engineer

mechanical engineer

software engineer

systems administrator

intern

Jacobs

I worked in turn for two Hanscom AFB program offices while employed by Jacobs Technology, and the program offices set the daily tone of the work. Both program offices were meeting-heavy with a substantial amount of never-ending internal and external review. When combined with the Jacobs Technology review requirements, it sometimes made it hard to "do your work." Juggling these responsibilities often became very demanding and at times not at all enjoyable.

I learned to manage a sizable (20) number of engineers working in three program offices, while still maintaining my own technical work output. Co-workers from Jacobs Technology and other contractors were generally of very high quality and easy to work with. My job also required daily interaction with Government, MITRE and Lincoln Laboratory staff members. Since MITRE and Lincoln Laboratory staff are brought in as independent consultants, there was often a difference of opinion as to what path to follow or strategy to implement. I enjoyed participating in these seminal discussions and was able to exert a degree of influence therein.

Management of Jacobs Technology concentrated a lot on communications, bottom to top and top to bottom. They maintain the lines of communication via weekly meetings between supervisors and Task Order leaders. It works out well and results in a very well-informed and effective staff. Jacobs Technology's annual review process is extremely elaborate, unnecessarily so in my opinion, and takes up a lot of time - both supervisors' time and staff time - that could be better spent doing program work. The review process is done apparently to make Jacobs Technology look good, but there are very limited opportunities for advancement for the superior performers anyway.

[NOTE: I attempted to rate Jacobs Technology as five stars in the Culture/Values category above, but for some reason the rating did not "stick" so it erroneously is set to zero. This must be a software problem. Please change the rating to five stars, thanks!]

CH2M Hill is one of the top companies that I worked for. 

A typical day would be negotiating issues, approving payments, auditing & researching telecom invoices charges, entering and transitioning new accounts and data in TEM (Telecom Expense Management) system, managing the reconciliation of telecom expenses with vendors, being a liaison between IT, TEM and Accounts Payable (AP) on all IT issues; such as, disputes, incorrect data, etc. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what I do consistently dally.  Please refer to resume for additional work that I provide daily.

When dealing with vendors and individuals I learn something every day. Each vendors has their own set of rules when it comes to invoicing, payments, disputes, etc. which is not a problem because I adapt to change quite quickly.

I'm a people person; therefore, I'm able to get along with all individuals in order to become a team player. I'm very detail-oriented, self-motivated and independent worker with quick learning abilities.

I work from home the majority of the year which helps with my creativity & resourceful skills. When I'm in the workplace it is always very pleasurable and professional. 

There is actually no part of the job that is hard because I'm able to resolve all issues without management; therefore, cutting the time to resolve issues. If, by chance, I need help I'm able to present the issue to the right person and go on from there.

I've enjoyed the job with CH2M Hill since the start. Since I am a detailed person I'm able to create and resolve all issues that are presented to me without someone standing over me as I go through with getting everything resolve. My trust level of being able to do the right things for the company has never been questioned because I take my job seriously ... this is the enjoyable part of my job, just being trusted and able to get things completed in a timely manner. Best job ever.

What is the best part of working at the company?
It really depended on the team you worked with.  Just like any corporation there are good managers and bad, there are people willing to step on you to get ahead, there are people who get promoted and don't deserve it at all, and there are many hesitancies to promote those actually working because the business would not run without them. Overall, the best part was when you found those good people and also the CEO and Executive management team are honestly great people (most of them) and they want to help make the world a better place.  It is those middle managers, VP, and SVP types you have to watch out for. Also watch out for the Director "title".  It is their way of keeping high performers without giving them any actual new duties or responsibility of financial oversight, or significant raise.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The constant turnover and reorganization.  Especially if you are in the CMS side vs the P&PS side. CMS change the organization every 3-6 months with terminations that made no sense at every instance.  Everyone knew this and complained to management. There is a good 'ol boy presence in CMS that is hard to weed out. With the constant change in managers you never really got to accomplish anything because everyone kept changing their minds on direction. You also had to re-explain your value to each new manager which is frustrating. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Executive level strategy on work culture and Inclusion and Diversity is great. Recent grad energy is great.  It is the middle managers and VP types that ruin it for everyone.  Also the fact that SVP bonus (one piece) is tied to I&D in their reports/region/whatever says a lot.  Many people are out there making the company have better culture who are not financially compensated while SVP level get a bonus.  It's demoralizing. Also everything mentioned about CMS constant re-org changes and good 'ol boy atmosphere make CMS the worst place to try to grow.

I have an extensive background in Subsurface Utility Engineering and subsurface exploration technologies. My background includes geophysical investigations, data interpretation, CADD skills and associated software. I have developed and provided leadership in many organizations. My current position is in Safety and SUE. I currently provide leadership, direction, and training to employees. We provide civil engineering and survey mainly to the oil and gas community within our region. My past has included working with multichannel ground penetrating systems and multi-coil electromagnetic systems to include development. I have worked in most design Environments to include site civil, DOT, and oil and gas. I am currently developing a Engineering safety program. Report to senior leadership on all aspects of health and safety. Direct safety programs to protect employees and maintain safe working conditions in the oil and gas industry. Formulates and suggests work safety standards, and enforces procedures. Risk prevention areas include hazardous materials exposure, accidents, fires, or other unsafe conditions within the oil and gas industry. Meets compliance and reporting requirements of federal or state regulations. Provide federal and site specific safety training as required. Investigate and report near misses and incident/accident in accordance with federal and state regulations. Conduct periodic safety and health walk-through inspections of all workplace facilities and project sites. Maintain OK-300 log of occupational injuries and illnesses. Establish and monitor a program for reporting and investigating “near-miss” situations. Maintain required safety and health documents/files. Ensure periodic inspections of all motorized vehicles. Provide client leadership as needed in regards to utility mapping. Provide consultation with clients in regards to utility damage prevention best practices.

This review is only for the Spartanburg office of CH2M HILL, and specifically the mechanical engineering department.

I worked here for almost two years and all I ever did was model ductwork and piping in 3-D using AutoCAD MEP, resolve conflicts with other disciplines and generate construction drawings from the models. The department has an assembly line type of process and younger and/or less experienced engineers were basicically little more than drafters and not exposed to any of the front end engineering tasks. I did no equipment selection there, no heat load calculations, it was all AutoCAD all day every day. I told all 3 guys that I interviewed with that I didn't want to do just AutoCAD all day and I was told there would be some but they made it sound like it would be a well rounded job, but I defintely did more drafting here than any of job I have had.

There are some good mechanical engineers in the department but the department head at the time was not a friendly guy who you could talk to and he seemed like the wrong choice for department head. I think they moved him over to a quality control position and that seems like a good move by the company. One of the younger project managers is a control freak and a micromanager, he will even look at a temporary file setup you have in CAD and find something wrong with it according to some obscure corporate policy that nobody but he is aware of and does not seem to apply to the situation unless you are very rigid like he is.

This company is the type of company that overhires people in the good times and thus has to let people go when times get tough. It wasnt busy in 2007 but the hiring manager kept hiring more and more younger engineers. I would have been willing to take on more work but he never asked me.

Starting at 7:30pm each day, my  hours were from 8am to 5pm, there was never any moments in between for office conversation until lunch. High volumes of incoming/outgoing phone calls daily, guest/ clients/town meeting/luncheons/responsible for café room, delivery of milk for 160 people weekly. ID cards for new hires inside office or field workers. FedEx/Ups/ weekly mail incoming and going out. Weekly mail distributed 160 employees on a daily basis. Assisting the Marketing Unit with proposal drawings on a timely manner  that needed to be sent out and returned ASAP. 

Learning how prioritize my work was hard for me at first but I quickly adjusted, it was not easy. .

Management was always on hand letting you know if you needed there assistance in any way.  

From the start of my job in 2004, there was a diversity of people from all walks of life, I loved the way  everyone worked well with each other, it was a beautiful thing to see. .  

With my full daily duties already on of the jobs given to me by boss, I have to honestly say, that was a job I did not think I should have been given. I did the job of checking the ceiling  bulbs to see which ones were out in the office of a 160 or more people,I also had to check the Garbage Ben each day to make sure if it was filled or not, and report back to my Boss.

I have always wanted to be a Receptionist/Clerical at a good Firm, and Jacobs Engineering Firm, was that place for me. in 2004. Every day was great seeing people from all over the world come to our office, and i would greet them, and see their faces light up. I can honestly tell you, my smile was like a large light bub, someone forget to turn off.  I was very fortunate to be hired on the first day I went for the Interview. I had a wonderful 14 ears there.

If you want to find a job that offers experience but no advancement  then this is the place for you to work.  You are promised advancement time after time but when you achieve those goals, you are faced with more steps and ridicule.  There is absolutely no HR department so when you have a concern, you are forced to address them with the exact people that are at the stem of the issues.   You are trained and then thrown under the bus when the training doesn't work for each individual project.  Their benefits are over priced and minimal.  They expect suggestions on improvement and then you are told you are lucky to have a job.  I had high expectations for this company but have been let down every step of the way.  Unless you are friends with the right person, you will not get any further then a Non-Manager position regardless of your performance or ability to out perform.  You are also given yearly reviews that are nothing more than a chance for the mangers to knit pick every little thing. Reviews are setup to have your peers review your performance and after 2 years of receiving outstanding reviews, manager still has every excuse why I am not getting promoted to the next level of my position.   This may sound like a bitter employee but the feeling is mutual among 95% of the employees currently working with the company.  I was told that I don't make myself available enough to the team after committing 60+ hours a week so I took the initiative to go to team members to offer help and then I was told I am not at my desk enough.  This company is a lose lose situation, no matter what your performance or commitment is for your career. I was told the company is flexible but that is just not the case unless you want to hear the complaints about having a life outside of work, like kids, doctor appointments, etc.

1. Responding to the Request for Proposals (RFP) from Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology industry, R&D Firms, Authorities and Universities.
2. Assembling team of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology Process Engineering Experts supported by the Architects, Engineers and Construction Managers, as it is required for the complex EPCM project execution.
3. Planning project execution with cost and fees estimating, assembling Multidisciplinary Proposals and Presentation to the clients.
4. Programming Facility Space Requirements, Planning new buildings and site improvements.
5. Coordination and supervision of Process Experts, Architects, Engineers and Construction Mangers during conceptual design and Basis of Design (BOD) documentation.
6. Coordination of the Construction Documentation and project execution
7. Controls and responsibility for Costs, Schedules, Scope and Client Relations.
8. 50% travel for the presentation to the clients and project execution.
9. Executed projects in USA, Ireland, Mexico and Poland.
10. Coordinated and managed US based experts with Architectural and Engineering consultants and Construction Managers from Holland, Sweden, Poland, Ireland and Mexico.

Out to the trucks at 630 with full gear ready to work. Change out with your day crew call your lead to know what your doing and where it is. Tackle obstacles in a safe and efficient way. Wrap up/ clean up let your day shift counterparts know where and what you did. 
There are three main jobs in my department scaffolding, insulating, insulation removal/ asbestos abatement. I am familiar with all of these and there safety precautions. 
The management system is simple it starts with hands who do the work, leads who are responsible for the work being done and the safety of the hands that work for him, foremen who delegate work to the leads and take care of issues that are above the leads control, and supervisors who manage medical issues and serious problems between workers(rare but it happens) they keep things moving.
The workers there are literally from all over the world and almost avery age. A lot of former military and skilled laborers. Very few unlikeable guys.
The hardest part of the job is the ridicules cold. it regularly stayed at  -20 to -30 iv personally worked in -75 (with wind) however it just causes a lot of problems from leaks and tools breaking to your body just hurting from the cold. 
However there are enjoyable parts to the job. My favorite was building scaffolding. I really enjoyed the amount of thought and carful planing that went into the design and the accomplishment when the job was done. It was also fun to climb around where people haven't been in thirty years.

For the pros, the company seems to be stable and profitable. The benefits are also pretty good, but unless you are a manager or engineer, the pay isn't what it should be.

For the cons....there are so many! The employees I worked with hated their jobs and were treated like assembly line workers. Management was consistently moving staff to whichever "fire" there was each day which led to a sense of NO accomplishments! There is barely any training for new hires which gives you the feeling of sink or swim! There is a consistency of never knowing how to handle an issue because there are so many factors that must be considered before "pushing through" the invoice.

Any time off is typically granted, but the manager replies with "are you making this time up (by working weekends or OT) or using PTO? Which takes away from having a leisurely day of vacation. BEWARE....OT is consistently requested! And it's more a subtle requirement" to pitch in.

And as far as mistakes....GOOD LUCK! Every mistake (regardless of the impact) counts against you. IE: you, your Lead supervisor, and the department manager are emailed every mistake you make and then it is "used against" you at review time to determine your productivity level. The productivity level is determined daily as well and watched carefully by managers....so beware of having bad days!

Management is more concerned with the bottom line in this department rather than the morale and keeping good employees. And once in this department, don't even consider moving because advancement opportunities are few and from what I saw VERY rare!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Engineer 6 salaries reported	$122,396 per year
Mechanical engineer 2 salaries reported	$99,250 per year
Software engineer 17 salaries reported	$166,482 per year
Systems administrator 11 salaries reported	$157,500 per year
Intern 3 salaries reported	$22.67 per hour

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