What is the hiring process like at Mott MacDonald?

Various projects and nice office

Lack of support, no onboarding and some toxic culture

- Good clean office - Helpful staff - Plenty of workshops and seminars - Support in obtaining new skills

- People in higher management are disconnected and unprofessional at times. - Heavy emphasis on grading/level and seniority. - Mislead during the hiring process that you will get staff share (stock) in the company (only reserved for upper management). - Pay is below average compared to their competitors - Progression is extremely poor, virtually non-existence unless you are "cushy" with higher management. - The company is not accommodating, thus non-existence work-life balance.

Interview process was very simple and fun

There were no cons during interviews

Work place environment is great

The onboarding process and and human resources interactions have been slow and lengthy

Work life balance is good

Senior management tends to promote the same staff (talkers) every 6 months along with salary raises while the doers do all the work without recognition. Young unfit employees are getting titles of group leaders and line managers without being accurately assessed on their skills while staff are suffering with managers who reside in different regions and take all the team credit. Senior managers get their families hired without interviews and skill assessments. Talent acquisition does not do a great job in hiring talent but rather fill positions with known references. Unit HR is absent and not very involved with hearing concerns and staff issues, providing delayed responses and even ignoring requests by messages and emails, as much as acting busy to speak in person and choosing to only speak to people of choice. Suggestion to speak to HR regarding these concerns is useless.

Good Work Life Balance Good Work, from requirement gathering to final delivery

Some individuals in higher-level positions may not have the same level of expertise as expected for their roles. The increment process appears to be standardized and not strongly linked to individual performance. At senior levels, there seems to be a higher representation of female employees, which may create a perception of gender preference in certain situations.

The company has a well-established infrastructure, offering an easily accessible office location and a hybrid work model. The settlement duration is reasonable.

Lack of Trust in Leadership. We struggle to trust senior staffs and line managers, as many prioritize personal growth over team development. A lack of transparent leadership and mentorship. Employee efforts are not equally valued, and recognition is inconsistent across teams. Overtime & Work-Life Balance. Employees are frequently expected to work beyond regular hours, including weekends, without additional compensation or acknowledgment. This practice leads to burnout, reduced productivity, and an unhealthy work-life balance. Project Planning & Execution Challenges. The project planning and scheduling team lacks efficiency, resulting in unrealistic deadlines and compromised deliverable quality. Poor task allocation creates unnecessary stress and last-minute rushes, negatively impacting both performance and morale. Mistakes by senior employees during planning often go unaddressed, while junior staff are held accountable for any delays. The KRA evaluation process does not consider documented evidence, leading to biased assessments and unfair performance reviews. This practice affects increments, promotions, and overall job satisfaction.

Not much to speak of at the moment.

Manager running the team for one! Lack of hiring and promotional opportunities in IT. Everything new is run out of the UK for opportunities and you must live there.

Benefits package, mostly the pension.

• The company operates more like a social club or ideological collective than a focused engineering consultancy. Core principles such as merit, efficiency, and technical effectiveness often take a back seat in employee evaluation. • Hiring, assessment, and promotion decisions appear to prioritize social and political frameworks—such as EDI, ESG, Net Zero, and other institutional values—over demonstrable skills, experience, and actual contribution to project outcomes. • The emphasis on wellbeing, while important in moderation, has created an environment where accountability is diluted. Employees are rarely held responsible for their deliverables unless financial constraints demand it. This, combined with a cohort of disengaged long-timers who have become part of the "furniture," fosters a culture of deferred responsibility. • Resource utilization is suboptimal. Recruitment often stems not from operational necessity but from mismanagement of existing personnel and capabilities. • Symbolic gestures and identity politics have overtaken professional focus. There is more concern over pronouns in email signatures and the display of rainbow-themed accessories than on meeting deadlines or delivering quality work. In one instance, an employee—whose gender identity has changed—attends the office sporadically and frequently invokes personal circumstances to justify extended leave, while others shoulder the workload without similar allowances. • Office spaces are adorned with platitudes like “We are independent thinkers,” which ring hollow. True independence would include the freedom to question or reject imposed social narratives, yet such dissent is culturally discouraged. • Leadership roles, particularly in middle and senior management, are disproportionately filled by individuals who prioritize emotional comfort and social engagement over operational performance. Productivity, efficiency, and role-specific effectiveness are often secondary concerns. • The organization claims to uphold PRIDE values, including integrity. However, these claims are undermined by instances such as the appointment of the local chamber of commerce chief executive’s spouse to a role for which he was clearly unqualified. Such decisions reflect a pattern of behavior inconsistent with the stated values

1. Exceptionally supportive culture – Colleagues, line managers, and wider teams actively provide guidance, making it easy to settle in and grow. 2. Strong onboarding and quick assignment placement – Immediate placement on meaningful work helps you feel valued and integrated from day one. 3. Professional development focus – Access to knowledgeable peers, mentoring, and opportunities for progression within a well-structured organisation. 4. Collaborative and inclusive environment – Cross-disciplinary cooperation is encouraged, making problem-solving and project delivery enjoyable and efficient. 5. Global reputation and high-quality projects – Being part of a respected consultancy allows you to work on impactful, technically interesting assignments with real-world value.

1. Large-company complexity – Processes, approvals, or systems can feel slow or bureaucratic at times due to the organisation’s size. 2. Workload variability – Project-based work can occasionally lead to peaks of pressure or periods requiring quick adaptation to new demands.