Intense brainpower and interesting work but chasing government contracts is tough - Project Manager Leidos Employee Review

4.0
Sep 3, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Leidos is the "science" half of Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), when SAIC split into two companies. If you are a scientist or highly technical engineer looking for intense challenges and smart coworkers, look at Leidos first -- the other, less science-intense half kept the name SAIC, so don't be misled. I worked there for a decade and enjoyed almost all of it. Got to work on heavy scientific topics that I wouldn't have been able to do elsewhere -- at other companies the really fun science gets done by the few eminent PhDs, leaving crumbs for everyone else. At Leidos my experience was usually plenty of science. Sometimes more than I could handle. Projects are ambitious and challenging.

Cons

Chasing government contracts is a real drag. Bureaucracy of govt funding is getting worse, funding $$ drying up, and you wind up hunting for charge numbers to work for. Turns into a stressful drudgery after a while -- it can be hard to concentrate on your current contract while continually worrying about the next one. Job security is only as solid as that next contract. Work can be stressful, certainly is more than 40 hours a week. Tight deadlines can lead to lots of overtime.

Explore other reviews about Leidos

5.0
Jun 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Ability to work from home

Cons

There is few opportunities to promote

3.0
May 27, 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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