Good environment socially, but not much opportunity for career growth - Junior Software Engineer Leidos Employee Review

4.0
Jul 14, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Everyone at the Charlottesville location is very nice and did their best to help and support each other - Inclusive and supportive environment - Good work-life balance (can usually flex hours around appointments, childcare, etc) - Work is fairly easy - 13 days of PTO as first-year employee, increases slightly with time at company - 3 floating federal holidays annually on top of PTO

Cons

- Low salary & salary growth (up to 3% per year) - In-office or hybrid only - Opportunities for career growth are heavily dependent on major new project developments, which can be few and far in between - Little to no onboarding - Little to no mentorship - Benefits are not particularly great and can be hard to actually use - Only 7 federal holidays off annually - Social life in Charlottesville can become a bit of a bubble (could be a pro depending on your preference), as the residents are primarily college students or retired folks

Explore other reviews about Leidos

5.0
May 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Large companies. Willingness to work with you.

Cons

Low paying. No hybrid opportunity

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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