Great place for scientists; not a great place if you're not - Anonymous employee NSF Employee Review

2.0
1 May 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Location in Arlington, quiet and safe work environment, flexible work schedules, telework opportunities, myriad opportunities for women, great new Director and COO.

Cons

Lack of effective management throughout the agency. Scientists with little or no management acumen or interest are asked to manage both the work and the people of the organization. Many of NSF's scientist-managers are on temporary appointments and therefore have no stake in the development/growth of the staff or in fixing systemic problems at the agency. The deleterious effects of relying on scientist-managers throughout the organization are profound.

Explore other reviews about NSF

5.0
22 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible timing, very simple managerial tasks.

Cons

Not enough work was prescribed; I wish there were bigger projects, but lots of waiting for other figureheads to respond.

5.0
16 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great learning experience for ML work.

Cons

Can be tough in initial onboarding and learning stages.

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