Good place to work overall, but there is room for improvement. - Structural Engineer CDM Smith Employee Review

4.0
3 Oct 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible hours, ability to get paid overtime, sit/stand desks, good work culture.

Cons

Low pay for the cost of living in the area, company does not provide support for professional development (you must pay for programs yourself AND you must take PTO to attend programs) which is especially difficult for new engineers trying to learn and grow, not enough design work for younger structural engineers, terrible time sheet system that takes half an hour to fill out every week, NO paid maternity leave (only unpaid, 12 weeks and you must have been working for the company for at least a year to get the "benefit" of UNPAID maternity leave). Health benefits are very good, but very expensive. Raises are 2-3% each year, which is a pitiful outlook for people wanting to stay with the company for a long time. Overall, a lot of these cons work together towards one underlying principal that the bottom line is the most important thing to CDM Smith.

Explore other reviews about CDM Smith

5.0
22 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of training and opportunities

Cons

Company structure can be confusing

1
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CDM Smith Response
1mo
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.
2.0
18 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible hybrid schedule is very nice and starting salary is high for early career engineers.

Cons

The main people running the company are not engineers and you can tell. They are all focused on utilization with rates often set at 97% or higher. This had led to my supervisor asking/telling me to not charge company required trainings. As an early engineer it really feels like they don't want to invest in me and only care about their bottom line. If you are an early career structural engineer you will also not get any meaningful work until you've been with the company for at least 5 years. The senior engineers do not trust you and will only give you grunt work.

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