The controller of the department (as of 2022) is the epitome of a toddler tyrant boss. She is a regular verbal abuser and an expert gaslighter. She is truly the absolute worst person I have ever had the misfortune of working with. As long as she is head of the department, I would never recommend a job here. Senior management encourages dogmatic enforcement of all policies and procedures, but what actually gets enforced is at the whim of whomever is reviewing your work. No two reviewers have the exact same preferences, so the job becomes less about doing your job correctly and more about managing your time around trying to predict or attempting to interpret your reviewer's personal preferences. Other reviewers have mentioned other relevant cons - crazy expectations / working hours but then they guilt trip you about getting the OT approved, poor communication from management, no joy / team spirit / culture. The department manager is smart, competent, and a good manager, but she is held back by the department controller (think Yubaba from Spirited Away) and the department supervisor, who is favored by the controller because she embraces her dogmatic attitude, but is actually a terrible supervisor because she has the worst communication skills I've ever seen in my life. Overall, If you have a thick skin, this is a great place to learn skills and softwares. It looks and feels great on a resume. But the working environment is so 1970's toxic that you wonder if the trauma from working there was really worth it.
