Remote work is here to stay for local employees at Phoenix-based software firm nQ Zebraworks, which plans to double the size of its New Mexico workforce with the help of state incentives.
The company currently has about a dozen employees in New Mexico and intends to add 15 new positions that would include software developers, support analysts, implementation consultants and a technical writer. The state government is providing $281,000 in Job Training Incentive Program money, meant to fund job training for newly-created jobs at expanding or relocating firms, for the expansion.
Specializing in software products catered to law firms, nQ Zebraworks employees will be paid between $23 and $52.88 per hour. The highest potential pay belongs to senior software developers, according to the state.
But, those employees won't work from an office. After exiting its local office lease, and transitioning to remote work, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, nQZebraworks still has no plans to add space. The company is also "dramatically" downsizing its office in Phoenix, CEO Bill Bice told Business First.
“Its nice to not pay for office space, but it's really about the fact that it's a great advantage in recruiting talent," Bice said. "A huge number of people really prefer to work from home."
Currently, most of nQ Zebraworks' 60-person workforce is located outside of New Mexico, but many of its higher-ranking employees live in the state, Bice said. The company was formed via a merger last year between Albuquerque-based Zebraworks, which offered cloud-based technical solutions for law firms, and nQueue, which provided law-focused software.
After the merger, Reckon Group, the parent company of nQ Zebraworks, said it committed $3 million to funding the company's growth until the end of 2023.
Another $2 million loan may be made available "if required," according to a release from Reckon.
