Is CDM Smith a good company to work for?

CDM Smith has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 1,076 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 2% over the last 12 months. 83% of employees would recommend working at CDM Smith to a friend and 79% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about CDM Smith have been left by employees working as Intern , Automation Engineer and GIS Specialist .

Does CDM Smith pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, CDM Smith employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at CDM Smith. This rating has improved by 6% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at CDM Smith?

83% of CDM Smith employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated CDM Smith 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 4.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at CDM Smith?

Environmental Engineer (50) , Engineer (41) , Project Manager (31) , Structural Engineer (18) , GIS Specialist (16) , Senior Project Manager (16) , Environmental Engineer II (15) , Automation Engineer (13) , Intern (13) , Water Resources Engineer (12) , Administrative Assistant (11) , Civil Engineer (11) , Transportation Engineer (10) , Transportation Planner (10) , Environmental Engineering Intern (9)

What are the pros of working at CDM Smith according to real employee reviews?

"The people are great and very knowledgeable" ((in 78 reviews)); "The benefits are good and premiums are in par with industry standards." ((in 76 reviews)); "Good work life balance with flexibility in PTO's" ((in 42 reviews)); "Fulfilling work and great culture!" ((in 32 reviews)); "At the time the salary was good." ((in 29 reviews))

What are the cons of working at CDM Smith according to real employee reviews?

"Project Managers are inundated with work" ((in 17 reviews)); "Different employment levels either mean you can charge overtime but no bonuses or vice versa." ((in 15 reviews)); "The upper management seems disconnected from regular employees." ((in 15 reviews)); "No leadership in the organization especially TSU delivery unit" ((in 10 reviews)); "Communication is getting better; don't like admin's having to use utilization hours because all the newer/younger engineers are doing their own work." ((in 10 reviews))

What are employees saying about CDM Smith layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about CDM Smith layoffs and their outlook for job security at CDM Smith in 2026.

What are the top reviewed CDM Smith locations?

Boston , Dallas , Chicago , Houston , Denver , New York , Cambridge , Orlando , Los Angeles , Fairfax , Columbia , Raleigh , Austin , Pittsburgh , Miami , Edison , Maitland , Kansas City , Detroit , Irvine , Charlotte , Indianapolis , Manchester , Bellevue , Philadelphia , Carbondale , Phoenix , Albuquerque , New Orleans , Seattle

CDM Smith reviews

4.1

83% would recommend to a friend

(223 total reviews)

Timothy B. Wall

94% approve of CEO

79% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Culture & values

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Career opportunities

4.0

Work/Life balance

3.9

Compensation and benefits

3.7

Senior management

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

223 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

Return to all reviews

2.0

Jun 18, 2026

Flexible schedule and high pay, but little trust from seniors

Structural engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible hybrid schedule is very nice and starting salary is high for early career engineers.

Cons

The main people running the company are not engineers and you can tell. They are all focused on utilization with rates often set at 97% or higher. This had led to my supervisor asking/telling me to not charge company required trainings. As an early engineer it really feels like they don't want to invest in me and only care about their bottom line. If you are an early career structural engineer you will also not get any meaningful work until you've been with the company for at least 5 years. The senior engineers do not trust you and will only give you grunt work.

3.0

May 8, 2026

Great workplace with flexibility, but pay is low

Water resources engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great place to work. Flexibility, work from home options available. Tons of opportunities across multiple disciplines. Work life balance is great. The people are awesome.

Cons

Pay is unfortunately on the really low end of the industry. A lot of turnover because people leave in order to get a better salary due to the low pay. I also don’t like that your manager (RTL) is also a manager for 20-30 people, and you are all under one large group instead of various teams. The matrix system is a bit odd to me.

CDM Smith Response

1mo

Thank you for taking the time to write your review. We appreciate your feedback and will keep it in mind when making future decisions to keep us as a top-choice employer. We are thrilled to hear that you liked working with us and valued the flexibility we offer. We too agree, the people are awesome!!

5.0

Jan 6, 2026

Happy to work here

Transportation planner iv

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Interesting projects - Opportunities for collaboration with other teams on projects you find interesting - Great work-life Balance - Most staff are super respectful

Cons

- Annual increases can be low so negotiate salary in advance - Workload can be low.

CDM Smith Response

4mo

Thank you for sharing your experience! We're so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed working on interesting projects and collaborating with colleagues across teams. It’s also great to know that the respectful culture and work-life balance have made your experience a positive one. We appreciate having you as part of the CDM Smith team!

Viewing 1 - 3 of 223 Reviews

Jobs at CDM Smith

Senior Visualization Specialist

Intermediate Marketing and Proposal Specialist

Intermediate Marketing and Proposal Specialist

Intermediate Marketing and Proposal Specialist

Environmental Engineer - Water Services - (Fall 2026 Grads!)

CDM Smith

CDM Smith reviews

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Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Reviews about "Compensation"

Flexible schedule and high pay, but little trust from seniors

Great workplace with flexibility, but pay is low

Happy to work here

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