director of finance

credit analyst

financial analyst

credit associate

associate director

Fitch Ratings

The workplace atmosphere is grim. Pay is low and rewards are few. The management is humorless and excels at demoralization. No one talks to one another. It is difficult to tell if people are socially inept or they just don't like each other. There are no team outings or attempts at building camaraderie, just a cold, quiet space for you to spin your wheels into a deep, soul-crushing rut. Changes in style and direction come from London and are passed on like a game of telephone to New York and then Chicago. There is no consistency across the board, but you are expected to follow along somehow. Near the end of my time at Fitch I compiled a list of these inconsistencies and the way different people chose to enforce them but it was met with deaf ears. In the publishing department there are editors of varying experience who use conflicting styles that sometimes match up with the official style guide and sometimes do not. When it comes time for your performance review it is anyone's guess which style guide you will be judged by. There is a managing editor who allows some senior editors to review your work, ostensibly giving your perceived co-workers the ability to serve as your superior. The condescension is palpable. These reviews will affect your pay and your yearly bonus. It bears repeating: morale is low. The manager in my department displayed virtually no ability to communicate naturally. His style consisted of unplanned taps on the shoulder for meetings, assuring you are unprepared and on the defense. Asking for assistance with a problem was usually met with a shrug; he was powerless against the higher-ups, and would rarely stand up for his own team in the face of corporate pressure. But hey, if your idea of a leader is to be utterly humorless with poor people skills, this is the place for you.

A wonderful job with a wonderful working atmosphere.
The work was faced paced and required me to multitask while I supported 3 departments.

I learned a lot about marketing and ratings, as I was required to assists with putting together PowerPoint presentations and marketing materials on short notice. I also had the wonderful pleasure of coordinating a golf outing event for all the departments at the end of the year which turned out to be a huge success,


The hardest part of the job was when I had to support another Executive Admin (who was out on leave and maintain my workflow) and support the Executive Director of the entire department.

The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting so many wonderful people and interfacing with business owners/Vendors.

At Fitch my day would start off with me sending out emails setting up surveillance calls for analysts, emails to analysts reminding them to send me any private rating letters to format and prepare for the managing director's signature.  Also, I would send out reminders to the group heads of the analysts to email me their weekly and monthly reports which I would format and prepare for the managing director to review and send out to his boss.  At any and all times during the day I would setup committee meetings for the analysts which involved sending out an email to a designated group of analysts with a dial in number and a conference room.  I also booked travel for the analysts and reconciled their expenses after their trips were completed.

Your experience as an employee at Fitch depends a lot on what part of the company you work in. Some analytical groups are overworked -- meaning usually working seven days a week, 8-10 hour days -- while others less so. Some people work their entire careers here and retire with full benefits and going away parties, admin staff (esp. mailroom/facilities) get canned after many years of loyal service just short of retirement. One person I knew got promoted up from an admin/assistant-type position but their pay didn't jump the way it should have so when this person discovered they were making well below industry average for their position and experience, they jumped ship and took a government job which was a step up for them.

Fitch employees are the Rodney Dangerfield of the working world.  There is zero mentorship, zero training, zero possibility for advancement.   Compensation is insulting and raises negligible.  in return employees don't feel and loyalty and the entire company suffers. Costs are contained to the extreme--They say you can tell a lot about how a workplace appreciates its employees by the toilet paper they stock for their employees-- if this is true then Fitch is no better than a workhouse--there are literally zero perks, unless you are senior management.  Don't join Fitch thinking you will make it to senior management.  They aren't going anywhere and they don't admit outsiders

Pay is 20% lower than market. Lack of separation between ratings and other product sales is a big issue. They constantly use rating analysts to do work for the research product side. They let marketing people sit in management meetings between rating analysts and companies which can be seen as conflict of interest. They claim marketing cannot meddle with rating process but in reality, they give marketing teams a lot of presence and also let them in the middle of things. They promoted many women managers but these women are not interested in career development of others.

Great place to learn nuances of credit. Colleagues are some of the most smart and experienced set of people. However, there are very limited opportunities if you are at mid-level (AD or Director) to move up. The work is engaging and work-life balance is good. Managers aren't super engaged with the people they manage. As a result, people who want to move up eventually end up looking outside and leaving. Overall comp is at the low end of the market.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There are lots of opportunities to learn new technologies.
The Team mates are very friendly and helpful.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Troubleshooting issues for analyst on tight deadlines.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Nurtures a collaborative environment.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Half the day for development, the other half troubleshooting issues for analysts.

Many changes in structure and company policies have made this a less desireable place to work.   No communication put in place.  Behind in the times when it comes to technology.  Structure of the company is too top heavy.  Never enough support.  Benefits have greatly decreased.  Compensation is way under market value.

FS provides its analysts with the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of a specific country or industry alongside a group of other highly intelligent individuals. However, analysts are often overwork and always underpaid, making the job significantly less enjoyable. Though there are on occasion opportunities to travel on sales calls, these are few and far between. FS does not do enough to leverage their best assets and give analysts the critical experiences necessary to develop professionally.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Director of finance 93 salaries reported	$154,140 per year
Credit analyst 48 salaries reported	$140,469 per year
Financial analyst 48 salaries reported	$94,896 per year
Credit associate 27 salaries reported	$123,981 per year
Associate director 9 salaries reported	$116,711 per year

Working at Fitch Ratings: Company Overview and Reviews

Fitch Ratings

Fitch Ratings Ratings

Popular jobs at Fitch Ratings

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected