the rapid growth of Edinburgh’s digital technology sector”.

The move positions the company as a key player in the city’s tech scene, which has a number of notable success stories, including Skyscanner and FanDuel.

Andy Robinson (site lead, Deliveroo Tech in Edinburgh/former chief commercial officer, Cultivate), Dan Winn (CTO, Deliveroo) and Paul Wilson (engineering manager, Deliveroo/former managing director, Cultivate). Picture: Contributed

Deliveroo’s existing team will move from the CodeBase technology incubator to a new HQ in Edinburgh this April.

The firm said the new jobs would be made up of software engineers, product managers, data scientists and designers. They will be focused on the continued growth of the payment systems Deliveroo has built.

Work will also be carried out on global projects, including new tools and features to help restaurant owners run and grow their businesses, as well as support their financial planning and budgeting, the firm added.

Proud

Dan Winn, the firm’s vice president of engineering, said: “Deliveroo is proud to set out our expansion plans for our Edinburgh tech hub in 2020.

“Our aim is to create 70 high-skilled jobs and launch a new Edinburgh-based tech HQ in April 2020. This is the company’s first UK tech office outside of London and reflects the strength of the tech sector and the scale of our ambition for Edinburgh.

“Edinburgh is one of the UK’s fastest growing tech hubs, with access to an excellent talent pool of high skilled people and university graduates. We are excited to build on Cultivate’s expertise to develop cutting-edge products and services from our new office.”

He added: “These new products will improve rider experience and help restaurants grow their businesses, with a particular focus on small businesses.”

Scottish digital economy Minister Kate Forbes added: “Scotland has a proud tradition as a digital leader and the Scottish Government is putting digital technology at the heart of everything we do.

“Digital technologies are forecast to be the fastest growing sector by 2024 and will play a leading role in the future of our economy.

“I am pleased that Deliveroo has chosen Edinburgh as the base for its new flagship HQ, its first UK tech office outside of London. This brings exciting employment and digital skills opportunities, helping us achieve our ambition for Scotland to be a world-class digital nation.”

Deliveroo, which acquired capital-based Cultivate in August, said its tech hub was already supporting a range of local community projects.