Why IBM?

We make a point of partnering with creative, high-profile organisations – in fact, globally, we work with more than two thirds of the world’s 50 most innovative companies. In the UK, our clients include the BBC, Shell, the MoD, United Utilities, Marks & Spencer, BSkyB, O2, DVLA, DWP, Defra, Lloyds TSB and Barclays – to name just a few.

This isn’t just about the big projects. This is about projects that excite, inspire, push things forward. Projects that matter – not just to us, or our clients, but to the wider world. In Galway Bay, for instance, we launched our Smart Bay initiative, installing special buoys that analyse weather patterns, water quality and sea conditions to help predict tidal storm surges and protect the local marine environment. We worked with the BBC to revolutionise their finance function - allowing 50% of their finance budget to be put back into creating great programmes. We helped the DVLA - one of the busiest government agencies - to improve the services they offer to customers and free up capacity equivalent to around 220 full-time jobs. We’ve worked with the British Library to safeguard millions of webpages for posterity, and with Brawn GP to streamline their design process for new Formula One cars. And we’re also collaborating with energy providers to make a mass market of low-emission, electric cars a possibility. That’s just the start of course - there’s a great deal going on all across the business.

If you’re not careful, niches can become trenches. Not here. The sheer scope of what we work on means you’ll have the opportunity to explore new types of projects, across nearly every industry area. Here, you’ll have the freedom to align yourself with the kind of projects that interest you – if you’re proactive and committed enough to seek them out.

The sheer breadth of IBM’s capability means your projects need never be restricted in scope. We’re home to expertise in everything from software and hardware through to construction and ecology. We also benefit from the backing of a global, highly-funded and highly-regarded research and development department – IBM Research – which regularly delivers breakthroughs in a range of areas, from studying solar energy in the Middle East to developing systems to help improve safety on city streets. So, if you believe your client could benefit from taking a broader look at the challenges they’re facing, you can speak up with confidence.

In 2009, Fortune magazine ranked IBM as the best company for leaders – probably because we’ve worked hard to create an environment where you can constantly add to your expertise. First, we’ll put together a personalised career development plan that’ll map out a path to where you want to go. Then, you’ll be able to take advantage of the vast range of training available – from e-learning courses, to classroom tutoring. And the best thing is, where you take your career is entirely up to you: you can develop vertically, horizontally, across different specialisms or within just one. Whether you want to grow your expertise in consultancy, sales, delivery or the technical side of projects, we can help you.

If you want advice on a project, it’s never far away. After all, our culture’s built around collaboration. Rest assured, too, that you’ll have some inspirational people to turn to: some of our colleagues here have won Nobel Prizes, Turing Awards and countless industry accolades – including, recently, an MCA IT Consultant award. Even in their lives away from work, our people accomplish amazing things. One of our consultants is an acclaimed photographer, who regularly shoots behind the scenes at Wimbledon. Another works with a charity that supports South African street children through education. Others are studying diplomas or post graduate degrees; are established writers; or have developed technical expertise in their own time – such as a carbon tracking or social network analysis. All of which, we find, makes for a far more interesting place to work.

Innovation’s not something new to us. In fact, we’ve been pushing boundaries for over 100 years. We were behind the personal computer, the first ever calculator, the mainframe computer, the memory chip and games console chips. We’ve even developed NASA technology that enabled man to land on the moon, speech recognition and supercomputers that are used for everything from monitoring climate change to beating people at gameshows. Ours is a business with strong roots - and a healthy future of growth. Not because we want to tread the same paths to success. But because we’re intrigued. We’re fascinated by the future. And we’re constantly looking for the next big thing. Much like you.

We live and work by strong ethical standards here at IBM (in fact, we’ve been ranked #1 in Covalence’s EthicalQuote assessment of 581 large companies worldwide). So, as you might imagine, there’s a lot you can get involved in. Every year, thousands of our employees give up many hours of their own time to volunteer and help local communities, schools and charities. But for us, all that isn’t enough. We want to arm our people with the tools and skills they need to become inspirational volunteers. So, we launched On Demand Community, a website for IBM employees (and retired employees) that hosts a vast range of tools and information to help you improve as a volunteer, as well as a searchable link to volunteer opportunities near you. You can even organise your own event, and draw on the skills of IBM consultants around the world. Find out more.