Local banking software company nCino is eyeing a significant increase in staffing this year, and is taking steps to help find the qualified candidates it needs close to home.

As part of its recent announcement that it had raised $29 million in Stage B funding, the company said it will use the financing to expand both its product portfolio and its markets.

This growth plan will require a larger staff, and in an email Tuesday company spokeswoman Kathryn Cook said that nCino will add approximately 40 to 75 new jobs this year. The company “will be looking to hire a number of information technology candidates including developer and programmer positions,” she said.

nCino maintains a commitment to hiring people from the Wilmington area, CEO Pierre Naudé has said in the past, so as the company develops a strategy to expand the area's qualified labor pool, it has hit upon a new tactic:give potential applicants an understanding of the company's core technology, Salesforce, by offering a Salesforce certification course.

"Salesforce is a world-class cloud based platform on which nCino's Bank Operating System is based," Sean Desmond, nCino's vice president of customer success, said in an email. "With nCino's focus on innovation, reputation and speed, we are looking to expand the product development team. This training course will give graduating students, local bankers and other professionals interested in programming roles the in-depth knowledge of the Salesforce platform, which will position them for success when applying for positions to join the nCino team.

The certification course, which begins in mid-March, will consist of 12 three-hour sessions and will be open to anyone in the community who is interested in earning the certification, Cook said. While there’s a cost, she added, it’s a fraction of what is normally charged for the course. And there’s an incentive: Salesforce certification could lead to a job offer from nCino.

Desmond said that the course offering is evidence of the company’s commitment to the greater Wilmington community.

"As a proud Wilmington-based technology company, nCino is committed to hiring and enriching the talent pool in the Cape Fear Region. As such, we are excited to offer this Salesforce training course for the first time to the local community . . .  It is our hope that we will be able to identify potential candidates for the nCino product development team from those who complete this course and achieve their certification, so we can continue to grow our presence here in the Port City."

Classes will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. beginning March 17th at nCino headquarters, 2605 Irongate Drive. Click here to request information.