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 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. This rating has decreased by 5% 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 4.4 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.1 for culture and values and 4.0 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 105 reviews)); "Great Benefits and I love contributing to what the Laboratory does" ((in 84 reviews)); "Great team and culture." ((in 21 reviews)); "Excellent opportunities to learn on impactful projects." ((in 16 reviews)); "Great coworkers and staff who are mostly generous with their time and talent" ((in 15 reviews))

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

"i.e. pay was low." ((in 27 reviews)); "5%) Annual Salary." ((in 21 reviews)); "Possibilities of managers who aren't great at running projects leading to alot of frustrating days" ((in 8 reviews)); "Extra time commitments (extra hours and travel) are demanded without any compensation or warning." ((in 7 reviews)); "Flat management structure so promotions are few and far in between" ((in 6 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

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (512 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

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

3.0

Dec 24, 2014

Good variety of advanced technology and strong technical talent, salary not competitive, fair leadership

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting technical projects, excellent technical talent, excellent technical diversity, good support resources. Good benefits, transportation between Lexington and Cambridge (MIT)

Cons

Very flat organizational structure makes advancement difficult. Management and technical staff values are at often at odds. Financial reward structure and salaries are not competitive especially for experienced personnel

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

11y

The flat organization is a management decision that has paid off over the years. The advantages include reduced administration and easier access to management. Continuous evaluations of salaries and total compensation show us to be reasonable positioned in the marketplace. As we do attract and retain a very high quality staff, it is sometimes the case the case that employees receive noteworthy raises when they leave. We have a high number of former employees who return, having found that there can be more than salary that contributes to a good working life. Your thoughts on rating managers are interesting and may be considered. We appreciate your insight and your ten years of service.

3.0

Dec 10, 2014

Several encouraging and discouraging aspects to working at Lincoln as a researcher.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Some opportunities to pursue individual research interests provided one can obtain necessary funding. A number of outlets for creative work exist at Lincoln.

Cons

Technical level among most research groups is quite low. Internal politics was usually nasty and petty. Career advancement rarely based upon merit but rather upon sucking up to managerial superiors.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

11y

Hopefully you have found employment that is more consistent with your objectives. We are pleased that you found a number of outlets for creative work. That is something that we think differentiates the Lab. The quality of the outcomes of our research programs would seem to be counter to the low technical level that you reference, If you wish to discuss your experiences with management, I will be happy to arrange discussion as we always hope to improve.. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

4.0

Dec 7, 2014

Lots of brilliant people

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Never felt pressured about deadlines. Also, the higher up you go in the reporting hierarchy, the more impressive the people. Very rarely do you see senior staff and leadership positions so consistently filled with talent. Very little to no overtime required.

Cons

In some cases, you'll be working on better and more refined versions of the wheel. It's also very difficult to influence the development process since in many cases the code is just for a demo so people aren't as particular.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

11y

Thank you for your insight. We do work hard to attract and retain high quality staff and I think that your experience indicates that we have succeeded. Work-Life balance is very important here so we so try to keep the balance positive. There are times when we are asked to enhance an existing project. The best measure for us is that we are able to add value and enhance the project to the benefit of the mission. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Viewing 439 - 441 of 512 Reviews

Jobs at MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Business/Systems Analyst

Business/Systems Analyst

Summer Office Assistant | Financial Services Dept. | Summer 2026