Online food delivery platform Deliveroo will create 70 high-skilled tech jobs at a new office in Edinburgh this year, it was revealed today.

The takeaway app is set to move into new premises in April and significantly increase its Scottish workforce above previous forecasts.

The home delivery giant, which acquired Scottish software design and development firm Cultivate last year, is ramping up its activity north of the Border and will begin the hire process for high-skilled tech jobs that will:

-Be made up of software engineers, product managers, data scientists, and designers;
-Be focused on the continued growth of the payment systems Deliveroo has built as part of its mission to become the financial growth partner of choice for its restaurants and riders;
-Build on existing work to give riders flexible access to their earnings through features such as ‘Cash Out’, where riders can choose to be paid the next day;
-Work on global projects, including new tools and features to help restaurant partners run and grow their business, support their financial planning and budgeting, and build on the benefits Deliveroo offers via its food purchasing products.

The Edinburgh hub will eventually house other areas of the company’s technical organisation, which includes teams focused on consumers, riders and restaurants.  

Following the acquisition of Cultivate in August last year, which has driven growth of its payments systems, the company said it was planning to create 50 high-skilled jobs in Edinburgh over three years, in its first office opening outside of London.

In light of the news of a new ‘major flagship’ HQ – which will be at a yet-to-be disclosed central Edinburgh location – that forecast has been revised upwards and will be completed in a ‘faster timeframe’, the company said.

It said the move indicated Deliveroo’s ‘ambition’ for its Edinburgh-based tech hub and reflected ‘the rapid growth of Edinburgh’s digital technology sector’.

The company said in a statement: “This is a clear recognition of the strength of the digital technology sector and high-skilled talent in Scotland, and a positive milestone for Edinburgh as it continues to define itself as a globally recognised tech hub. 

“This move positions Deliveroo as a key player in the Edinburgh technology scene, which has a number of notable success stories, including Skyscanner and FanDuel.”

The news was welcomed by Scotland’s digital economy minister, Kate Forbes, who 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.”

The high-skilled roles will focus on developing cutting-edge software, improving rider and consumer experience, and supporting restaurants to run and grow their businesses.

Dan Winn, Deliveroo VP 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. 

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

The existing team will move from the city’s technology incubator CodeBase to a new HQ in Edinburgh in April 2020.

As part of its ongoing commitment to the tech scene in Edinburgh, the firm said it will continue to support community initiatives including:

–Prewired, helping young people learn software development skills; 
–Codebar, helping teach programming skills to under represented groups; 
–Queercode, supporting LGBTQ+ people in Scotland with an interest in technology; 
–Digital Skills for Girls, a non-profit organisation working to close the gender gap in technology by teaching girls computer science.