Is BAE Systems a good company to work for?

BAE Systems has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5, based on over 4,698 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months. 74% of employees would recommend working at BAE Systems to a friend and 71% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about BAE Systems have been left by employees working as Program Manager , Software Engineer and Systems Engineer .

Does BAE Systems pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, BAE Systems employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at BAE Systems. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at BAE Systems?

74% of BAE Systems employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated BAE Systems 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at BAE Systems?

Software Engineer (216) , Project Manager (147) , Systems Engineer (130) , Engineer (88) , Senior Consultant (55) , Principal Consultant (52) , Consultant (44) , Principal Engineer (42) , Senior Software Engineer (42) , Business Analyst (39) , Mechanical Engineer (39) , Engineering Manager (38) , Senior Engineer (36) , Manager (35) , Senior Systems Engineer (35)

What are the pros of working at BAE Systems according to real employee reviews?

"Met a few great people that I worked with whom I will keep in touch with." ((in 354 reviews)); "Company does not expect salaried employees to work excessive amounts of overtime (good work/life balance)." ((in 246 reviews)); "Benefits are good and resonable" ((in 218 reviews)); "good pay in certain business units pay better for professional staff not early exec levels scope to move" ((in 206 reviews)); "Salary is good and competitive" ((in 130 reviews))

What are the cons of working at BAE Systems according to real employee reviews?

"They have a lousy fast turnstile of people coming and going all due to their poor management." ((in 196 reviews)); "No training: Grads are left to 'train' themselves by watching videos" ((in 65 reviews)); "No career progression and lack of man power" ((in 60 reviews)); "Senior managers have the point of view that BAE don't develop software and appear to be in denial." ((in 56 reviews)); "Lack of trust in senior management" ((in 47 reviews))

What are employees saying about BAE Systems layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about BAE Systems layoffs and their outlook for job security at BAE Systems in 2026.

What BAE Systems locations have received the highest employee ratings?

Falls Church , Manchester , Hill AFB , Merrimack , San Jose , Sterling , Endicott , Fort Wayne , Cedar Rapids , Rockville

BAE Systems reviews

3.9

74% would recommend to a friend

(4,197 total reviews)

Charles Woodburn

81% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Work/Life balance

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.8

Compensation and benefits

3.7

Career opportunities

3.6

Culture & values

3.3

Senior management

BAE Systems has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 4,197 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The BAE Systems employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Aerospace & Defense industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

4K reviews

4.0

Jun 18, 2008

Overall satisfaction to be found within the BAE Systems team.

Principal software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexibility in work and vacation scheduling. Senior management honestly care about employee needs. Employees given the freedom to complete tasks with little oversight. Nearly limitless opportunity for transfer if the current job is getting a little stale. In-house training opportunities are diverse and easy to get enrolled in. Out sourced training opportunity is well funded and almost all requests for training, if in line with current responsibilities, are approved.

Cons

Mid-level management needs more guidance and direction in how to take care of people. Senior management is sometimes difficult to contact if necessary. Organizational divides can be difficult to work around at times.

3.0

Jun 12, 2008

BAE Systems - The worst place for Software Engineers in Silicon Valley

Software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The salary seems great if you're coming out of college. BAE hires and trains many many new engineers. Your workforce is diverse, although most are US Citizens. You get to work on military projects and feel like you're doing your part to help the US's security situation.

Cons

The workforce is old... Seriously old. BAE never seems to fire anyone. There are incompetent engineers who have been working for years and years and yet have managed not to keep up with new technologies or methodologies. It's difficult to get things done as you spend much of your time in worthless meetings that get hijacked by legacy engineers who need to hear their own voices so they can affirm to themselves the need for them being there.

1.0

Jun 12, 2008

A poorly managed company that has lost all its credibility with customers and suffering from self-imposed disaster.

Principal engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It is a small company and a good performer can advance quickly.

Cons

An "inner circle" of employees that founded the company exists that can make life miserable for new employees. No money exists for training and professional career enhancing courses. The company routinely lies to their customers about schedule, costs, and capabilities. The company never delivers on schedule and does shoddy work. It is a company where "winging it" is a matter of routine.

Viewing 4195 - 4197 of 4,197 Reviews

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Jobs at BAE Systems

Ancillary – Labourer

Barrow in Furness, England

Assembly Build Line Support

Security Travel and Events Lead

Warton, Lancashire, Lancashire, North West England, England

BAE Systems

BAE Systems reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

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Overall satisfaction to be found within the BAE Systems team.

BAE Systems - The worst place for Software Engineers in Silicon Valley

A poorly managed company that has lost all its credibility with customers and suffering from self-imposed disaster.

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