“I wanted to work for a reputable employer that offered good career progression and benefits. Nationwide seemed to fit the bill as a socially-conscious employer committed to not only being great at what it does, but also doing it in the right way.

In my 13 years with Nationwide, I’ve worked in a variety of roles and divisions. I started my career as a Customer Adviser in a Nationwide branch. I then invested seven years in a combination of team and area management roles as well Financial Services-regulated roles advising on mortgages, investments and insurance. I next worked as a Business Consultant at Nationwide House – our Swindon Head Office. Following a Divisional change, I secured a Project Manager position in the Change Management division, which has recently merged with the IT Project Management team to become Transformation Delivery. Through successful project implementation and continual self development I was able to progress to the next level in the structure; taking on more complex projects with larger budgets and bigger teams.

What surprised me the most about Nationwide is the ingrained commitment to its people. Of course, any business needs to make commercial decisions in order to make money and stay in business, but Nationwide really does believe that success comes from its people. I was also very impressed with the employee flexible benefits scheme, allowing me to annually tweak things such as holiday entitlement and discounted retail vouchers to suit the needs of me and my family.

What I find really exciting about the Transformation Delivery team is that we’re at the forefront of new developments within the business. You’re asked to stand up and be responsible for driving through positive change with the people you work with, ensuring that they’re supported and enthusiastic about the future. If you thrive in a high challenge, high support environment and can lead a team of people, then this could be the place for you.

“Before working at Nationwide, I’d worked on fixed-term contracts and temporary assignments. One of the downsides of temping can be that the contracts tend to be short-term. After having worked on a couple of projects at Nationwide I gained a permanent position as a Programme Office Analyst.

Before joining Nationwide, I’d spent the last four years working in the Health and Social Care sector. My business background comes from having worked at Royal Mail for eight years as a Manager both on projects and in business-as-usual environments. One big difference for me was working in a project environment where everything happens at a much quicker pace. For example, as a secretary to Executive Boards, I used to send out meeting papers at least a week in advance. Here, Board papers are sent out two days in advance, simply because in a project environment, situations change rapidly.

I perhaps had a misconception that people working for a large building society might be ‘stuffy’ but actually everyone is down to earth and very helpful. I feel this is enhanced by Nationwide putting a very high value on PRIDE behaviours – for example, treating people fairly and putting customers first. As you’d expect in a change environment, there can be very tight deadlines due to the nature of the work. That said, it’s a pleasant environment and everyone’s supportive.”

“I was attracted to Nationwide because of the enthusiasm of its employees, and the positive nature of the media coverage relating to Nationwide. I started here three and a half years ago in a hybrid Project Manager/Senior Business Analyst role. A year later, I moved into a Senior Business Analyst role in the newly formed Change Management Division and three months ago, I was promoted to Lead Business Analyst.

I was surprised at how well Nationwide balanced delivering business objectives with making sure you get an appropriate work/life balance. Also, Change Management here is considerably bigger than where I’ve worked in the past. But with this larger structure comes more opportunity.

The diverse nature of the change programmes and the wealth of experience within Nationwide both mean there’s significant opportunity for on-the-job training. You’re given the support and trust from colleagues to develop your skills, and from this, to realise the contribution you’re making. Additionally, Nationwide understands that its primary asset is its people so it also provides the more formalised training you need to improve your performance – it doesn’t shy away from allowing you to gain industry-recognised qualifications. In short, Nationwide doesn’t just talk about training and development, it’s actually delivered.”