electrical engineer

civil engineer

engineer

project manager

mechanical engineer

Black & Veatch

I worked at Black & Veatch in a specifications-related role and found the experience frustrating despite the presence of many capable colleagues. The company employs talented engineers and technical staff, but the internal culture and management structure often make it difficult for that expertise to translate into efficient, high-quality project delivery.

Communication and accountability were persistent challenges. Issues that should have been addressed directly were often deflected or minimized, creating an environment where problems lingered instead of being solved. Leadership frequently emphasized process and optics over practical solutions, which slowed down work and made collaboration harder than it needed to be.

From a project perspective, there was often a disconnect between expectations and the resources or clarity provided to meet those expectations. This placed a disproportionate burden on individual contributors to fill gaps in coordination and decision-making. While that can occasionally build resilience, over time it becomes exhausting and unsustainable.

Another concern was consistency in leadership behavior and professionalism. The tone of interactions could shift depending on the circumstances, which made it difficult to establish stable working relationships or clear boundaries. A more consistent culture of accountability and respect would significantly improve the day-to-day experience for staff.

Black & Veatch has the technical depth to be an excellent place to work, but meaningful improvement would require stronger leadership accountability, clearer communication structures, and a culture that genuinely supports the professionals doing the work.

Pros
- Smart and capable colleagues  
- Interesting infrastructure and engineering projects  
- Opportunity to gain experience quickly  

Cons
- Weak accountability structures  
- Inconsistent leadership behavior  
- Communication issues that slow down work

Never enough time to do the real work required of an engineer.  Too many company requests and directives. Not much support from the company.  The BV supplied computer was a nightmare as there was no internet cable only an undependable air card. Never had printer software installed on the BV laptop so you needed to use a flash drive on  PRINTER. JOB SITE DID NOT HAVE WORKING PHONES ...SO YOU Had to use your cell phone to get things done.  Never had my own desk.  Pop quiz drug screenings with two day notices.  The home office in Kansas had no idea what a hardship it was to take the screening in a different part of Manhattan and then walk back to your job site and still do an entire days work.  Not a friendly place to work. Typical day: prepare daily report written in a log book and also electronically, same with logs , Worked in a large trailer and outdoors.  GC never gave a heads-up a day in advance on equipment and material deliveries coming onsite and leaving the site...all of which needed to be tracked and photographed. The photos needed to be labeled with one of 2 contract #'s, location and date plus a description.  Some people worked much harder than others as this was a joint venture job between 3 companies. Inspections for work done by several contractors....none of which advised the construction manager they would be on site or they were on site.  Lack of control! The hardest part of the job was being AT ALL Places at all times and still doing the paper work. This was a 2man job but the client did not want to spend the money. The only joy was taking a required 1/2 hour for lunch ...so 8hr pay for being there 8 1/2 hours. Even on OT it was straight pay and I worked thru lunch most of the time. Safety classes once a month with lunch thrown in and a certificate a couple of weeks later.  The GC hated the CM.  
a couple of the co-workers were good people.....but most are still engineers with no personality

Bottom line: you are a tool in a tool drawer..

Black & Veatch is a fast-paced, ever evolving corporation that continues to strive for excellence in technology, work force and training that impacts the world. B&V has over 10,000 employees, 100 offices and are represented in 100 countries. This provides a diverse work force environment. The 100-year-old company based in Kansas City amplifies its Midwest roots with strong work ethic. The corporate culture is to rise above any challenges and to give the client the best product possible. No matter where an employee is positioned on the organization chart they are inspired to work towards their goals.

There is not a typical work day for PSA because the required tasks constantly change. You need to be flexible, fast thinker and pleasant demeanor to respond to this quick paced environment. Being part of a team that can collaborate, resolve and implement the best processes to accomplish goals made my job great! I learned to look for ways to improve efficiency and timelines for projects. Because this is a fast paced, constant work flow position it was a challenge to maintain some clerical tasks. Scheduled times had to be set aside to assure these responsibilities were complete. 

I enjoyed helping my team reach our goals and improving the office moral with my high energy and positive attitude each day.

Black & Veatch is an exceptional engineering firm that truly impressed me with their professionalism, expertise, and dedication. From the moment we engaged with their team, they demonstrated a deep understanding of our project's requirements and worked tirelessly to ensure its success.

Their commitment to delivering high-quality work was evident in every aspect of the project. The engineers and technicians at Black & Veatch displayed remarkable skill and attention to detail during the electrical and electronic assembly processes. Their soldering and bonding techniques were flawless, resulting in a sturdy and reliable end product.

Moreover, their proficiency in potting and impregnation was impressive, offering enhanced protection for our electronic components. The use of state-of-the-art ovens and equipment further showcased their commitment to employing the latest technology for efficient and effective operations.

Throughout the entire project, communication was seamless, and they kept us informed about the progress at every stage. They were always open to discussing any concerns and provided valuable insights that significantly improved the final assembly.

Black & Veatch's team consistently went above and beyond, delivering the assembly ahead of schedule without compromising on quality. Their attention to detail and dedication to meeting deadlines were second to none.

I highly recommend Black & Veatch for any engineering projects. Their expertise, professionalism, and commitment to excellence make them a standout partner for any endeavor, and I look forward to working with them again in the future.

From day one, I was given the expectation that the conversion process would begin at 6 months.

I was brought in as a field engineer, then quickly moved to much more involved roles and responsibilities...But no increase of pay, and only "talk" of permanent. They refuse to increase my pay and continue to tell me, "Oh just wait. You'll get permanent, and it will be fixed." In August of 2018, they tell me now I have to wait a full year. Now I continue to do these very inclusive duties at the same low rate. I've been loyal through and through, and I've even refused better offers out there due to being led on about promises of permanent positions. This tops the cake. Check this out --

They then proceed to hire someone under my nose in a similar role DIRECTLY PERMANENT. It's all about the (Good ol' Boys club) I've been told my skills are fantastic, and I have an excellent work ethic. What are they waiting for? This "valuable investment" (Me) is not happy, and I haven't been happy with this for the past 6 months. I'm not waiting any longer.

TIP for anyone considering this corporation - Please be aware that they will either forget about you, lie to you, or swindle you. They are extremely sneaky. Please make sure you secure yourself GOOD initial salary as you will be stuck with it for a good long while. Don't even mention going permanent. That way they won't have any expectations come your way that will fail.

 I know EXACTLY what i'm worth, and what they are doing is just plain wrong. That is all.

Started as a contractor, took a year to be converted to perm employee. Increase was only .50, annual increase the following year, even with the best rating you can get, still only .50. But it's not even the pay that is the issue. The pay for my position was acceptable. But as many others have pointed out, the problem is with management, especially if you're in the telecom department. Management does not care, they're totally disconnected from everyone below them ( the ones doing the actual work). If you have an issue with a co-worker..they won't help you. My job itself I love.But the lack of involvement and caring from management is horrible, makes you not want to even come to work! Advancement chance is zero. ( at least in telecom ). If you have a lot of work to do don't expect your manager to approve Overtime, they'll do everything within their power to make sure you never get any overtime. Exact words my manager said "I don't believe in overtime". Bottom line is, if you need a job then this place is ok to start at, but keep looking elsewhere while employed here and get out as soon as you find something else. I can't speak for any other department here other than telecom, I've heard if you get into any other department it's completely different. So stay away from telecom at Black and Veatch or if you accept a position in telecom be sure to keep looking! Be prepared to have some backstabbing, gossiping, rude co workers too...Been here over 2 years...time for me to move on ASAP!

Although the hybrid work from home model is great, and the potential 9/80 schedule is nice for those that can do it, the new CEO trickling down a constant growth model ultimately does more harm than good. Groups are pushed to take on more and more work without hiring new employees to handle such work, no time is given by management to allow for standards to be created under industry changes, and "psychological safety" is limited only to being able to bring up ideas for solutions during meeting. The people are friendly. It's easy to find a group of people with similar interests and find some time to chat about things when you need a midday break. Their ASPiRE culture has great practices in it that can help keep you positive and enjoy your work. The hardest part of the job is the aforementioned CEO's unsustainable goal of constant growth. More and more I was pushed to perform rather than take care of myself under increasingly difficult situations. The most enjoyable part of the job is the togetherness of the different groups in the company. Everyone is friendly and mostly soft-spoken. But when you come to them with strong feelings and difficulties continuing, they won't hesitate to tell you "We pay you to do a job."

The company is on fire right now so stay away! I came here in the middle of my career and struggled to fit in because the majority of the company seems to be "lifers" who have only worked at BV and think it's the greatest place on Earth. 

There's been a huge turnover in leadership in the last 6 months which is a red flag for their future. The current CEO and his lackeys need people in the office to feel important so they overturned the ability for employees to be in charge of their own work locations and have started forcing people into the office 3 days a week and still have the audacity to rave about how much "flexibility" they offer... After becoming less flexible. We posted record profits since they allowed WFH, they let office leases expire (so there isn't enough space for everybody), they hired hundreds of professionals under fully remote contracts but are going back on that, and anytime someone raises a concern they are met with a canned answer "we know this is hard so thank you for sharing your concerns ❤️" It's beyond insulting. 

I just recently quit, but once bonuses are released in March I wouldn't be surprised if there's a huge exodus. Although, that was a big promise after 2022 successes, so maybe leadership will go back on that promise too.

There's a lot of great people who do the actual work at this company, but leadership is trash and there's never a good balance of employees to the amount of work in house. You're either worked to the bone or worried about layoffs. Do yourself a favor and look somewhere else.

I have been hesitant to leave BV because I am treated fairly through my requested accommodations. I work from home full-time, and I like the 9/80 schedule. I also appreciate having three weeks of PTO.
As far as my work goes, it is either a bunch of work at once, or I have none at all. For the work I do, I do not get compensated well for it. I have looked at other jobs for this experience level, and I would have a starting salary of at least $4 higher an hour. This would make my current line of work livable, as I cannot comfortably pay the bills on my salary.
The worst thing about working for BV is the insurance. Until you meet your deductible, you pay for 100%. Copays don't come into play until you've reached your deductible. If it weren't for my support system, I wouldn't be able to pay for the things I need because of the way our insurance plan works. This is not how any other insurance plan has ever worked in my case, and I think it's disgusting.
If my current life prospects don't line up the way I am hoping, I will likely be driven to quit before the end of the year. I cannot stand behind a company that can't provide better health insurance for its hundreds of workers. I like working for BV in theory. I like their wide array of projects, and working for an international company is neat; unfortunately, I am not being compensated enough, and their insurance is genuinely the worst I've ever been on. I will miss the work-life balance, but it's not livable.

I wouldn't go as far as saying the company is corrupt as some of the other reviews, but management is so diabolically bad that the entire company is one giant mismanaged disaster. Pay levels are generally at the bottom of any industry average, and the company provides very little incentives to stick around. No training is provided, and there are few opportunities for internal advancement. The company culture is obsessed with hiring externally, and only hiring personal contacts, rather than promoting internally from within the company or vetting anyone properly. In other words, you're stuck at whatever job you get hired at, if you're even lucky enough to get hired in the first place. The only way to get promoted is to quit, work for a competitor, and wait for B&V to try and hire you back. Favoritism rules, and most of the 'leadership' shuns new ideas. They are stuck doing things the only way they know how (which hasn't worked before), and they only want to hire people they know from previous. Hence the company is stuck in the past and can't progress like most competitive companies. Their long term work is questoinable as well, as they only have one big client (AT&T), and even with that being said they still can't manage the work effectively. In time even this work will fade away, and BV Telecom will inevitably have to shrink. Only work for this company if you need a paycheck. If you already have a decent job, don't even consider working here.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Electrical engineer 12 salaries reported	$110,053 per year
Civil engineer 6 salaries reported	$123,167 per year
Engineer 3 salaries reported	$132,000 per year
Project manager 6 salaries reported	$167,667 per year
Mechanical engineer 15 salaries reported	$94,896 per year

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