Would not recommend - Assistant Editor Smithsonian Employee Review

2.0
Jan 25, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Location - Content is interesting - Good insurance options - Decent retirement benefits if you stay long enough to get them

Cons

- Daily publishing quotas (3/day) - Monthly writing and reporting quotas (2-4 features) - VERY LOW rates for freelancers - Low salary for DC metropolitan area - Underpaid, overworked - Low to no paths to promotion - Raises issued in 5-10 year intervals—if that (Team is small but expected to do the work of a team 3x their size) - Expectations are outside of staff capacity and compensation - Very little meaningful mentorship opportunities in media with current staff issues - Daily morning meetings and 2-3 additional check in or team meetings weekly - Senior to CEO leadership out-of-touch with media landscape - Senior leadership is not open to competitive salary negotiation - Near constant staff turnover - Extremely slow hiring process - Very tangled bureaucratic culture overall

Explore other reviews about Smithsonian

5.0
Jun 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great mission. Strong benefits including health insurance and 403b contribution. Many people stick around for 5, 10, 15+ years.

Cons

Things are sometimes slow due to bureaucracy.

4.0
Jun 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There is a strong community and network in museum and natural science collections and support.

Cons

Working conditions have a standard of museum environment settings, not ideal for those that desire to be outside all day.

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