client specialist

senior consultant

project manager

manager

consultant

Optiv

Optiv has some very strong qualities, among those being fully remote positions, and a decent pentesting team. However, the company itself is a bit bloated, management for some reason constantly hires from outside for more senior positions - which has failed, to the point of people being hired, then demoted, while others who have been on the team are stagnant.

Work / life balance among the A&P (Attack & Pen) team is pretty horrid. The sales team will promise anything to clients, including working after hours for projects far too often. This often forces consultants to work nights or odd hours, and these projects are often given to less "popular" consultants. Consultants are expected to do whatever is thrown at them, including double or triple booking projects. While management touts "speak up if you're feeling overwhelmed," there is pressure to overwork every single year, especially during Q4.

The principle consultants try to hold a cult of personality for being skilled, but do not help train new or less senior consultants. 

For such a large company, a lot of internal infrastructure, e.g. for report writing, is sorely lacking. The A&P team has to use two separate, unsupported custom web applications to generate reports, and painfully fill out the rest. Optiv has a good quality assurance / peer review process, however. Consultants are given Macbooks with 16 Gigs of RAM, and somehow are expected to run VMs, Docker, and other heavy applications on a laptop....

Overall, Optiv will burn you out, unless you higtail it towards management. Unless you want to tout a corny, fake corporate line, I wouldn't recommend this. Optiv needs to focus on being better, and not the biggest.

I was really excited to get the offer but I was quickly seeking employment elsewhere. They did not offer any training which was frustrating since we use more then a dozen EDR's and SIEM's.  They will green light some people to get a cert then deny you with no explanation as to why. Communication in general is lacking it is work till you get in trouble for doing it wrong, even though they never told you what was expected. They will send lots of angry passive aggressive emails about how everyone is screwing up and that needs to stop but do not offer training or a plan to fix what ever is the issue. Some managers are better then others, I think I got a bad one that wanted a  9-5 job but took the job managing a 24-7 SOC. With that they will leave you high and dry if $#it hits the fan after hours. Most people here seem very worried about their careers so unless you are helping them do not speak or ask questions. regardless of all the good you do and issues  that you find and work to fix, one mistake will be a write up. Three write ups and you are gone. So do not mess up, no wrong ip's no incorrect cve numbers double check  every time you click a button or it could cost your job period. If you enjoy stress and job insecurity go for this company. I mean I still work here :)

Going into the job, I had an amazing impression on both the company and the employees. However the management in the department I was working for is not so great unfortunately. I would also like to state that I would not recommend working for this company if you are starting as an entry-level worker. I've heard that some mangers are better than others at this company, I unfortunately had a rather bad manger while employed at this company. There is a lack of both training, empathy and sensitivity from the managers I was working for. Prior to my employment at Optiv, I learned that there as a suicided attempt at some point in the same department I was working for. With this in mind, I find it very concerning that there is still a lack of sensitively from the management towards their contract workers.

I really enjoyed my time at Optiv. It was a lot of work, but it was a fun and positive environment.  There were definitely issues and it was no walk in the park.  

The opportunities at Optiv were amazing.  There was never a shortage of project to work on, and things to learn.  You definitely had to be a bit of a self-starter or independent type to make it though. In a remote role, you really do have to do the extra work of finding others in the company, discovering the policies and capabilities, and connecting as much as possible.

I had to take some time without as much travel for some family commitments, otherwise, I'd probably still be working there.  There was also alot of uncertainty with the management by the venture capitalists where it was clear that the return for investors was far more important than keeping the employees happy. This created several negative experiences during my time there, which was a large part of my decision to leave.

In three+ years, our team experienced 3 leadership (executive) changes, the last being someone who had zero Info Sec/Cyber experience. The one prior had an obvious drinking problem, ordering and doing "shots" at hotel bar during Conference in evening hours. Staff was found passed out on lobby sofa's; some arranged hire of their college-age kids with zero experience and boohoo'd when the organizational changes came along, thus saving their family members while true, experienced professionals were let go. In all the years across all management, not ONCE did I receive a review. Wait, does a 13 minute call count?

This company has gone down since the merger. The new management has turn a once solid IT security team into a chaotic help desk. With the old thinking that audits, cyber forensics and overall IT security issues can be handle like a password reset call.

Typical day is being complained at by members of your management, the sale team and various members of other teams. They segregate the teams and overload the hardest workers and then expect them to work hard while strictly criticized for any push back to have the appropriate team to work on the issue. 
Overall punish the innocent environment.
Even if you prove management wrongdoings, they will have clandestine meetings to create policies they can hide behind. 

Nepotism and cronyism is abundance, so don't expect a fair and equitable pay or promotion from within.

Keep searching

When I started at Optiv (formerly Accuvant), the culture was amazing.  Friendly, laid back, informal but professional, and relatively drama-free.  Over the last 4+ years, including one merger and countless acquisitions, the company I once loved is gone and replaced by a top-heavy, inconsistent mess.  The rumor mill goes unchecked; management communicates poorly; there is absolutely zero room for caeer growth, as open positions are constantly filled with outside hires.  Benefits are terrible and very expensive, there is no longer a team spirit, turnover rates have skyrocketed, and leadership is attempting to show growth by buying out smaller companies and moving headquarters to a location they absolutely cannot afford.

The CEO is very approachable, but is mearly a figure head for a PE firm.  The best thing about the company is the people in the trenches.

Optiv, for me, has been a fun place to work.  It is definitely evolving under the current leadership.  A strong stated emphasis on the culture of the organization seems to be true.

In Services, there exists the seasonality of being on an engagement.  Sales sometimes doesn't push selling services, thus you get "people on the bench", which is never good.  The flip-side is, the organization does have the resources and often provides the opportunity to let their people grow and expand.   That said, the challenge is reminding others that you want to expand and try something new.  Like any organization, I do see where people can become "pigeon-held" into being just an IAM resource or just a firewall-guy.   However, overall, it is an awesome place to work, especially if one is a self-starter, engaged, and when given the opportunity is willing to learn something new.  

What is the best part of working at the company?
All associates treated with respect. Flexibility and autonomy. The physical environment is clean and pleasant. Opportunities to share ideas and grow as a professional.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
As with any company, it is important to know who to trust.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The environment is open and welcoming. The culture is family centered.  Associates are allowed the flexibility to tend to home life issues without the guilt. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Typical day is getting in and settled - going through “routine” daily steps and then taking it from there!  Each day has something just a little unexpected!

I've worked for many different companies, all in a financial professional role.  Never have I worked for a company such as Optiv.  The culture is refreshing and exciting as it is geared towards building you UP as a company, a team and as an individual.  It's not just hype, they talk the talk that most companies do, but they genuinely walk the walk too!  Optiv is focused on growth with the awareness that it's the people that make that happen.  Happy and driven people strive towards excellence in client service, and that being the ultimate tool for the betterment of the Optiv Brand. I'm truly honored to be a part of the "new" Optiv Nation!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Client specialist 7 salaries reported	$66,643 per year
Senior consultant 3 salaries reported	$182,667 per year
Project manager 5 salaries reported	$93,000 per year
Manager 3 salaries reported	$158,000 per year
Consultant 4 salaries reported	$116,500 per year

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