Skip to contentSkip to footer
      employer cover photo
      employer logo
      employer logo

      ICF

      Engaged Employer

      ICF reviews

      3.7

      69% would recommend to a friend

      (2,743 total reviews)
      avatar

      John Wasson

      82% approve of CEO

      53% positive business outlook

      Ratings by demographic groups

      ICF has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 2,743 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The ICF employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Management & Consulting industry (3.7 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      3K reviews
      2.0
      Nov 21, 2016

      Mediocrity: A Great Place to Let Your Career Die

      Research assistant
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      - Work life balance is actually very good (because no one does any work). Plenty of work from home opportunities and most people work 40-45 hours a week. - Monthly sponsored happy hours - Close to the metro - Everyone had an office they shared with 1-2 other people. - Very Stable. Low turnover rate. Hard to get fired when everyone is bad

      Cons

      - Salaries lower than industry standard (Offers $40k to new hires) - Benefits are a joke - Middle management only concerned with direct reports being billable (charging to a project) - Time sheets rule your life. - Easily pigeon holed into same role - No effort to sponsor employees for training. No interest in developing talent - Managers will pull rank on junior employees. Never felt like a colleague. - Hiring business model is to target individuals who they think they can hire for the least amount of money. - Minimal effort put into college recruiting - Lauds their low employee turnover rate, but fails to mention demographics of those numbers. Most people who stay are in the middle/end of their careers and just want a stable job with less responsibilities. This company is career cancer for young people. - Not too much respect in the consulting world. - They tend to hire incredibly dull, boring people.

      avatar
      ICF Response
      9y
      Dear former employee, we’re sorry to read what appears to be a long list of things that you found unfavorable. We would have enjoyed the opportunity to partner with you more directly to address your concerns. Although you are gone, if at any time you wanted to talk with a member of Human Resources we would welcome the chance to do so.
      2.0
      Sep 19, 2016

      Senior Research Associate (I would not recommend working here)

      Senior research associate
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      This review is only for my team- there are dozens of divisions and teams throughout ICF and each one can be completely different. - Fascinating projects - Passionate staff - Good work/life balance (for me. I know many others that did not have a good work/life balance) - Good benefits

      Cons

      - Extremely low salary compared to comparable positions at other companies - 2-3% pay raises, if you're lucky. - Clear gender wage gap- a male co-worker with 6 years less experience was hired for the same position in a higher starting salary - This team routinely hires people below their education, experience, and skill level - Inexperienced senior management - Zero flexibility for telecommuting on this specific team, even though large portions of ICF employees are telecommuters. This was despite having a 3-5 hour commute per day. - Very high turnover in staff- can't keep good staff members because we're not treated well.

      avatar
      ICF Response
      9y
      Thank you for your candid feedback on your experience with ICF. We strive to pay salaries that are competitive in our different lines of business, and provide merit increases based on performance, specific market trends, and customer and competitive considerations. Starting salaries are determined based on several factors in addition to years of experience, such as scope of the specific role being filled, education level, professional certifications, and direct relevance of experience. We have an open door policy and encourage employees to raise concerns to HR if they feel they are being treated unfairly. ICF is committed to operating in an equal opportunity environment and values diversity in our workforce. We are proud that over 50% of our employees are female, including 3 of our 5 most senior Operating Group leaders.
      1.0
      Jun 24, 2016

      Slave to Shareholder Value

      Senior manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Smart colleagues. Strong reputation with Federal clients. Core businesses have work focused on positive environmental and social outcomes.

      Cons

      Senior leadership is focused on acquisitions, not existing business lines. Constant focus on profitability goes beyond standard pressures to maintain high utilization. This makes it difficult for firm to invest in new directions and innovate. Only large and high profit margin work drives company. Preference is to commoditize services and not delivery outstanding results.

      avatar
      ICF Response
      9y
      Dear former employee, Thank you for the candid feedback. Our senior leaders are focused on both organic growth and acquisitions. Our last significant acquisition was in late 2014. In the last year and a half, we have been laser focused on organic growth.
      Viewing 205 - 207 of 2,743 Reviews
      Related searches: ICF jobs | ICF salaries | ICF benefits | ICF interviews | ICF conversations
      ReviewsICF reviews

      Glassdoor has 3,015 ICF reviews submitted anonymously by ICF employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if ICF is right for you.