employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

Harvard University

Is this your company?

senior software engineer - Senior Software Engineer Harvard University Employee Review

3.0
Jul 29, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Flexible hours - Overall nice and competent co-workers - Location (Harvard Sq) - Good benefits package

Cons

- If you do not have a decent manager, it sucks to be you - Bureaucracy slows down everything - Each school used to be very independent but there's an effort to streamline processes and tools in IT, with mixed results (on-going process) - My school had to implement a new performance review process to rate employees in a normal curve, restricting (even more) raises within the team

Explore other reviews about Harvard University

5.0
Jul 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Light work if you have the right team

Cons

Low pay for amount of work

2.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great Union and benefits for non-profits/higher ed. Wonderful colleagues outside of leadership!

Cons

GSD Development and Alumni Relations (under current leadership) is an incredibly toxic work environment. I didn't realize the intensity of the toll it took on my until after leaving, and I am not one to leave a negative review, but as they are hiring for several positions currently, I wish to share words of caution with applicants. Cons: - Absolutely not a safe space for anyone who is Black, brown, trans, queer, working-class, or disabled - 100% top-down direction. No room for personal exploration, initiative, or creativity. - Minimal guidance from leadership - Frequent pivots, even in the late stages of projects - Petty, immature talking behind your back by leadership - No upward mobility unless the Associate Dean or Dean like you - Deeply disingenuous comments, reflections, and feedback from leadership - Complete lack of transparency on direction, goals, etc. - Small mistakes are made cornerstones of performance evaluations, while leadership routinely missteps. Leadership never takes accountability. - Top-down policy decisions, completely lacking detail, thought, and care outside of legal ramifications - Ever-changing in-office requirements

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All