FP&A in Tempe most micromanaged finance department ever
Pros
Great travel benefits Looks good on a resume The travel benefits are incredible and can easily add the equivalent of 15-20K to your salary. Non-revving is pretty easy, though sometimes you really have to watch flights to make sure that you can get a seat. The higher level finance jobs at CHQ look good on a resume and with consolidation likely in the next few years, it could result in higher salaries.
Cons
Constant micromanagement Excel monkeys with little thought involved in your roles Management that doesn't care about your future or what you have to offer office politics zero training - there is no official training and little unofficial training I worked in FP&A which is generally considered the highest-level finance group in the company. It frequently attracts MBA level talent. However, the management in this group is some of the worst that I have ever experienced for the reasons I've listed below: (1) Not honoring creative thinking and problem solving - During my time at US Airways, I was told things like "don't take initiative", and "it's not your job to think, that's my job (the manager's)". Within my group, analysts were often berated for not putting something in the appropriate font (Book Antigua) or for not having something completed literally ten minutes after someone requested it. (2) Not explaining or sharing company data - We were often told to do things without anyone explaining why we were doing that. We had to figure it out on our own. Everything is siloed and throughout the company, people hoard information in order to protect themselves. (3) Public criticism - in staff meetings, the analyst with the worst reports would often be called out in front of the group. (4) Micromanagement - everything had to be in a certain format and certain way. Managers often reviewed emails before you sent them and most of the time, analysts were discouraged from emailing anyone outside of the other finance groups; rather we had to go through the finance groups to get information from the divisions. (5) Low morale - morale of analyst ranges from "accepting the job for what it is as not perfect" to "hating it and wanting out". I don't believe anyone that you talk to in FP&A would say that it is a great place to work. Most people only stay in the group for 12-18 months. After that, they usually can't take it anymore. This was easily the worst culture of any place I've worked.