Pros
Aligned with UN sustainable goals - If being part of making a difference in our world is important to you then this company is about social impact "for real". Everyone that works here is passionate about our impact and is driven to give their best, it's motivating to work here. In the 5+ years that I have been here, I see new starters join with a sense of disbelief... we actually really care about each other, it almost feels weird at first. Transparent and empowered culture - all questions are welcome and company performance data is shared across the whole business regularly. Everyone is encouraged and supported to be curious, take leadership of their role and stretch themselves. Mission-aligned culture across the whole ecosystem - from our institutional lenders; to our board of directors; to our exco; I have seen many tough decisions made that hold our social impact mission above pure profits, these were defining moments for me. Career growth, competitive salaries, and 25+ annual leave days p.a. make remuneration and a solid win. We work smart and hard while still valuing work-life balance and wholesome wellness. Social impact starts with how we treat each other.
Cons
This is a scale-up... This means there are no passengers here, everyone plays an important role and needs to "show up". If you are looking for a chilled comfort zone vibe, this might not be the best place. If you are looking to get stuck in, make a difference, collaborate, innovate, contribute and have fun, then you have found the right place. If you are willing but need support, just ask, we see asking for help as a sign of strength. Being a scale-up, our leadership is also still developing and expanding as we grow and organize ourselves along the way. This means there is not always the perfect structure or clean lines of responsibility that you might find in a more mature organization. Being able to be ok with some level of ambiguity is important. Stress... Because we are mission-driven we take what we do to heart, more than most. This may at times cause more stress as we are all so vested in what we do. It takes time to develop the maturity of accepting our wins and losses as we focus on the bigger picture.