Accenture and Microsoft joint venture to add 500 jobs, bolstering market’s already booming digital community
TAMPA, Fla. (April 7, 2022) – As Tampa Bay continues to become a global hub for the world’s brightest tech talent, Avanade, the leading Microsoft solutions provider, today announced the launch of the company’s first U.S. Engineering Hub, located in Tampa.
In collaboration with the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council, the goal is to draw upon Tampa Bay’s deep pool of emerging tech talent to recruit 500 new software engineers over the next three years. The massive recruitment effort will target both entry- and senior-level software engineers from throughout the greater Tampa metro area and across Central Florida.
Tampa-based Engineering Hub team members will work with Avanade clients, locally and nationwide, to create innovative solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing businesses today – from cybersecurity to supply chain disruptions – all with an eye on Avanade’s purpose of making a “genuine human impact.” Client work may involve helping a leading energy provider reduce its carbon emissions, or a top national hospital migrate to the cloud so it can reinvest its operating savings into innovative, standard-setting patient care, or a leading gaming studio enhance the user experience of its latest release.
“As our clients seek solutions for adapting to the accelerated pace of change in a new, hybrid world, it’s imperative we continue to enhance our team with the best and brightest, forward-thinking talent,” said Shawn D. Simmons, Executive, VP North America Engineering Hubs at Avanade. “Watching Tampa emerge as one of the nation’s hottest tech cities, we felt it made sense for us to plant our flag here and become an active part of this burgeoning community.”
The Tampa Bay Engineering Hub is the first Avanade Hub of its kind in the United States and comes on the heels of the company opening its first hub in Atlantic Canada earlier in March 2022. To date, Avanade has successfully launched seven Engineering Hubs globally, with more locations expected to be announced throughout 2022 and beyond.
“Over the last several years, our city has been on a hot streak when it comes to attracting leading technology companies and the highly-skilled talent they need to be successful,” said Mayor Jane Castor, City of Tampa. “We are thrilled Avanade has chosen our community for its latest expansion and we’re excited for the company’s future here.”
Avanade chose Tampa Bay as its inaugural U.S. Hub after commissioning a comprehensive assessment study from Everest Group that ranked the market high in a variety of categories including availability of experienced and skilled talent; an employable graduate pool in IT and engineering; top educational institutes; government support and quality of life. Rated by LinkedIn as one of the top ten cities in the U.S. for tech worker relocations, Tampa regularly ranks high on lists for tech talent growth, with more than 50 software and IT companies already calling the city home.
To service its growing North American client base, Avanade is recruiting numerous skilled positions including data engineers, full-stack web developers, native mobile developers, scrum masters and product owners.
“Tampa is one of the top markets in the country when it comes to tech talent growth, and major tech employers like Avanade are taking notice,” said James Nozar, chair of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council. “The addition of Avanade to our community is a major win and further bolsters our reputation as a rapidly growing tech hub.”
As an expert in employee experience, Avanade continually emphasizes the need for a strong work-life balance, and the flexible workplace culture is a fundamental component of the company’s DNA, predating the pandemic. A physical office space in Tampa can accommodate employees and clients, plus remote work or hybrid schedules are also an option. Currently, Avanade offers an Alternative Work Week program globally that has been embraced companywide.
Other benefits of working at Avanade include the company’s emphasis on health and wellness, inclusion and diversity, philanthropy, and education and training.
As part of its long-term investment and commitment in the local community, Avanade is partnering with local universities, providing them with career mentoring and relevant technical training. Avanade will also be sitting on the board of Tampa Bay Tech.
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ABOUT AVANADE
Avanade is the leading provider of innovative digital and cloud services, business solutions and design-led experiences on the Microsoft ecosystem. Our professionals bring bold, fresh thinking combined with technology, business and industry expertise to help make a genuine human impact for our clients, their customers and their employees. We are the power behind the Accenture Microsoft Business Group, helping companies to engage customers, empower employees, optimize operations and transform products, leveraging the Microsoft platform. Avanade has 56,000 professionals in 26 countries, bringing clients our best thinking through a collaborative culture that honors diversity and reflects the communities in which we operate. Majority owned by Accenture, Avanade was founded in 2000 by Accenture LLP and Microsoft Corporation. Learn more at www.avanade.com.
About the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council
The Tampa Bay Economic Development Council is the lead designated economic development agency for Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace. Established in 2009 as a partnership between the public sector and private corporate investors, the EDC works to develop and sustain a thriving local economy through the attraction, retention and expansion of high-wage jobs and capital investment within targeted industry sectors, including Corporate Headquarters, Financial and Professional Services, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Defense and Security, Distribution and Logistics, and Manufacturing. The EDC exists because of the generous support of more than 100 corporations, Hillsborough County, and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace.
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