If a career at Silicon Docks is on your wish list, then AIB Merchant Services is currently recruiting for newly available roles to join its award winning teams.
Many that currently work there describe the job as incredibly fulfilling. “I have found it to be a great place to work,” says AIB Merchant Services financial accountant Suzanne Walsh. “One thing that comes across very strongly when you talk to the people here, what makes it a notable workplace is that it is about the people, the foundations are built around the talented people here.”
AIB Merchant Services was established in 2007 when Allied Irish Bank (AIB), Ireland’s largest bank and Fiserv, a global leader in Fintech and payments, formed a joint venture. “AIB Merchant Services is Ireland’s number one provider of payment solutions,” says marketing director John Hoolahan. “We are at the forefront of fintech where enhanced customer experience meets dynamic security and transaction speed. AIB Merchant Services has played a leading role in transforming the payments landscape for customers and consumers alike.
They power the technology that makes how to pay one less thing to worry about, whether that be attending Croke Park to see your club or county play or going to a festival with little else save a bank card in your back pocket or simply making how you get your daily brew a little less complicated and a whole lot faster.
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Today, whenever you tap your credit or debit card in a bricks and mortar environment or in fact through your favourite online store, there is a one in three chance that the payment will be handled by AIB Merchant Services. “We also provide a full portfolio of products and services to support ecommerce payments,” Hoolahan adds.
“I’m one of quite a few people who have been with the company for many years,” says Walsh. “I think that’s a testament to the type of place it is. The people make it. It’s also quite an interesting industry. With the significant move from cash to card in recent years, it’s an ever evolving and dynamic area to work in. When you come into work every day there’s always something interesting to deal with, but in the end, it’s the people that make it. That’s what sets us apart.”
Hoolahan points to the positive working atmosphere. “I’ve been here for three years. People here are very down to earth and supportive of one another. Great products and services make for winning businesses but it’s people who determine success, we are fortunate to have both here.”
Teamwork and learning form part of the culture. “Payment solutions is quite a niche area,” Walsh says. “But a lot of people have been here for a long time and are experts in their respective areas. There is a lot of knowledge to be gained from those people. It’s a very collaborative workplace.”
The company ethos is one of encouraging people to learn and get to grips with new areas, Hoolahan says. “It gives people opportunities to grow, evidenced in the average tenure, eight years, being so high.”
For Walsh, in her own role as a financial accountant, it mainly involves financial reporting and dealing with the year-end statutory audit but offers variety, nevertheless. “It’s a small team. There are four of us including the finance director. This means you get exposure to a lot of areas. It’s very interesting and means you don’t get pigeonholed. I love this.”
The physical environment helps as well. They recently moved to a new state-of-the-art building, Ten Hanover Quay, in Dublin’s south docklands.
The new location is important. “AIB Merchant Services is a financial services brand, and our products and services are sold within the fintech industry,” Hoolahan notes. “Our new office is strategically located in the heart of Dublin’s Silicon Docks. That allows us to tap into the fintech community of like-minded individuals, many of whom may be interested in joining our great team. We have newly created open roles here and we are always very keen to recruit people from that community.”
Outside work interaction
Suzanne Walsh also leads the organisation’s Culture Circle, the employee resource group tasked with making AIB Merchant Services a positive, fun and inclusive workplace for all to enjoy. “It’s about making the workplace human: fun and inclusive. We arrange and embrace celebrations around festive days like St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Pancake Tuesday, Halloween, summer parties, Christmas parties and charity events throughout the year. We also have five-aside company soccer teams and in 2023, we had a team run in the annual Docklands 5k run. We actively encourage ideas from employees for events and activities. For example, we ask them every year to submit nominations for charities to support and then vote on a shortlist. Children’s charity The Gavin Glynn Foundation was selected for this year and we are very excited to play a small part in their story. Other charities we have supported in the past include Children’s Health Foundation, Laura Lynne and Jigsaw.”
Fundraising activities vary and they have events like cycle challenges, cake sales and last year they had some colleagues who participated in the Dublin city Marathon. Their fundraising target is usually €10,000 for the year. “I am proud to say we always smash it. Culture Circle offers us a new way of giving back, to get to know other people in the business outside of work, and to network with colleagues you would not come across in your day-to-day.”
That outside-of-work interaction is very important, according to Hoolahan. “While there is great collaboration in the business, a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to interact with each other as often or as much as they’d like to. The Culture Circle helps to bring them together.
The overall esprit de corps is what makes it stand out as a workplace, Walsh concludes. “There is no us and them here. Everyone at all levels of the organisation mixes so well together both in the office and at social events after work. It really is a great place to work.”
To find out more on opportunities at AIB Merchant Services, please visit us here