Bureaucratic and slow but full of dedicated people!
Pros
Very dedicated staff. Mission-driven. Very diverse workforce and leadership. Quality of care is good given all the challenges. Great non-monetary benefits (reasonable hours, health insurance, work for a place that helps people who need it, etc). If you're lucky enough to be in a union and can stay a long time, pensions are super.
Cons
Salaries are sometimes below market (which means some people are contract employees to get paid market rates). Employment timing is very slow (months longer than anyplace else) due to all the protections against nepotism and political favoritism. It can be hard to wait to hear about a County job. The bureaucracy of a large government organization and scarce resources make change slow. There are some (few) long-term employees who are not motivated and (usually lower levels) that can make it harder to improve things.
