Fidelity to add 600 jobs in RTP

The company also plans to invest $8.1 million to upgrade its technology and customer services centers.

Joan Vinas, senior vice president and North Carolina regional leader for Fidelity, said most of the new positions will be in information technology, from software engineering to cyber security. The average annual salary of the new jobs will be more than $100,000, plus benefits.

"Developing and implementing technology that touches just about every aspect of the Fidelity business and brings to our customers a new way to look at their finances," Vinas said.

The Boston-based mutual fund giant first set up shop in North Carolina in 2002 when it acquired an employee benefits business. Four years later, the firm designated North Carolina as a regional technology center, added a data center and a customer contact center and based Fidelity Charitable in the Triangle.

Fidelity already employs more than 3,500 people in Durham and Wake counties and has walk-in investor centers in Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte and Greensboro.

Check success of NC incentive grants

Fidelity has qualified for a Job Development Investment Grant from the state, which will provide a rebate of employee withholding taxes totaling as much as $15 million if the company meets hiring and investment targets. Durham County officials also are expected to vote Nov. 9 on a package of local incentives for the company.

This is the second incentive package Fidelity has received from the state since 2003. In August 2006, Fidelity Global Brokerage was awarded a JDIG grant valued at $54.6 million to bring 2,000 jobs to Durham and Wake counties. As of December 2013, the most recent state Commerce Department data show, the company created 2,073 jobs and collected about $20.2 million in income tax reimbursements from the state.

Privately-held Fidelity has more than 24 million customers and $5.1 trillion in assets under administration as of Aug. 31.