Is Illumina a good company to work for?

Illumina has an overall rating of 3.3 out of 5, based on over 2,977 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months. 46% of employees would recommend working at Illumina to a friend and 33% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Illumina have been left by employees working as Intern , Bioinformatics Scientist and Research Associate II .

Does Illumina pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Illumina employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Illumina. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Illumina?

46% of Illumina employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Illumina 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.3 for culture and values and 3.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Illumina?

Engineer (58) , Software Engineer (57) , Intern (47) , Manufacturing Technician (47) , Manager (45) , Director (40) , Scientist (34) , Senior Manager (34) , Associate Director (32) , Senior Software Engineer (30) , Research Associate (28) , Senior Scientist (26) , Quality Engineer (24) , Project Manager (22) , Bioinformatics Scientist (21)

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

"Good benefits including company shutdowns one week in July and December" ((in 270 reviews)); "Good work life balance with hybrid and remote work options" ((in 154 reviews)); "Awesome and great colleagues." ((in 98 reviews)); "Campus is beautiful and centrally located." ((in 79 reviews)); "pay is good and the shift hours were amazing" ((in 74 reviews))

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

"Poor management in Prototype Services department" ((in 138 reviews)); "Frequent layoffs (usually every 6months)" ((in 76 reviews)); "Some of the senior leadership (C" ((in 68 reviews)); "Workload can be overwhelming at times but managers do their best to support the employees" ((in 66 reviews)); "Upper management is afraid of firing people who do not perform at a decent level, no accountability." ((in 50 reviews))

What are employees saying about Illumina layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Illumina locations?

San Diego , Hayward , Foster City , Madison , San Francisco , La Jolla , New York , Los Angeles , San Jose , Salt Lake City , Redwood City , Santa Clara , Boston , Chicago , Phoenix , Washington , San Diego , Seattle , San Diego Country Estates , Birmingham , Saint Louis , Brooklyn , Hayward , Raleigh , San Antonio , Eden Prairie , American Canyon , Temecula , Carlsbad , Fremont

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Illumina

Illumina reviews

3.3

46% would recommend to a friend

(2,566 total reviews)

Jacob Thaysen

53% approve of CEO

33% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.7

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Work/Life balance

3.4

Compensation and benefits

3.3

Culture & values

3.0

Career opportunities

2.6

Senior management

Illumina has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 2,566 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Illumina employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

3K reviews

3.0

Aug 11, 2011

Market Lead, but Overvalued

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good job security as the company is intentionally understaffed to increase margins. Compensation still a bit above market, but weighted towards equity

Cons

Stock price has little upside Sequencing is becoming more commoditized and Illumina relies on high margins which will likely dwindle over time Poor work-life balance A tremendous lack of leadership below CEO level, still acts like a $100M revenue company

5.0

Jul 29, 2011

Illumina has an extremely fast paced culture that puts a strong emphasis on the creation of quality innovative products.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Cutting edge technologies, friendly yet helpful colleagues, and an employee centric culture make Illumina a great company to work for.

Cons

If you cannot work in a fast paced environment that supports a technology that is making science fiction a reality, then you should look to a different company for work.

1.0

Jul 26, 2011

Horrible management

Field applications scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Cutting edge technology. Name brand recognition. Geographically small territories. Pay is competitive.

Cons

Extremely political. Lots of blame game, while not supporting field employees. No trust in employees by management. Promotion only happens for older pre-sequencing employees, regardless of performance. Customers also feel alienated by rapid product changes.

Viewing 2545 - 2547 of 2,566 Reviews

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Jobs at Illumina

Executive Territory Account Manager, Healthcare - NYC

Sr. Administrative Partner - Strategy & Corporate Development

Staff Supplier Relationship

Director Operational Excellence