system engineer

engineer

software engineer

machine learning engineer

staff engineer

Lockheed-Martin

When you think of Lockheed Martin, you conjure images of advanced facilities, filled with cutting edge equipment and staffed by only the best in their fields. Afterall, how else would you picture a place responsible for creating vehicles for the MOD?

The reality is a farcry from the idea of LM. Ampthill is a cluster of buildings in varying states of disrepair from a timespan going back to the 1920s. Within is a wide array of equipment that is either incredibly expensive and under-utilised to cheap and overused. The quality controls are virtually non-existent, the production planning is aweful, parts control is a free-for-all and it mostly seems reactive than proactive.

But LM Ampthill's biggest failing is the majority of the people who work there. You will be hard-pressed to find a bigger nest of vipers than here. Most managers are pathologocal liars, inept at leading their teams and blame culture is very real. You are lied to from pretty much the interview onwards but this is deemed normal. I maintain that if it were not for the fact that they get A LOT of funding from the MOD and their coporate parent in America, this site would have died years ago.

Having worked at Lockheed Martin part-time for 5 years (2 years as a volunteer and 3 years paid work) I have found my time with the business highly rewarding.

The management and staff are highly objective and hard working. There is a high degree of professionalism and perfectionism. Everyone pulls their own weight.

The business suffers from the usual pitfalls of big businesses; long waits for resolutions to simple matters, illogical and long winded processes for seemingly simple things. Departments can become 'siloed'.

Nonetheless for such a big business I felt well supported and got on well with pretty much all team members and senior management; personally and professionally.

My Business development research was varied and interesting and I received constant feedback from senior management.

Overall serves its purpose well and without frivolity. I would certainly be interested in returning and recommending it to others.

a typical day would have 50% meetings and 50% for productive work, all structured around a regular monthly business rhythm. 

The biggest thing I have learned is Earned Value Management which the company use extensively and properly.

The management are professional, approachable, helpfull, demanding, and eager to do a good job.

My co-workers are the same..... friendly, professional and helpful.

The hardest part of the job is trying to fire fight problems and then put things in place to prevent them happening again in the future.

The most enjoyable part of the job is the sense of achievement at the end of the month when you know you have successfully delivered a full months reporting, analysis, risk and opportunitys are managed/mitigated, schedule is up to date and fully linked to SoW and BOEs, management are happy, it's Friday and time to get a well earned drink with colleagues at the local pub.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Lockheed treats their employees as professionals. I also like that they paid weekly.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Lockheed partners with several other vendors. The estimated delivery date data I was given and I used to brief my management with from other vendors often changed at the last minute, several times as much as a month later then promised.   

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment was typical of places that use cubicles. You worked at your own pace. You typically had a group meeting weekly with your supervisor. But you could get  a short notice meeting if you needed their assistance or if they needed you for a special task. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Typical day was reviewing estimated delivery dates of parts needed to complete a kit. I often was working over 100 kits.

Every work day started at half past 8 and finished at 5pm, with a 1hr lunch break. The times were flexible with when you were working with in reason. I learned a lot at my time with Lockheed Martin, how to work and behave in an office environment, how to code software, how to work databases, how to communicate with others and work in a fast paced deadline driven work environment. 
Management was OK, could have been better and wasn't there enough of the time to help an apprentice advance himself in the work place. Co-workers were friendly enough, not a lot in common with some so was hard to fit myself into the work team no matter how hard i tried to make it happen. 
Hardest part of the job was getting to grips with the progamming and the most enjoyable part of the job was making the friends that i did along the way.

Working day - Each day on the support team produced new challenges to be overcome. This created a team learning environment where each team members skills could be utilized to solve each issue as it came in.

Management - Easily accessible to communicate any issues with and always happy to help.

Hardest part of job - The work load of a large working site on a small support team  means the hardest part of the job is managing work load. Making sure each job is completed in a timely manner while giving the best possible support.

Enjoyable - The team atmosphere at Lockheed Martin makes the working environment an enjoyable place to be.

I have spent 3 years working on a project for this company. In most cases it has been a pleasure as well as the ability to provided an excellent space to continue to develop my skills. Lockheed has excellent an working practice are a great example for other companies to follow.

I have a few concerns with regards to the management and I feel that some people were in a position above their skill set. Despite this the project was more or less delivered on time. On a more positive side the managers for this project were usually very considerate about the staff and would usually help when needed.

If you are applying to work in the stores dept then my advise is don't. A proper stores dept should have all stock clearly laid out where it is meant to be and you should have all the things you need to do the job...which we do not have here. It is badly run with a very much a "make do" attitude to a working day there. They are trying to implement things that do not need doing and if you make suggestions to make things better they say it costs too much time and money and yet they go and spend more money on things we do not need or have asked for. I would steer well clear of working here.

As the title says, not a great company to work for, as a contractor the pay is bad compared to the employed staff doing the same (if not less in some cases), staff are mostly alright (can't have everyone in a 100,000+ person company be good), the working hours on a 10/4 shift pattern seems all great but the days drag (especially with a 30 minute lunch) and the work is boring so if you can deal with that then it's fine. The progression is almost non existent, especially as a contractor, the work culture isn't fantastic either. As a stop gap or a starting job in the IT industry then it will be okay but don't expect much from it. 

Toxic, acidic and blame filled, high stress environment hidden behind a thin veneer of "ethics" that can be used to remove any employee at any time, whilst protecting senior management. Senior Management operate in a vey 1970s mindset  with more attention to filling in timesheets than quality of output or employee welfare.  Pretty much a "taciturn bullying" culture supported in toto by HR who above themselves of any responsibility.  Potential to be very interesting and rewarding if you can make it work for you - or if you like the "Gene Hunt" style of management and leadership.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
System engineer 3 salaries reported	£54,492 per year
Engineer 4 salaries reported	£27,340 per year
Software engineer 1 salary reported	£34,000 per year
Machine learning engineer 4 salaries reported	£194,634 per year
Staff engineer 2 salaries reported	£77,500 per year

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