Twitter adding software engineers in Canada, marking shift in hiring strategy

Social Networking And Blogging Website Twitter

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: A close-up view of the homepage of the microblogging website Twitter on June 1, 2011 in London, England. Anonymous Twitter users have recently claimed to reveal the identity of numerous high-profile individuals who have taken out legal privacy injunctions. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) , Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Jon Erlichman

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Twitter is adding engineers to its team in Canada, highlighting the evolution of the social media company’s hiring strategy north of the border, which previously focused mainly on sales and marketing staff.

Twitter Canada Managing Director Rory Capern says the move is part of a plan to tap into engineering talent in cities like Toronto and Waterloo, Ont. “Adding an engineering team in Toronto is the latest big investment that Twitter has made in Canada as a market,” Capern told BNN in an interview.

Twitter currently has two software engineering job openings, along with a data scientist position. Twitter Canada spokesperson Cam Gordon says the engineers will be part of the company’s global “Geo” team, which ensures Twitter feels localized in markets worldwide. That includes surfacing local content, trends and suggesting local accounts.

As well, Twitter software engineer Kyle Galloway will relocate to Twitter Canada’s headquarters in Toronto to lead the engineering team. Galloway, a Canadian, is currently based in Twitter’s New York offices.

“During my time in San Francisco and other regional Twitter offices, Canada is continually applauded for the strength of our team and the appetite for Twitter amongst Canadian users,” Capern told BNN.

The Toronto team will work alongside the engineering teams at Twitter’s global headquarters in San Francisco, as well as with engineers in other markets. “We look forward to contributing to even more parts of the overall Twitter business in the years to come," added Capern.

Twitter made headlines last October, when it announced it would lay off as much as eight per cent of its workforce in an effort to streamline its operations. As of June, the company had 3,860 employees.

In Canada, Twitter employs 50 people and opened a new Canadian headquarters in May 2015 to accommodate more staff. It recently ramped up hiring at the management level, with Capern joining as managing director in March. Jennifer Hollett (Head of News and Government) and Laura Pearce (Head of Consumer Marketing) joined in August.