Saint John call centre Nordia Inc. plans to add 250 jobs

Saint John is poised to get an estimated 250 new call centre jobs over the next two years.

​Nordia Inc., has announced plans to expand its Saint John operations and move into a newly renovated location at Prince Edward Square Mall by June.

"This [$1.8-million] expansion is a vote of confidence in the community, reflecting our long-term commitment to Saint John," said president John DiNardo.

Hiring is already underway for the jobs that will pay between $13.50 and $18 per hour, plus bonuses, he told CBC News on Tuesday.

"It's a lot of training so we've got to hire and ramp ourselves up for an extra 250 people," said DiNardo.

"You're talking about initial training of around four weeks … We have classrooms of 25 … So we give ourselves up to 2016. It might go faster than that."

The new jobs are in addition to the 34 jobs created since Nordia acquired the Saint John centre from Sykes Enterprises last November, said DiNardo.

​Nordia provides customer service solutions in the telecommunications sector, including support, sales and loyalty, directory assistance, and teleconferencing, as well as technology-assisted relay services to facilitate communication for hearing and speech-impaired customers.

It currently employs about 290 people at its Parkway Mall facility on the city's east side.

The new uptown location will be 40,000-square feet and equipped with several amenities, such as a cafeteria, gym, lounge with games, TV and internet access, and heated underground parking, said DiNardo.

Nordia also operates customer service centres in Moncton, Québec, Ontario and B.C.