Is MIT Lincoln Laboratory a good company to work for?

MIT Lincoln Laboratory has an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5, based on over 766 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 4% over the last 12 months. 96% of employees would recommend working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory to a friend and 86% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about MIT Lincoln Laboratory have been left by employees working as Summer Research Intern , Research Intern and Summer Intern .

Does MIT Lincoln Laboratory pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, MIT Lincoln Laboratory employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. This rating has decreased by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory?

96% of MIT Lincoln Laboratory employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated MIT Lincoln Laboratory 4.5 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.1 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at MIT Lincoln Laboratory?

Member Of Technical Staff (37) , Technical Staff (35) , Assistant Staff (32) , Intern (31) , Associate Staff (26) , Summer Research Intern (25) , Software Engineer (23) , Summer Intern (19) , Associate Technical Staff (18) , Research Intern (14) , Assistant Technical Staff (11) , Engineer (11) , Subcontractor (9) , Administrative Assistant (8) , Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) (8)

What are the pros of working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"People that I worked with were great except for some individual from my own team." ((in 107 reviews)); "Great Benefits and I love contributing to what the Laboratory does" ((in 86 reviews)); "Good work life balance for specialists" ((in 47 reviews)); "Great team and culture." ((in 24 reviews)); "Excellent opportunities to learn on impactful projects." ((in 17 reviews))

What are the cons of working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"i.e. pay was low." ((in 28 reviews)); "Salaries are not competitive with industry and raise structure does not provide monetary incentives for performance." ((in 23 reviews)); "Possibilities of managers who aren't great at running projects leading to alot of frustrating days" ((in 8 reviews)); "Flat management structure so promotions are few and far in between" ((in 6 reviews)); "Compensation is highly dependent upon academic credentials (degree)" ((in 5 reviews))

What are employees saying about MIT Lincoln Laboratory layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed MIT Lincoln Laboratory locations?

Lexington , Boston , Cambridge , Bedford , Hanscom AFB , Lincoln , Westford , Huntsville , Chicago , Rochester , La Porte , Minneapolis , West Hollywood , Mont Vernon , Colorado Springs , Beverly , Burlington , Lowell , Medford , Tewksbury , Waltham

MIT Lincoln Laboratory reviews

4.4

96% would recommend to a friend

(512 total reviews)

Eric Evans

98% approve of CEO

86% positive business outlook

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MIT Lincoln Laboratory has an employee rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 512 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The MIT Lincoln Laboratory employee rating is 21% above average for employers within the Aerospace & Defense industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

512 reviews

5.0

Nov 16, 2017

Great place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Cutting-edge research, focus on science/tech, not profits. Able to play real and useful role in addressing national security challenges.

Cons

Release review and other bureaucratic thickets can be frustrating.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

8y

Thank you for your comments and your long service. There is an inherent amount of bureaucracy that is necessary to administer the enterprise. Through management created committees, most procedures are bring actively reviewed and assessed for streamlining. While there will always likely be some "thickets", we hope to make them more manageable.

4.0

Nov 7, 2017

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very prestigious, cutting edge technology, interesting people, relaxed academic setting

Cons

Stagnant wages and outdated buildings

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

8y

Thank you for taking the time to comment. We are in the early stages of a major facilities refresh that will dramatically change the current outdated building. Large capital projects like this take time, but we expect that the new configuration will continue to enable the relaxed academic setting that you have enjoyed. Thank you for your observations and contributions.

1.0

Nov 4, 2017

Loved It Till I Hated It

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Your experience at the lab is heavily dependent on you group and can vary greatly but work life balance and work environment can be great, work can be very fulfilling and extremely interesting - Compensation is less than industry but can be well worth it if the work is enjoyable and work life balance is good, benefits are comparable to industry - The majority of people are incredibly smart and a pleasure to work with

Cons

- While most people are great there are instances of blatant sexism by some individuals and management turns a blind eye. - It is definitely not a meritocracy. - Your experience at the lab is determined by your group and the people on your project which change when projects start and end. Some groups have awful work life balance, managers who can’t manage and only micromanage, or other problems that lead to really high turnover. Some people at the lab are simply terrible to work with. - For years I loved MIT LL. Then I was placed on a project being led by people lacking management skills and ethics and who broke several MIT LL policies as well a couple laws and basically made the work environment terrible. - Switching groups is usually possible and how easy it is varies based on the work your looking for and what is open at the time. But definitely don’t ever let your group know you are thinking of switching groups because they can throw up obstacles if they want to keep you in the group.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

8y

Thank you for your detailed comments. While we are pleased that you have observed some significant positives, we clearly missed the opportunity to fully resolve your perceived issues. Please be assured that there will not be a blind eye turned to sexism or to violations of the law or the public trust. Often there is a complexity to issues and interactions that can't be addressed in this type of forum . If you or others continue to believe that a significant issue was not addressed competently, you are encouraged to pursue that with Laboratory management and/or campus management. We appreciate your contributions while you were here and assure you that we continue to work to deserve the trust that our employees and sponsors provide us.

Viewing 328 - 330 of 512 Reviews

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