Social network Facebook will open a New York engineering office, the company’s first outside of the West Coast, early next year and is accepting applications for new roles immediately.

The company’s careers website shows 15 available roles in New York, including two interns and a recruiting sourcer.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, says: “Building an engineering presence outside the West Coast is a big step for us, one we would take only if we found the right combination of talent and community support.”

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg adds: “Facebook is capitalising on what more and more tech companies are realising: that New York City is the best place in the world to recruit and retain a talented workforce.”