Employee Morale is Low - Senior Engineer CDM Smith Employee Review

1.0
Feb 15, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

A good place to get some initial engineering experience, but don't plan on staying long.

Cons

The Project Management career path is non-existent. They have it all on paper, but don't practice what they preach. Morale is really low among staff, and there have been a loss of good personnel now that the employment opportunities for engineers are better. The firm has been floundering ever since Tim Wall has taken over, with no direction and the Wilbur Smith buyout was the biggest mistake that has cost the company millions$$$ and valued staff. Instead of trying to retain senior staff that brought the company to it's greatness in the 2000's, most have left or were let go due to utilization pressure. Randy Rogers, the COO of the North American Unit has probably contributed to the loss of many valued employees, as no one wants to work with him. This is definitely not a company I would plan to spend a career at. If you are new engineer and looking for a job, I would recommend other firms. There really is no exciting opportunities with this firm. They are just a commodity provider in the engineering world, not a leader.

Explore other reviews about CDM Smith

5.0
Apr 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of training and opportunities

Cons

Company structure can be confusing

1
avatar
CDM Smith Response
1w
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review! It was great to have you as an employee and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
3.0
May 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great place to work. Flexibility, work from home options available. Tons of opportunities across multiple disciplines. Work life balance is great. The people are awesome.

Cons

Pay is unfortunately on the really low end of the industry. A lot of turnover because people leave in order to get a better salary due to the low pay. I also don’t like that your manager (RTL) is also a manager for 20-30 people, and you are all under one large group instead of various teams. The matrix system is a bit odd to me.

avatar
CDM Smith Response
1w
Thank you for taking the time to write your review. We appreciate your feedback and will keep it in mind when making future decisions to keep us as a top-choice employer. We are thrilled to hear that you liked working with us and valued the flexibility we offer. We too agree, the people are awesome!!
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All