Microsoft is creating 600 jobs in Dublin as it opens a new sales centre here and expands its existing operations.

The technology giant said the new jobs include roles in finance, operations, engineering and sales, and will be filled in the next few months. The new sales centre, one of four being established globally, will employ 500 people.

“Dublin has been chosen as one of four global inside sales centres for Microsoft. We will serve Europe, the Middle East and Africa out of here, which is [dealing with] customers in over 30 languages,” said Lisa Dillon, Microsoft’s head of inside sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

“One of the reasons we’re doing it is that customers’ needs are changing and we’re recognising the way we react and treat our customers needs to evolve. So we’re digitising and transforming our sales operations. What we’re re going to do is provide a more personalised, streamlined sales experience for customers.”

Recruitment is already under way, with the company seeking people with sales or technical experience, and graduates with a few years’ experience.

“We’ve made the decision to put the centre in Ireland and we want to get going as quickly as possible,” she said.

Sandyford campus

The remaining 100 jobs will be across Microsoft’s existing operations. The company set up in Ireland in 1985, and has expanded operations over the years to encompass three divisions, which currently employ more than 1,200 staff and 400 contractors at its campus in Sandyford, Co Dublin.

The company is planning a move to a new campus close by in Leopardstown by the end of 2017.

The divisions include a sales, marketing and services unit, an operations centre providing support activities across 85 countries in EMEA, and a development centre focused on engineering and localisation.

“The team in Ireland has a long track record of helping the company to deliver against its vision and strategy and now there are opportunities for 600 more individuals to play their part in making the vision a reality,” said Microsoft Ireland managing director Cathriona Hallahan.

The annoucnement was welcomed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister for Jobs Mary Mitchell O’Connor.

Microsoft was co-founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. It went on to become the world’s largest software business with its valuation hitting an all-time record of more than $613 billion in December 1999.

The company, now headed by Satya Nadella, reported a 3.6 per cent rise in quarterly profit in late January, powered by a surge in demand for the company’s flagship cloud platform Azure.

Sales in Microsoft’s personal computing business, which includes its Windows software, fell 5 per cent to $11.8 billion in its second quarter. However, the company’s “intelligent cloud” business, which includes Azure, rose 8 per cent to $6.9 billion.

Revenue from Azure, which businesses can use to host their websites, apps or data, jumped 93 per cent in the quarter. Sales had more than doubled in the preceding quarter.