Pros
Invenergy is a very fast paced company, where opportunities can be what you make them. Because it is such a relatively young company, in an industry that has changed by the month the last few years, employees who are able to think on their feet, take initiative, communicate, and have a drive to succeed can very quickly establish themselves as integral parts of department, and company. Unlike many accounting jobs, collaboration with a large number of internal, and external groups is required, but again creates ample opportunities for individuals to establish themselves, and obtain visibility from other departments, management, and important suppliers/lenders. They recently made a jump to be increasingly more progressive, by completely building out all floors of their office, so that is about as contemporary of a space as you will find in Chicago. Additionally, they made capital investments into new Accounting and HR systems that will take them through the next ten years, once they get them in place, and can maximize the added benefits over their old solutions. For mid sized company, a lot of emphasis is placed on cross department development. They are not at the size to be able to effectively do rotation programs, but they do have a large number of committees and task forces which they involved employees of all levels in, to allow the employees to make the work experience as much of their own experience, as is realistic, and keep them as engaged as possible. Those that embrace the fast paced nature, and that are willing to get involved, beyond their core work requirements, tend to be rewarded. I personally received one promotions in my just under 2 years there, and saw a number of others with similar experience receive the same, and in cases multiple promotions in that time. It seemed like management understands that there were a number of processes, and systems, that needed improvement, but some were tedious, and those that showed that initiative, and were not complacent, were consistently rewarded. I would have stayed much longer but family obligations lead to a different path. Management also makes a point to spend time with each employee. Within the accounting group the VP/Controller and CFO each make a point to spend time with every employee within their organization each quarter to obtain feedback on how they are doing, and creating an open forum for any changes they feel could be beneficial.
Cons
Because it is so fast paced, and such a young company(half have been there less than 2 years), with so many assertive people, if you require a regimented training program, and a lot of hand holding, you will likely struggle. Your internal audiences on a daily basis(by department) can range from tax, to asset management, to finance and project management. Understanding how to communicate to various audiences, and the needs of each can be complicated, and those that lack the ability to do so, are not likely to be comfortable, or maximize their success. Unlike many accounting roles that are simple debits/credits on a few straight forward ledgers, the job can be incredibly complex with org charts with 1000's of entities, and projects with completely different rules depending on their various life cycles. Getting a greater understanding of the industry, and not just accounting guidance is necessary to add value. This can be a "Pro" for some, but others can really struggle managing their time,understanding all of the concepts, and what are the actual value added activities, which then can impact their work-life balance. Even those that are very successful tend to have steep learning curves. However, those individuals that get through that seem to do really well and have long tenures in the department, and organization. While the work is very rewarding it is also extremely fast paced, with something constantly going on, and often different, and it did seem there were a few people while I was there in other departments that were great contributors and leaders but seemed to get burnt out after longer tenures(4-8 years) and left.
