No more career growth after 15 years of experience - Senior Software Engineer Northrop Grumman Employee Review

2.0
Sep 16, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

They give Very high pay compared to the rest of industry and they are involved in some interesting work with interesting customers. It is a good place for young engineers to gain 5 years of experience.

Cons

The defense industry is undergoing a pullback and NG is shrinking faster than management can handle so layoffs are common. There is also a significant trend toward laying off older engineers (50+). They get away with it by also laying off token younger engineeers to make it look fair but the real goal is to get rid of high salaries and older people. Also, once an engineer reachs about 10 or 15 years of experience there is no where to go for career growth. Promotions are almost non-existent once an engineer has 15 years or so of experience. It is also common to receive a yearly review that does not match the employee's contribution. You can walk on water and turn it into wine and still get a below average review if you are not one of the chosen ones who rubs shoudlers with the right people.

Explore other reviews about Northrop Grumman

5.0
Jun 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Love it here. It’s awesome.

Cons

Pay could be more competitive.

1.0
Jun 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Not much pros but talented coworkers.

Cons

I joined expecting a long-term career and initially had a positive experience. Unfortunately, the culture changed significantly after leadership transitions. Micromanagement increased, decision-making became highly centralized, and employee morale steadily declined. Many experienced employees and managers left during my time there, making it difficult to maintain continuity and trust within the organization. The work itself was meaningful, and I had the opportunity to support important projects with talented colleagues. However, recognition, career growth, and employee retention did not appear to receive the same level of attention as process, reporting, and management oversight. My layoff was communicated as unrelated to performance, which was appreciated. However, after years of contribution and institutional knowledge, the overall experience left me feeling that employees were viewed as replaceable rather than valued long-term assets.

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