Transfinder Corp. opened its first international office, in Shanghai, China, to hire programmers for work on new and existing products as it expands into new markets.

The company finalized the incorporation of its subsidiary, Transfinder Shanghai, on Nov. 3.

The process of opening the office began in January when Transfinder located and leased its office in the heart of the city of 24 million people and hired five programmers, company officials said. Today, Transfinder Shanghai has eight programmers and will hire six more within the next three months.

Transfinder President and CEO Antonio Civitella said that this was a decision he put off as long as he could as he sought to hire and locate talent at the company’s Schenectady, New York, headquarters.

He added that Transfinder’s expansion into the municipalities market increased the need for more developers.

Transfinder remains committed to growing in Schenectady and has undertaken a number of strategies to hire the best and brightest college graduates, company officials said.

Those efforts include:

•    Working with five recruiters who specialize in the tech field.
•    Attending off-site job fairs.
•    Hosting job fairs at its headquarters.
•    Visiting area colleges, including University of Albany, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Union College and Siena College.
•    Covering the costs associated with obtaining visas for international employees.
•    Paying finder’s fees to Transfinder employees who identify prospective job candidates.

Civitella said those efforts will continue and new recruiting efforts will be launched this year as well.

The company plans to bus students in from area colleges this year to introduce them to Transfinder’s culture, with an expectation of hiring the top candidate or candidates on the spot. Transfinder is also initiating a co-op program to bring top students into the company prior to graduation.

“We have to do whatever it takes to bring the best talent in-house so we can develop the products our clients are craving,” Civitella said. “We cannot allow a skills gap to slow our growth.”

The Shanghai office represents Transfinder’s second satellite office. Earlier this year, Transfinder celebrated the grand opening of its Austin, Texas, office. Texas represents the company’s second highest concentration of clients, behind New York.

“For the first time in 27 years, Transfinder is in three time zones and is truly a 24/7 international operation,” Civitella said.