A BUSINESS expansion will see more than 200 jobs created in Slough, it has been announced.

Global outsourcing company, arvato, has revealed plans to create new jobs as it expands operations at its Slough-based customer service centre in Farnham Road.

The move follows arvato successfully securing a five-year partnership with BMW Group in the UK and Ireland to provide customer service support for the premium automotive group’s BMW, MINI, Alphera and Motorrad brands.

Debra Maxwell, CEO, CRM and Public Sector UK and Ireland of arvato, said: “The availability of talented candidates was one of the key factors behind our decision to relocate our UK and Ireland headquarters to Slough in 2014 and we’re proud to be in a position to create more local employment opportunities.”

The recruitment drive, which is due to start from next week, includes opportunities in customer services, specialist product and financial services, retailer interaction, mobility support, team leadership, training and quality assurance.

The teams will handle approximately four million customer and retailer interactions per year for BMW across telephone, e-mail, webchat, SMS and social media.

Councillor Rob Anderson, leader of Slough Borough Council, said: “The latest new contract win at arvato offers another fantastic opportunity for people in Slough to pursue a wide range of roles within a growing business.”

During the recruitment campaign, arvato will be working closely with a range of local partners to help select candidates for the roles, including Slough Aspire – a social enterprise created to help residents develop the skills required by local employers.

A spokeswoman for Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce said: “We are very pleased to hear that arvato is expanding and creating new jobs. This is good news for Slough and Thames Valley economy overall.”

arvato is already a large employer in Slough, with 400 people based at its Farnham Road offices. The business entered into a 10-year partnership with Slough Borough Council in 2012, delivering transactional and corporate services to the Council. including revenues and benefits, payroll, finance services, HR and logistics services. The partnership was extended in 2013 to include customer services and ICT.

To find out more information about the roles on offer and to apply, please visit arvato’s careers website at https://careers.arvato.co.uk/