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      MIT Lincoln Laboratory

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      MIT Lincoln Laboratory reviews

      The good, the bad and the ugly - Technical Staff MIT Lincoln Laboratory Employee Review

      4.0
      18 Jul 2016
      Technical staff
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      THE GOOD: Most of the technical staff are very bright and extremely approachable. The projects are challenging and you will seldom do the same thing twice. There are many ways to get innovative work funded, internally and externally. Overall, the place is a meritocracy - not a perfect one (there is some luck involved) but the leadership is there because they earned it.

      Cons

      THE BAD: there is a lot of "Mother may I?" CYA bureaucracy at Lincoln. You will have far more responsibility than authority - expect to run a gauntlet of purchasing people more concerned about audits than schedule, ITAR police convinced that every university is a hotbed for the KGB, Mission Assurance (known locally as Mission Deterrence) and IT paranoia - Hillary wouldn't last a day here. No, wait - she would. She has Other People's Money (OPM). THE UGLY - three words: "OPM data breach". Lincoln protects THEIR information, not YOURS. And this refers to the other OPM in Washington - the Office of Personnel Management.

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      MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response
      9y
      We are pleased that you have seen the good in Lincoln Laboratory. As you have said, we are not perfect- we continue to try to improve. The OPM breach has been an unfortunate experience for the Lab and many other organizations in the DOD world. As in other aspects of the enterprise, we continue to work on improvement. As OPM is independent of Lincoln Laboratory, we cannot speak for them but it is certain that they take security seriously. We appreciate the overall positive nature of your comments.

      Explore other reviews about MIT Lincoln Laboratory

      5.0
      3 Jun 2026
      Member of technical staff
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      It can vary a lot from group to group, but in general, wonderful place with wonderful people and lots of interesting work going on. Excellent benefits and lots of flexibility to explore different projects.

      Cons

      Little opportunity for advancement in terms of rank and compensation once you reach technical staff. Additionally (again varies from group to group) expectations of what a staff member does can be unclear and there can be a light sink-or-swim nature to the work, again depending on the group you're in.

      4.0
      17 Jun 2026
      Member of technical staff
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Worked with some of the smartest people I’ve ever known. Great opportunities to learn from your coworkers and an atmosphere that encourages learning, including a well-run technical education program. Fabulous support staff and technicians that can get seemingly impossible things done quickly. Great resources and lab spaces (if a bit dated). The nature of the work encourages good work/life balance. Fantastic benefits (though the pay is low).

      Cons

      No/limited opportunities for advancement makes this a hard place to work mid-career. Good engineers are promoted to be mediocre managers. Every program is under-funded, under-staffed, and over schedule. Bad managers are shuffled around but rarely fired.

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