Flexible, Professional, Smart, and Employee-Oriented
Pros
I work in the New Mexico office. Being remote from headquarters, I could see some employers either trying to micromanage to make sure I'm "doing my job" or ignoring me to let me float out in the abyss. Neither is the case. I am treated like a true professional. Get my work done and keep my customer happy, and my management is happy. I am also in regular communication with my management and technical coworkers in order to create a coordinated focus in our various projects. The management is very employee-oriented and, from what I have seen, their decisions focus on what is best for the employees, not just the bottom line (recognizing that the bottom-line is important for employee’s welfare). The owners have an excellent balance of business and technical expertise. From the owners on down, employees are free to get their job done without burden, and also encouraged to pursue their ideas and professional development. Writing papers and attending conferences is encouraged and supported. While having a tight focus on aerospace engineering in the space sector, the breadth of ADS employees within the sector is astounding, given company’s small size. ADS has some of the brightest folks I've worked with (which is saying something) doing applied research, development, transition, integration, all the way through operations, resulting in a unique, agile feedback loop to ensure our work is relevant and cutting-edge.
Cons
The company is not employee owned. That said, they do offer a profit-sharing incentive program, which allows employees to have some stake in the business.
