Raytheon Employee Reviews for Principal Software Engineer

"I've been working at Raytheon, Space and Airborne Systems for the past 15 years right out of college. The people are friendly; the management I've had were generally not overbearing; and, the work is challenging. This is a defense contractor in the aerospace industry, so the pace tends to be slower than the commercial sector. But overall, I enjoyed working for them."

"Boring and slow -- government work is killing by boredom."

What do you like about working at Raytheon?

"Excellent pay and benefits, reasonable commute, the few intelligent people who weren't scared away or laid off."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"If politics is your passion and you have no conscience that would stop you from walking in at the end of a project and claiming credit for all of it, your opportunities for advancement are limitless! But if you have any integrity at all, run away as fast as you can!"

What don't you like about working at Raytheon?

"An environment where politics and bureaucracy dominate and employees are treated like garbage. Managers were always brought in from the outside, sending the message that there is no career advancement. Those who do advance do so by claiming credit for the work of others. Too much of the work is about satisfying the whims of bosses rather than what's useful or good for the company. A lot of wasted effort."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Create a culture that encourages innovation and teamwork rather than politics and back-stabbing."

What do you like about working at Raytheon?

"Raytheon offers a wide variety of positions all around the world."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Be prepared to answer questions about your previous jobs and what you want and your skills and accomplishments and weaknesses."

What don't you like about working at Raytheon?

"In an effort to spread information around to all people working on a task, management likes to schedule daily meetings where everyone talks about what they've been doing (in too much detail). I routinely lose 20%+ of my day to wasted meetings where I only learn from, perhaps, 3 minutes of the meeting"

What suggestions do you have for management?

"When things start to go bad with the schedule, more meetings will not turn things around."

What do you like about working at Raytheon?

"Pay and benefits are good enough to justify selling your soul."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"If you're a manager with connections to a senior manager at Raytheon, and you have no experience or knowledge of the area you'll be managing, you'll be very welcome (until you decide you want another promotion, for which you'll be disqualified because they never promote from within). If you're anything else, don't waste your time. Run away as fast as you can!"

What don't you like about working at Raytheon?

"The culture is increasingly autocratic and bureaucratic, with management egos and politics taking priority. Management positions are always filled from outside, sending the message that employees aren't valued and there's no hope of advancement. The standard reward for good performance is more work for the same pay."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Recognize that the people in the cubicles know something, and listen to them rather than just demanding they shut up and follow orders."

"A fine company whose management is a little behind the times."

"They need to improve management"

What do you like about working at Raytheon?

"People were friendly"

What don't you like about working at Raytheon?

"Management need to improve organization"

"Not bad but they focus too much on process and not enough on performance."