software engineer

senior manager

director

renewable energy analyst

business analyst

I am a Fellow. When I joined the firm, I was taken by surprise at the unreasonable expectations managers placed on junior staff, and executives placed on managers. ICFI underpays employees with little hope advancement or pay increases for two years or more years. We pay junior to mid-level staff far less than my previous firms. My previous firms paid no one in the DC area in the low $40s, let alone consultants! Even ICFI mid-level staff with masters degrees and several years of field and management experience, are offered comparably low pay. They tell me that they accepted their positions, because they expected program/hiring managers to fulfill promises of advancement, higher salaries, and more interesting work, once they got their feet in the door. However, these promises are not realized for many years, if ever, for many disillusioned hires. 

Unless we recruit a new hire for being a nationally recognized subject matter expert/published author/speaker, or someone with several years of narrow/niche functional expertise, a person can not expect to be well compensated (compared to other firms), or have much, if any job security. 

I have junior staff and mid-level consultants and managers, who have performed very well, looking to me and program executives for billable hours, afraid that they will be laid off if they do not find enough work for themselves. And, we lay them off, in droves, routinely. At the same time, we hire people weekly, in droves, with similar skills to the good people we lay off, for two reasons -- 1) extreme competitive bidding and 2) big firm with no systems or poor/small company systems.

First, let me address extreme competitive bidding. We won't bid an existing employee who matches, for example, 4 out of 6 qualifications, when we can hire someone new who matches PERFECTLY -- 6 out of 6 quals -- AND pay them less. So, it's worth it to us to lay someone off. We will fire a loyal, talented employee, and hire the PERFECT quals match for a lower salary. We might save a little on the cost proposal, and score an evaluation point on the technical proposal. Evidently, this is easier than working more creatively to keep the bid competitive. 

Second, small company systems do not fit a big firm that has quickly outgrown them. We can not match employees who need hours with available project hours across the firm -- or even within a division or group. This inability also leads to far too many lay offs of great employees. So, even if there are available hours, or full-time or part-time positions somewhere in the company, ICFI has no internal advocate, policy, process, system, or tool to retain talent. We can not match underutilized employees with available hours and/or positions. 

Astonishingly, open positions (full time or part time) are not any more accessible to existing employees than outside applicants. Our HR staff and program hiring managers have no tools to sort employee applicants from outside applicants. As a result, waves of employees are routinely laid off, while new people with similar skills and experience are hired. It's wildly frustrating, and scary for employees. 

Whether an employee has to worry about this or not, however, is also painfully inconsistent, depending on who likes you, who you report to, which line of business, division, and group you are in, and whether you have an influential VP in your corner. Obviously, this can be true in any company, but at ICFI, self promoters seem to be more rewarded than at other firms I've worked for -- large and small. 

I am also dismayed by the lack of systematic coaching for managers and consultants -- especially with respect to developing client relationships. We have the training courses, but staff has little time to take these courses. Additionally, even if they have the time, staff seems reluctant to lose billable hours for training. And, finally, these kinds of courses are not meant to REPLACE on the job coaching or mentoring by senior staff. It can't. Training does not help learners apply new knowledge. In terms of what employees learn on the job, mid-level staff are taught the mechanics of project management, but they are NOT routinely coached in the nuances of developing relationships with clients. According to many discussions with employees in lines of business across the firm, certain individuals do get this coaching attention from some senior leaders. But, these exceptions are not the same as having systems and structures in place to support all consultants and managers in developing their client relationship building skills, which all employees I've talked to in these roles say they want and need. These relationship skills are essential for project management and, of course business development. 

Broadening relationship skill building from clients, these skills also can be applied to managing staff, working effectively with teams and across the firm in collaborations for bids and on projects, recruiting and managing partners, and so on. The systematic, comprehensive, and widespread coaching that is necessary for mid-levels is not taking place for everyone. We need this investment and expectation, not for the favored few, but as a policy, with with processes in place for all.  

But, at ICFI, we talk, agree, mean well, and do not act. Not enough senior leaders have the competencies, beyond the subject matter expertise in their fields to follow through with systems and structures that would make this a more fair work place and an environment conducive to everyone's development.

I worked on two data-collection projects for this company and at first I thought it would be a great adventure to travel and gather data. Overall, it was an unpleasant job.

They ask you where you have friends and family to supposedly put you at schools where you can see people you know. That never happened.

The first project, I did, I had a GREAT supervisor. She was very knowledgeable and supportive. The second project I did, I was given a supervisor who clearly didn't have a clue what he was doing. I'm pretty sure it was his first time around. His communication was horrible and he couldn't answer questions for me when I needed him to.

The job itself is VERY boring and not challenging. You organize materials, you go to to a school, you give the students the survey, you read them the directions, you deal with apathetic students, you collect the surveys, you go home, you report the data to the company. Same story, every time, no variation, no challenge.

I ended up working with some very strange people and I came to realize that this is a job that people hold when they can't hold another job. People who don't fit into the "real world" do this data collection job because they don't have to fit in with society to do it. One of my coworkers was such an obvious annoyance to the school personnel we worked with and had zero social skills, yet ICF deemed him to be "one of the very best data collectors" they had.

On the second project, I was paid $14 an hour, plus travel. I used my own car on most of my projects and was paid mileage. I put thousands of miles on my car and later had to pay for repairs as a result. Yes, I got $.50 a mile, but it didn't make it worth it since the repairs I had later down the road were thousands of dollars. About two paychecks into the project, I realized I was getting paid the wrong hourly amount, it took them the remainder of the three-month project to fix it-after numerous emails from me.

At the end of the project, I asked about the next upcoming project and was told by my supervisor that he "didn't know anything about that project". That was it, I wasn't given any opportunity to apply for it or even find out who was in charge of it. There was never any communication from the company saying, "hey you all did a great job, here's the next opportunity to work" or anything. We just mailed back our surveys and never heard from them again.

So, as a result, I filed for unemployment. ICF lied to unemployment and told them I still worked for them even though it had been over three months since I'd received a paycheck. Because I was still on their "list", I was considered an employee. I had to fight it to get the measly unemployment amount through the state.

About SIX MONTHS later, they called to see if I wanted to work on their newest project. As if I'd been sitting around for six months waiting to hear from them. Needless to say, I declined.

The best part of the job, I would say is that I really never worked a 40 hour week unless I was away from home an entire week. You work 2-4 days and get paid for 40 hours. So, even though the pay was very low, it helped me feel like I was getting ahead just a little.

I'm sure doing other jobs with ICF are better than the data collection job I had. The permanent employees seemed very happy with their jobs and I would probably have loved working at their headquarters. But the collection job was not for me and I don't foresee myself ever doing it again.

ICF is a standard consulting company: manager heavy staff to bill clients at a high rate. ICF's manager level talent does not have the abilities, follow through, or skill set to manage anything even moderately complex. ICF has more Vice Presidents in California than offices (some offices have more than three VPs, none less than one). Titles like Principal and Senior Manager are diluted because the title is applied liberally, resulting in an organization of titled managers doing scopes of work suited for a Junior Project Manager or Project Coordinator. ICF lacks any strategic planning beyond individual offices. They will not hire until the last possible minute, they place staff level employees on part time status, pay staff employees poorly, and other methods to reduce paying salary and employee costs. Then when they get a project, and half those employees are not available, it seems to surprise the VP's and Managers. The results: poor morale and work product from your staff employees during execution, lack of knowledge and no follow through from fellow Managers in execution, no concern from VPs until these problems negatively effect a revenue projection (not that they will know what to do even then, but they will have an opinion while they are not helping and complicating the issue).

Worst of all, when the client complains or has concerns: very little, if anything, is actually done to solve the problem. Just enough that the contract is maintained and lip service is given to the client to keep them happy.

If you believe a full services environmental company can be well run when all VP's, Managers, and Principals hold degrees in Biology and Botany, than join this company. If you want to do real work that is rewarding, go to a company with a more qualified regional management structure, good project level managers, staff that will not disappear at the first job offer, and an actual reputation in California for doing important and significant projects. Or go ahead and join ICF. They will keep chasing tiny projects, trying for larger projects they are under qualified and under staffed to support (losing those bids), and failing to create a culture of employee loyalty. So good luck. I watched over 12 managers in California leave the firm in my division alone in less than one year, some had been with the company for over a decade. 1/3 laid off, 2/3 resigned for a new position. I will also say ICF is unethical. Knowing that they had employee attrition coming up by resignation or termination, ICF still uses those employees qualifications in bidding work - so they are promising potential clients services they can not provide in the managers and employees they state are available to be dedicated to a project. Hope I save someone from a wrong turn in career.

I resigned, imagine what a terminated employee might say.

I have been with this company for a little over a year. The company was brand new to our area, where jobs are scarce and very low paying. For them to bring their operations center to our area was like a gift from above. The pay is not exceptional, but higher than most places on our area. The benefits package, if you can call it that, is among the worst that I have ever seen. I LOVE my job, the people that I work with and most of the management staff, there are always those few anywhere you go. I love the fact that accomplishments are recognized, not only by immediate supervisors, but also senior management. I am impressed in the fact that our Operations Manager, who I am sure is a busy, busy man takes the time to get out on the production floor and socialize with us lowly employees, even sits in the common break area and enjoys lunch with the rest of us, not common of upper management at other places that I have worked. They constantly let you know that your efforts make a difference and that you are appreciated. I have been given the opportunity to work on multiple projects and demonstrate my abilities, it really feels good when you can go to work and know that someone takes notice of what you are doing, when a lot of places you are just a number. I have been given the opportunity to learn a lot and grow within the company. If I have questions or concerns I am without a doubt going to find someone willing to address them, however, there are times when information is hard to come by. Information is hush, hush and secretive. Communication of policy could use serious improvement. The best thing about the Job is that if you do a good job, it is recognized. If you slack on your job it is recognized. There is tons of room for advancement for those of us who come to work, do our job, and share our knowledge. If you want to become a leader, this is the place to come and learn leadership skills!!

I can honestly say that I like everyone that I work with at ICF and no one that I don't. With that being said, the best thing about working at ICF are the people. The company provides consulting services to a multitude of sectors ranging from government services, aviation, energy efficiency and more. Despite it's unique consulting position in the market, it still is a for-profit independent consulting company so we are expected to produce revenue for the company. The company truly values its employees and has provided various resources for professional growth, training and mentorship. The company is not as technical as other consulting companies but the different types of work they provide for their clients are very rewarding. Top management clearly understands this and have been working hard to position ICF for success by improving technical services, technology, and culture. A con of ICF doesn't lie in its people but instead the clients they are assigned to. Quite often, consulting services are not transaction but instead long-term. Depending on clients, ICF employees can sometimes be on the wrong end of the stick, but it takes a true professional consultant to herd in the cattle. There are a lot of opportunities for independence and can very much feel like I'm working for a small but powerful company.

The people I work with are all very smart people and I learn from them everyday. Each person brings something unique to the company and by embracing each other's strengths and helping each others' weaknesses has helped me become a leader within the organization. This company is right for anyone looking for a challenge, professional growth and working with truly intelligent and inspiring people.

I've met lots of really nice people. Upper management has informal meetings regularly and "strongly encourages" overtime while the work is plentiful. (Often says they don't want to make it "Mandatory" but will if it means that a deadline will be missed without it.) -Was told upon being hired that 1/2 the shift would be in processing and the other 1/2 of the shift would be in "outbound" calling...been there over 3 months and have yet to be trained in anything other than outbound. SO many people that are working there are really overqualified for what they are doing, but with the highest unemployment rate in the state of VA, people are taking what they can get. The work isn't hard, but is just very monotonous sitting for such long periods of time and constantly getting rejected over the phone. The phone surveys are supposed to be very "clinical" in order to be "research" so any kind of friendly chats with the respondents are frowned upon.
20-30 people at a time are hired and trained and maybe only 10 of those end of staying b/c it's just not for everyone. Most people are hired as PT/Temp/On-call with promises of when full-time benefited positions become available, that they will fill those positions from within.
The NY office is closing, so that should mean more work coming through the Martinsville office.

Your chances of staying in with ICF are fairly slim, no matter how hard you may work. If there's one day you're sick and your production isn't the best, only that day, expect a call. If they feel you're going to the bathroom too much, even for medical reasons, expect a call. If you leave a minute too early or come a minute too late, expect a call. Unless of course you're management. Then you can talk to your friends for over an hour while telling your associates to get back to work, take several breaks, walk around doing nothing, and act like you care about your employees instead of actually caring. Sometimes it may seem that those who don't care about the job and come in late everyday keep their job versus you, a hard worker, but it's true. The job itself is great, some are unable to learn fast enough so they may get fired, but all in all its easy, quiet, and the coworkers are respectful. Of course management and some employees are buddies, so don't expect fair treatment about your health or private issues that may arise. If you can overlook the risks, genuinely know nothing will come up, whether health, family, etc., and enjoy knowing that management acts like everyone quits, or otherwise acts like nothing happened, because they don't want to admit to firing good workers, then apply! It's a good place for people who don't mind being at the computer and can stand quiet work environments without being bored.

I started as a temp and was hired on after 9 months. It's not a bad place to work if you don't mind having people cuss at you on the phone for calling them 3 times a day to do a 20-27min health survey, or insisting that you're a scam caller (we're not).

The co-workers are great honestly, I haven't met anyone here who wasn't friendly. I don't really know who the managers are? The upper office types come down sometimes, they seem fine. Supervisors and team leads are great, they're understanding and fun to work with! 

It's not a hard job at all. It is the most boring job but sometimes you get people who will actually do a survey and are super nice, and it makes the shift go slightly less slowly. A typical day in the middle of the month will usually net me about 300-500 calls and maybe 5 people who will complete a survey.
You can kind of set your schedule? You can change your schedule hours or days every 90 days as long as it's approved, which makes it convenient for a second job.

You get 4 minutes of break time for every hour you work, and typically work 6 hours which means you'd get 24 minutes. Some work 4, you'd get 16, so forth. You can take those minutes whenever or however you'd like though! On longer days you get a 30 minute unpaid lunch, like on an 8-9 hour shift, plus the 4 minutes on every hour.

Just remember to leave voicemails, don't falsify information, and read verbatim (you will get tired of that word, I promise) and it'll be fine.

First - I worked in a branch office so this may be different in other locations. Typical work days are very quiet. Most of the managers are often out of the office. There will typically be at least one manager in the office each day. We mainly sit in front of our computers all day. We have a few meetings a week, and often work with people in other offices. This office is part of the Energy Efficiency group within ICF. We work on utility-sponsored energy efficiency programs, such as Home Performance with ENERGY STAR. My job is fairly easy, I'll admit, but we are not encouraged to grow. There seem to be limited opportunities here, though the huge headquarters office sounds different. But there is no way to grow outside of this office since managers run different parts of the country. This office also seems mildly sexist. The most enjoyable part of my job has been the few coworkers I've met that are lifetime friends now. You get thrown into the fire a lot at this job, which has its ups and downs. I definitely feel more confident and prepared for another job, though that's partially because I can't stand another day of this one. Bad management has run down this office, though maybe other offices are better. You do have the freedom to come and go a lot at this office though, which has been nice. But it also seems like people barely pay attention to anything, so you don't get the positives either.

I can only speak to the cyber/IT division and the corporate staff supporting that division. The company is siloed so there is almost no way to find out much outside your division. Do not believe this company when they tell you there are opportunities across divisions.
Bait and switch hiring, don’t be surprised if your title, location or schedule changes without explanation
The company does not have the staff nor is willing to hire the staff required to meet the work they attempt to win
If you show any signs of intelligence you will be micromanaged and harassed. You will also be required to do the work for your peers who are often unqualified to do their jobs
Data integrity and security are regularly ignored
Serious complaints are ignored by every level and policies to protect against unethical and illegal practices are used only to flush out those who are not loyal
Sexist good old boy environment. Many woman employees are relatives or significant others without the required job skills. They will do and say anything to hide their incompetence.
Many African Americans feel like working here is like going into a store and being followed around by the sales team. The rules, requirements and measurements are completely different. Honest Managers are often forced to deny  promotions, increases etc.
There is a culture of dishonesty.  You must agree and create information to support management views
The benefits are expensive

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Software engineer 5 salaries reported	$96,000 per year
Senior manager 6 salaries reported	$141,000 per year
Director 5 salaries reported	$166,400 per year
Renewable energy analyst 3 salaries reported	$60,667 per year
Business analyst 4 salaries reported	$99,750 per year

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