Is SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory a good company to work for?

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 405 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 71% of employees would recommend working at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to a friend and 68% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have been left by employees working as Research Associate , Intern and Staff Scientist .

Does SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory?

71% of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.3 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory?

Intern (16) , Research Associate (12) , Summer Intern (11) , Staff Scientist (10) , Staff Engineer (9) , Associate Staff Scientist (7) , Mechanical Engineer (7) , Postdoctoral Research Associate (7) , Engineer (6) , Manager (5) , Project Manager (5) , Research Assistant (5) , Software Engineer (5) , (4) , Engineering Physicist (4)

What are the pros of working at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"great for people who can take initiative" ((in 59 reviews)); "It has several good benefits" ((in 36 reviews)); "work life balance is good" ((in 17 reviews)); "Friendly coworkers." ((in 9 reviews)); "Some of the best colleagues around, and that makes a huge positive difference." ((in 7 reviews))

What are the cons of working at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"short of budget; politics, bad management" ((in 22 reviews)); "Low pay for software developers." ((in 10 reviews)); "This can be due in part to the low salary offered for these non" ((in 10 reviews)); "I had one good manager in over 10 years of service there, and they let him go summarily, along with another middle" ((in 7 reviews)); "Layoffs every other year are just par for the course." ((in 7 reviews))

What are employees saying about SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory locations?

Menlo Park , Palo Alto , Stanford , San Francisco , San Jose , New York , Oxford , Los Angeles , Carlsbad , Livermore , Pleasanton , San Mateo , Los Altos , Sunnyvale , Santa Rosa , Menlo , West Menlo Park

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory reviews

4.0

71% would recommend to a friend

(318 total reviews)

John Sarrao

71% approve of CEO

68% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

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SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 318 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

318 reviews

4.0

Oct 14, 2015

Visiting Physicist

Visiting physicist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Science, Funds availiable, International groups, Bay Area, Superb as User

Cons

Management, User Support, Budgeting, Scientists have no job security

5.0

Oct 10, 2015

Great Place for Scientists and Engineers

Staff scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

SLAC is run by Stanford who try to keep the bureaucracy to a minimum. There is lots of available funding for mission projects. There is a straightforward path for upward mobility. Unlike other national labs, getting promoted to full Staff Scientist looks like a reality.

Cons

An expensive place to live due to Facebook, Google, Apple, etc. Housing prices are in the millions because of young programmers with lots of cash. Traffic can be a pain if you plan to commute from out of town.

4.0

Sep 28, 2015

Poor managment

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It is good work place.

Cons

It is run by mafia. No respect for employees. only few people control this place. they want to do their own way or you are fired.

Viewing 232 - 234 of 318 Reviews

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Jobs at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Accounting Systems Analyst

Experimental Support Associate

Software Developer, Experiment Controls

Contracts Officer, Industry Partnerships

Venture Operations Associate