Pros
National Grid is at the heart of the UK’s energy transition. It’s incredibly rewarding to contribute to projects that directly support decarbonisation. The scale and complexity of the organisation can be daunting however there is no shortage of really challenging problems to solve (so if you are like me that's great). From a personal development perspective there’s a genuine focus on continuous improvement, and lots of opportunities to train / develop new skills, with access to internal learning platforms, mentoring, and leadership pathways. I find it really refreshing that the company takes its values seriously and they are embedded within day to day operations and thinks like safety of our colleagues is taken very seriously. I personally do not have a flexible working arrangement however the company is supportive and the culture treats you like an individual not a robot. The people / culture at NG is amazing everyone is busy but people want to help and will go out their way to help you if they can!
Cons
Governance processes can be slow, which can slow down innovation. Onboarding and understanding how to navigate grid can be challenging. A large number of the developers are from consultancies which can lead to domain knowledge loss if they leave the account / the sanction ends. Added benefits were comparable to the market but seem to of slipped behind a number of other companies recently e.g. Paternity leave doesnt seem to have kept pace with the market, holiday allowance and the car scheme is more expensive than the NHS / similar schemes