"Teaching Hospital" Firm - Civil Engineer I Mackenzie Employee Review

4.0
Nov 3, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great place to start a career, new grads and entry-level seems to be the priority. Great people to work with, strong sense of company culture (sports, gambling, drinking, alma mater loyalty). You get the help you ask for, if you know who to ask. If you stick around and put in the hours and get the right opportunities, there seems to be a robust employee ownership and bonus structure once you "enter that inner circle". I saw some people do really well for themselves, and everyone who started there left with good references.

Cons

Before employee ownership, the prevailing attitude was that employees don't get paid very well until a 6 year vesting structure gives you access to the company's 401k contributions. People leave at their 6 year mark unless they have ownership. "Get a job, get licensed, and get out" means I saw a lot of turnover. Fluctuating overtime policy, the incentive of putting in hours beyond the required 40 seems to be elusive and vague path to employee ownership, based more on relationships than merit. Relationship-centric career advancement doesn't account for issues of DEI, leadership doesn't seem to have a handle on what equity means, urgency culture and "code minimum design" prevails. Company attitude seems to be that you can't teach somebody emotional intelligence and employees don't deserve advocating unless they're already being advocated for. Mentorship is hit-or-miss just like with career growth. If somebody doesn't know how to advocate for themselves they're out of luck. If you don't know where you need help or feel emotionally safe asking for support, it's on you to find out, which is fine, but my opinion is this supports an environment of implicit bias, which I think is pretty normal in the industry and white-centric Portland in male-centric land development. Typical career growth seems dependent on the turnover culture.

Explore other reviews about Mackenzie

5.0
Oct 9, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Supportive mentorship -Support for path to licensure (financially and with time off to take exams, plus a raise upon licensure) -15% Profit Sharing yearly for 401K, plus bonuses -Fully covered healthcare for full time employees -Getting more women in leadership (Department heads, Board of Directors) -Indoor secure bike parking -Support for parents with parental leave and openness to part time employment -Supportive hybrid working environment

Cons

-Some of the architectural teams are boy's clubs -Upper management (middle aged, male) is out of touch with the plights of working parents (cost and competitiveness of childcare,

4.0
Feb 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Job pays well for the area Firm culture is good and seems to be improving with current firm leadership Lots of diverse business sectors and multidisciplinary team keeps the company flexible and makes it a good place to learn and develop new skill sets. The size of the company makes it one of the more diverse and inclusive I’ve worked for.

Cons

It’s on the larger side so policy changes can be slow and there is a bit of a bottleneck with hiring and annual reviews. Project work is, understandably, prioritized over making time for staff and overhead focused tasks

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