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MIT Lincoln Laboratory

I am a Ph.D. in engineering from a top-notch school and have several years of cutting edge experience in research and teaching as well as private industry in electronics and radar.  I was a member of Technical Staff for 6 years in Group 34 and couldn't wait to get out.  I now have my own start-up and am doing very well.  Lincoln is good for people who can suck up to the bosses and not deviate from the agenda that is set by the managers.  You have some scope for creative work but it heavily depends upon your manager and the Group and Division politics.  The management as well as many technical folks I worked with have bloated egos and they feel that they are the best in the world, although in many cases, even among the senior-most technical folks, nobody outside knows them.  Their annual evaluation is based on points system and you are rated against everyone in the lab including mathematicians, engineers, physicists and other scientists, all in one pool.  Afer 3 years if you are not above certain threshold (which appears to be a moving average) you are either moved to another location, or if you are lucky, let go! The whole evaluation process is secretive and I found that lot of favoritism exists.  Many mediocre people have risen up the ranks, and I found many such people to be arrogant and close-minded.  If you are  a senior scientist or engineer with many years of experience, and more importantly, if you want to do research and creative work, stay away!  A place like Jet Propulsion Lab is much better for such folks as they value your skills and experience, and they give technical opportunities commensurate with your qualiifications.  Lincoln has gung-ho proclivity to hire young people (20s and 30s).

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a research laboratory. Its products are technical reports and research prototypes. You will need good quantitative skills in statistics, math, or a related field. This is a good company for EE and physics graduates. A data scientist would fit in very well! Programming and software architecture are not particularly valued in their own right -- the code is considered one necessary part of solving research problems in radar or signal processing.

Matlab is by far the most prevalent programming language at Lincoln (though some departments such as high-performance computing and aviation radar work in C++).

Managers are generally selected and promoted for their technical skill. Managers' soft skills are all over the map, from terrible to excellent. Sooner or later you will run into a manager you clash with. However, moving around within the laboratory is pretty easy compared to some companies.

Lincoln invests pretty heavily in training and staff development. You do not need domain knowledge of radar -- they are happy to teach that on the job. Not everything at Lincoln is radar and signal processing: there is also a supercomputing center, for example, where you don't need to know what a Fourier transform is (but do need to know parallel programming).

More than half of the projects are classified, meaning you will not be able to talk about work outside the secure area (so no shop talk in the cafeteria).

Lincoln is a pretty good place to work unless you get unlucky like I did and stuck with a bad manager. If that happens, network with colleagues and find a new department early! Lots of people will help you out internally, if they know you want a change.

Many who work at Lincoln Laboratory (LL) will have different experiences from each other, simply because there is such a great breadth of work that is done there.  While you may start off doing a certain kind of work in one group, movement between groups (within reason) is relatively easy and employees are generally encouraged to find the work most interesting to them.  The compensation is likely a bit lower than some of the larger for-profit defense contractors, but the work environment is more relaxed and pleasant (non-profit, collaborative, no need to log hours, flexible work hours/schedule).

Work/life balance can be tricky.  On one hand, the official policy is to have a good balance, but you have to take that into your own hands.  The fact is that there is always more work to do, so you have to take it upon yourself to have a balance.

LL is a very flat organization, which is both a pro and a con depending on your perspective.  On the positive side, there's usually not a lot of intragroup competition and your work and input is received more or less the same regardless of official "rank".  On the other hand, it's harder to get promoted and there is only so far you can climb before going into management.

Job security is excellent if you are a staff member.  While sub-contractors have been laid off before as a result of budget cuts, there have not been any staff layoffs or even a hiring freeze (and this includes during the sequester).

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a really interesting place to work, with many different options to work depending on your interest, there is almost something for everyone. The benefits are really good, and the personal employee interest groups (groups for Veterans, Woman, LBGT, and more) give people the chance to network inside the lab. 
But as an administrative assistant, I find this job dull. When I came in for my interview I asked if I would be able to have a flexibly work schedule and the ability to work from home at least 1 day a week, I was told yes to both. But once I started I found out that was not true. They basically treat you like a 1950's secretary and don't know anything and this was the only job you could get. The only chance to move up in this position is if want to move up to division admin. or get your masters degree in finance then become a business admin. 
Basically if you are an engineer or someone who has multiple degrees this is a great place for you. If you are an administrator, don't expect much.

Review expenses/commitments to understand account balances and project future forecasts.
Submit major capital/supply procurements.
Track procurement from approval date through expense date.
Meet with supervisors/managers/group leaders to understand procurements and to better forecast accounts.
Manage $6-$8 million using a detailed cost center structure, pivot tables, and weekly working/monthly review meetings.
The most enjoyable part of my job was problem solving. Constantly, unexpected procurements would arise, posing multiple problems to the overall budget.
The approval process at MIT Lincoln Lab was a slow, methodical process. This made procurements more difficult than they should have been.
In summary, working as a Financial Analyst for a Federally Funded Research and Development Center promoted a high volume of spending. This high volume and the accuracy in which the lab was held to meet the budgets plans brought a sense of meaning and fulfillment.

The organization offers great benefits, providing employees with a decent work-life balance that many find appealing. Paid time off (PTO) and sick leave are unmatched compared to other companies in the industry, giving employees the opportunity to take necessary breaks and recover from illness without added stress. However, while the benefits are strong, it’s worth noting that the pay may not be as competitive as one might hope, which could be a concern for some individuals looking to maximize their earnings. Additionally, the organizational structure is quite flat on the business side, which may limit growth opportunities for employees seeking career advancement. This could be a drawback for those who are ambitious and looking to climb the corporate ladder quickly. Overall, while the benefits and work-life balance are commendable, potential employees should weigh these factors against the limitations in pay and advancement

The lab is a wonderful place to work. The people are generally brilliant, kind, and helpful. Benefits are excellent, and lots of opportunities for extracurriculars and continued learning, including on main campus. A huge amount of diversity in projects across groups and divisions means one can always find ways to change things up even staying within the lab. As technical staff, expectations can vary quite a bit across groups and divisions, sometimes a lot more management and proposal work is expected, whereas other groups one can focus more on the technical work. This can become confusing to maneuver for those new to the lab and for those just looking for good technical work without the hangups of management. 

If your uncle, father, mother or any relative is a "legacy" employee there you're golden. If you come in with no "relative" experience you're treated differently.  If you haven't got a degree you can keep walking in that a degree, no matter in whatever capacity is EXPECTED.  Wanna be a Painter, they prefer if you have a degree.  They're very numbers oriented in that regard.  They LOVE to show that they have (ie) 98% employees with degrees.  In my time there I saw so many unmotivated (lazy, sneaky) employees whose (upper management)  parents worked there
who got the easy assignments while they caroused around  while peon employees did their jobs plus the "legacies" jobs.
If you complained you would get the gang-up, clique on your back and they would try to drive you out.

A large organization with experts from almost every field.  
Technical staff are expected to propose programs to bring in their own funding.  Time spent developing and selling proposals is not usually funded. Internal R&D funding is very competitive to get, with most new proposals not getting funded. Thus you always need to be preparing ideas for the next proposal.
Most programs are small with lean funding. A typical program is 1-2 people spending 1/3 - 1/2 their time, with an occasional large program coming in every few years.
Groups are pretty independent, with ~20-ish staff per group leader.  Your particular group leader can have a lot of influence on your career.
Work spaces have 2-3 people per office.

The environment is great. Fantastic benefits, and some great other benefits.
The environment as a whole is moving in the correct direction but is stuck in a very ingrained culture that is very behind almost everywhere else.
Getting everyone to agree to changes is hard and sometimes impossible.
BUT the lab is a fantastic place to work.
I will work here as long as possible, I hope to retire from here.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Staff member 9 salaries reported	$168,778 per year
Staff associate 15 salaries reported	$144,427 per year
Staff assistant 5 salaries reported	$109,640 per year
Research intern 7 salaries reported	$33.36 per hour
Intern 8 salaries reported	$32.63 per hour

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