Starbucks plans to bulk up its tech department

starbucks coffee sign

Starbucks bumped up the number of postings for tech positions just three months after it announced plans to hire 100 tech workers. Now, most of those 100 positions have been filled, and the coffee giant isn’t stopping.

Already one of the largest technology employers in the region, Starbucks had 1,000 tech workers three months back, most of whom work from its Seattle headquarters. Adding to that base, the 100-plus openings it posted on LinkedIn ranged from senior positions to entry level, said Starbucks’ first-ever CTO, Gerri Martin-Flickinger. Openings ranged from developer roles to project managers and analysts. In fact, the six jobs posted in the last 24 hours include app development, data security analyst and platform development.

Starbucks’ varied tech team works with its mobile app, rewards programs, back-end systems and in-store systems used by baristas, among other tasks. The need for new tech workers comes as the chain continues to ramp up mobile efforts and advancements in order to stay competitive.

The team continues to make updates to the app, as well as to the recently revamped loyalty program, which counts more than 12 million people in the U.S. as active members. Now, about a quarter of all transactions in U.S. Starbucks stores are done via mobile, and a small but growing number of customers (5%, up from 3% since the initiative’s launch) order and prepay from their smartphones.

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