Pros
Benefits package is competitive. Depending on who you work for, flexible work arrangements are encouraged. On-site CFA class is good if you want to get a better job and can get it reimbursed.
Cons
Getting back to the Peter Principle, this place embodies it. The higher you go, the more incompetent the people are. And there is no way to climb the ladder based on merit alone....you have to kiss you-know-what in order to get noticed. Extremely hierarchical structure....most SVPs won't take meetings even with VPs that don't report directly to them. Senior management, which has recently been overhauled with former consultants, is cutting costs to the bone, which translates to awful tech support and rolling layoffs. It's pretty fun coming in the last Wednesday of every month not knowing if you're going to be in the unemployment line or back at your desk the next morning . The push is still to offshore a lot of work, while it has been proven through experience that the offshore partner cannot handle anything other than simple tasks. Regarding salary...it is not good. The company pays approximately 3% more in starting salary than it did in the year 2000, and management's excuse is that "we're in line with our competition". Two problems....A) that's a bold faced lie and B) even if it wasn't, management obviously isn't paying attention to a little issue we have in this country called wealth inequality (which actually makes sense, thinking back to my previous comment about incompetence levels rising the higher up the org chart you go). Then we're told that the SVP level and above have their pay frozen so that the "little people" can still get a 2.5% merit increase....guess what, nobody feels bad for a class of people who average over 200K in salary and God knows how much more in bonus/shares. Other reviewers have mentioned the SSB brand name as being a pro...I couldn't disagree more. Rumors have been around for years of other financial firms in the city throwing away SSB resumes before even reading them. Once you're here for more than a couple years, buckle up, you're likely here until your number gets called. Don't bother with advanced degrees or designations; senior management couldn't care less.
