Ireland is positioning itself as a global hub for games development, to the point where – according to a recent government report – it’s expected to employ 4,500 people by 2014 and grow to $82.4bn over the next five years.

Central to this, rather obviously, is the technical expertise available locally. However, should developers in the gaming sector consider a move to the UK, they’d find no shortage of hedge funds looking to tap their services.

Hedge funds are still recruiting technologists in the UK and increasingly looking outside of the financial sector for new recruits. Telecoms, research and gaming industries are considered key targets.

“By looking outside of the finance sector, hedge funds are able to access very credible technologists, with experience developing sophisticated algorithms or real time applications, often for a fraction of the price they would pay for people making a sideways move from another fund,” says Nick Finlay, head of investment management at Hays Finance Technology.

Ireland is home to some big names in the gaming industry, and they’re creating new jobs. Havok, DemonWare, Activision Blizzard, Big Fish James, EA Games’ Bioware – which announced plans to double its headcount in Galway to 400 recently – Zynga and PopCap Games.

It can be a relatively lucrative career path – business analyst roles pay €55-70k, according to recruitment sources, while salaries for developers are closer to €35-45k.

Perhaps not surprisingly, hedge fund packages are more generous. Developers can earn 70-80k (€81.5-93.2k), plus the potential for a 30-60% bonus payment.

However, securing a technology role in a hedge fund is no easy task. The roles are often heavily quantitative, so as well as the technical skills – the primary programming language is usually C++ or Java – hedge funds demand exemplary academics, and often a Masters or PhD.

Man Group’s quantitative AHL fund – arguably one of the most technology-driven hedge funds out there – has a history of recruiting from industry for IT roles.

Last year, it hired Dr Wayne Glanfield, who previously worked on building high performing computer facilities for Formula One, and its tech team comprise ex-lawyers, bio-informaticians and even some people with a classics background.