Pros
This is a small (but growing practice) offering a number of professional benefits: -ability to advance through the ranks quickly and immediate staffing on live deals -lots of autonomy for Senior Associates and VPs and direct interaction with clients -very little non-deal related work, limited pitching, though ability to originate and prospect if desired/needed -relatively young and spirited office, so there's genuine camaraderie on the floor and among mid and senior-level management; pro-active and pro-team attitude is a must -previous banking experience is a not a pre-requisite for junior staff as management is willing to train and promote internally -significant deal volume so each member is staffed on multiple deals that often take only a couple of months to close allowing for quickly accumulating transaction experience; -compensation has significant upside, unhindered by typical bulge bracket structures and internal politics; all bonuses are paid in cash -senior management is really good at mentoring mid-level professionals; very competent and well regarded in the industry This is a great time to be in the renewable and conventional energy industries: - because of the firm's early success in renewable energy banking, our name is known and well regarded by all of the significant investors in the space -the industry doubles every year and our revenue growth has exceeded that of the industry historically -the core skill set developed in this shop is transferable to other banking and PE-type roles -because we are often targeting niche or mid-market deals, we generally have a competitive advantage for winning mandates -can build your own career path internally and develop a core skill set On a personal level, this is a great place to work: -relatively flexible hours, no face time -lots of opportunities to socialize with co-workers including casual Fridays, team lunches and happy hours -ability to network in the industry and entertain clients; in fact, an Analyst was able to put together a happy hour for clients and industry contacts recently and 100+ junior-level bankers and investors attended -attend conferences and industry events; the firm sponsors events at all of the leading industry conferences -take personal responsibility on deals and drive P&L -promote innovation in the industry and know you are personally making a difference
Cons
This is not a 9-5 job but this is a feature of banking in general; on the flip side, management makes a genuine effort to allow employees to take time off and disconnect when vacationing/travelling internationally by re-distributing work responsibilities. In addition, both management and junior team members discuss workload and spare capacity on a weekly basis allowing for Analysts and Associates to ask for additional coverage on deals when necessary.