Great team in Madison, but the contract work is nerve-wracking and political - Employee Leidos Employee Review

3.0
11 Mar 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Pay is competitive - Interesting and varied work opportunities - Corporate offices would be great to work for (consider a transfer opportunity if you can relocate) - Management is competent and experienced in the field

Cons

- Many changes/acquisitions (in less than 5 years went from R.W. Beck to SAIC to SAIC EE&I to Leidos) - Low job security: Wisconsin is a satellite office that hinges primarily on a few large contracts. When those are in jeopardy or up for bid, things get tough. - Feast and famine - expect insane hours when contract goals are behind, yet be prepared for periods of extremely slow work when contracts budgets are tight (yet there is pressure to be billable at all times) - While management is very experienced, they have at times been lacking in the "people" side of managing. Unfortunately, very apparent during times of change, which are frequent here. Overall, if job security is important to you, I can't recommend this office...

Explore other reviews about Leidos

5.0
7 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Large companies. Willingness to work with you.

Cons

Low paying. No hybrid opportunity

3.0
27 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Leidos provides opportunities to work on complex government programs with meaningful technical challenges. Depending on the contract and team, there can be exposure to cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, systems engineering, networking, and mission-focused work that is difficult to find elsewhere. The company also has a large footprint, so there may be internal opportunities for people who are able to navigate the organization.

Cons

My experience was that the quality of management varied significantly by program. Communication around expectations, roles, and priorities was often inconsistent, and decisions that affected employees were not always explained clearly or handled in a transparent way. Work-life balance also depended heavily on local management. Flexibility that existed in practice could be changed quickly, and employees were sometimes left trying to reconcile changing expectations with existing workloads and personal obligations. In my view, the company would benefit from stronger oversight of program-level management decisions, especially where employee responsibilities, workplace flexibility, and performance feedback are concerned. I also found that technical decision-making was sometimes driven more by schedule pressure than by sound engineering judgment. On complex government programs, that can create unnecessary risk and frustration for employees who are trying to do things correctly.

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