1395 words | 8 minutes
By: Randy Gaudreau
The talent team at Invest Ottawa recently hosted its first international info session – showcasing Ottawa as an unmatched destination for tech talent to come live and work, in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Two companies joined us to share how they are welcoming new employees and the great benefits that come with their job opportunities.
So, take this opportunity to virtually meet Assent and Syntronic – and review highlights from their presentations to discover the benefits of working with these companies in your tech career here in Ottawa.
Assent
https://youtu.be/ueYa47qRqwQ
What does Assent do?
“Most supply chains were never built with sustainability in mind and most manufacturers do not have deep visibility into their supply chain risks while outsourcing the majority of their production,” explained Talent Sourcing Coordinator Leely Tan. “Shaped by regulatory experts, customers and suppliers, Assent is the foundation manufacturers need for cross-enterprise sustainability.”
“In simpler terms,” she explained, “we have a SAaS-based product that provides a lot of visibility into a company’s supply chain – whether that is looking at if their supply chain is ethical, or sustainable and meeting certain regulations. Our product will be able to provide that data and we also have a service team that provides a lot of guidance and information on how to leverage that data.”
Assent’s company history and growth
Over the past 11 years, Assent grew from a team of 25 employees in the Ottawa area to nearly 1,000 team members internationally – from Kenya and Malaysia to the United States and beyond.
What it’s like working for Assent
“I really love the culture that Assent has in terms of making sure they do bring joy into our jobs, and our product really speaks to this too,” Leely said. “I’ve always loved technology, whether it’s gaming, or just how technology has somewhat bettered my life, but I’m also a big advocate for sustainability.”
“Having a product that really speaks to my technology loves, my sustainability loves, and also a company that really embodies all these values, really makes everyone feel like they’re at home and they all belong within the company,” she said.
Total Rewards benefits program
Assent’s Total Rewards program incorporates a variety of pillars into a comprehensive package that includes personal wellness initiatives, peer recognition programs, opportunities to give back to the community, social activities and a flexible work environment.
Assent also offers career development in a variety of ways, from professional development and “drop everything and learn days” as well as a learning management system with available on-demand content dubbed Assent University.
International talent opportunities
As Assent is a data-driven company, they hire in specific global regions to ensure optimal security. These regions include Canada, USA, Europe (Amsterdam, UK and Germany), Kenya and Malaysia. In this way, Assent is a dynamic, global organization where there are endless opportunities for growth – and they expect to grow into new areas in the future.
The talent team at Assent also puts a strong focus on mentoring and providing support to international talent, extending help in understanding the Canadian work culture and learning ways to navigate the process to help them be successful.
Current opportunities at Assent
Business development representatives, customer success program consultants, software developers and quality assurance individuals and more.
To get connected with the Assent community and to receive insider news on Assent’s current roles and opportunities – Visit this link
Syntronic
What does Syntronic do?
“Syntronic is a design services company,” said Jeff Tilton, Vice President of Syntronic. “We have a group of really talented technology people, engineers, and computer scientists, that provide design help and design services for the many technology companies that are in the Ottawa area.”
Syntronic’s company history and growth
Syntronic is a 39-year-old Sweden-based design firm that’s growing quickly, with over 1,500 employees worldwide, and a sizeable team of 400 Ottawa-based tech professionals – which Jeff forecasts will grow to 750 over the next three years.
What’s it like working at Syntronic
Jeff explained that Syntronic offers tech talent a rare opportunity to work on a variety of projects with different companies while enjoying the benefits of full-time employment.
“One of the really great things about working for Syntonic is you don’t have to change companies in order to change what you’re working on,” he said, highlighting that it’s entirely possible for staff to be working on a project for a few years, and then change trajectories to try working on other things.
Also, although Syntronic is a larger company, employing over 1,500 tech professionals worldwide, there’s still a family feel within the company according to Jeff. “We’re a family-owned business,” he said. “The company is still all owned by one person, which means the company really operates in a really cooperative, family kind of way.”
Work-life balance – powered by Swedish culture
Jeff emphasized the company’s strong focus on providing their team with work-life balance, by highlighting the four weeks of vacation available from day one, which increases after three years. As he put it, that’s a bit unusual for a Canadian company, but it could be sourced back to the company’s Swedish roots.
“These are some of the elements we’re able to bring from Sweden to Canada,” he said. “And we really feel like that Swedish and Canadian combined culture makes it a great place to work.”
International talent opportunities
According to Jeff, international talent is a big part of the family as well, as last year, the Ottawa location hired over 50 people from overseas. “We really value our newcomers – our immigrant employee base,” he said.
“We will help folks to navigate through the immigration process, using a licensed law firm here in Ontario that we would cover the costs for that law firm to help complete the application packages.”
Jeff pointed out that while there are now additional Syntronic offices in Toronto and Montreal, the company specifically offers relocation support to Ottawa-based positions, as it ensures newcomers get the best support possible as part of the larger group of team members.
Current opportunities at Syntronic
Opportunities at Syntronic’s Canadian locations centre around hardware and software design including embedded software, full-stack development, mobile apps and cloud development and more.
To find opportunities to join Syntronic’s team in the Ottawa area in the Kanata technology park, visit their Americas career page here.
International talent looking for relocation and work permit assistance from Syntronic can also check out International Recruitment positions.
To get more inside information on opportunities in Ottawa’s tech industry, be sure to follow the Work in Ottawa LinkedIn page.