About Bandwidth
What is Bandwidth?
Bandwidth describes itself simply: "We develop & deliver the power to communicate. If you want to make a phone call, send a text message, or dial an emergency number from a device that can connect to the internet, Bandwidth powers it!" Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, it is "the global communications software company and Tier 1 network operator with global reach". Unusually for the sector, it owns the network it sells on: in 2005 it "built our own nationwide all-IP voice network", and reckons "it would take 15+ years and $500M+ to rebuild this network". The company reaches "65+ countries and over 90 percent of the global economy" and counts around 1,200 employees. Because it owns that infrastructure, it argues, "the problems you'll solve here are bigger, more complex, and more impactful".
Where will I work?
Bandwidth publishes a per-office benefits list, a good guide to where the work is: Raleigh (headquarters), Denver and Rochester in the US, plus London, Dublin, Brussels, Iasi and Turkey. This is a campus-centred employer rather than a remote-first one — many adverts say plainly that "this position requires working full-time from our Raleigh office", though occasional senior postings are marked "Location Agnostic". The Raleigh campus is built for that, with an on-site gym and Ohana, a Montessori-inspired childhood development centre for employees' children from eight weeks to six years old.
What is the Bandwidth team like?
Employees are "BANDmates", and the shorthand for the culture is "Your music matters to the BAND". Bandwidth says it "celebrate[s] our differences and encourage[s] Bandmates to be their authentic selves", and describes its own tone as "experts who speak like humans". Giving back is organised: the Bandwidth Cares service organisation "has contributed over 10,000 hours of time", every employee gets a paid "Go & do day" for service that matters to them, and volunteer hours can earn extra PTO.
Work-Life Balance
Everything here hangs off the "Whole Person Promise" — "a commitment to cherish and support your mental, spiritual, and physical wellness", and a promise that employees "can have meaningful work AND a full life". The most distinctive piece is the PTO Embargo: "PTO is held sacred at Bandwidth – you shouldn't be working," and colleagues and managers "are not allowed to interrupt your PTO – not even with email". New US hires get four weeks of PTO plus public holidays; international offices get 24 days. "Mahalo Moments" grant additional days for graduations, buying a first home, weddings and the birth of a grandchild. Exercise is built into the day through 90-minute workout lunches, a free gym membership and unlimited meetings with an in-house nutritionist. Bandwidth does not publish a four-day or compressed week.
Perks and Benefits
- 100% company-paid medical and vision cover for you and your family
- 100% company-paid dental cover for you and your family
- On-site Montessori-inspired childhood development centre in Raleigh
- Paid maternity and paternity leave, with your deductible covered
- Mental wellbeing and EAP support, plus a dedicated therapist
- Employer pension contributions at the international offices
- Life insurance and income protection cover
- Work laptop and internet allowance at the global offices
- Development programmes, courses and dedicated learning time