Is SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory a good company to work for?

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 405 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 71% of employees would recommend working at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to a friend and 68% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have been left by employees working as Research Associate , Intern and Staff Scientist .

Does SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory?

71% of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.3 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory?

Intern (16) , Research Associate (12) , Summer Intern (11) , Staff Scientist (10) , Staff Engineer (9) , Associate Staff Scientist (7) , Mechanical Engineer (7) , Postdoctoral Research Associate (7) , Engineer (6) , Manager (5) , Project Manager (5) , Research Assistant (5) , Software Engineer (5) , (4) , Engineering Physicist (4)

What are the pros of working at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"great for people who can take initiative" ((in 62 reviews)); "It has several good benefits" ((in 35 reviews)); "work life balance is good" ((in 17 reviews)); "Friendly coworkers." ((in 10 reviews)); "Some of the best colleagues around, and that makes a huge positive difference." ((in 8 reviews))

What are the cons of working at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"short of budget; politics, bad management" ((in 22 reviews)); "This can be due in part to the low salary offered for these non" ((in 10 reviews)); "Low pay for software developers." ((in 9 reviews)); "based layoffs." ((in 7 reviews)); "I had one good manager in over 10 years of service there, and they let him go summarily, along with another middle" ((in 6 reviews))

What are employees saying about SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory locations?

Menlo Park , Palo Alto , Stanford , San Francisco , San Jose , New York , Oxford , Los Angeles , Carlsbad , Livermore , Pleasanton , San Mateo , Los Altos , Sunnyvale , Santa Rosa , Menlo , West Menlo Park

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory reviews

4.0

71% would recommend to a friend

(318 total reviews)

John Sarrao

71% approve of CEO

68% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 318 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

318 reviews

2.0

Jul 5, 2022

Struggling to attract talent

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Some schedule flexibility. They probably won't notice if you're not doing your work. Almost absolute forgiveness for total incompetence. Some good people. Decent parking. Interesting place.

Cons

Massively bureaucratic HR & procurement causes a lot of issues. Bizarre relationships between divisions mandated from above stifle innovation in groups not 'allowed' to innovate. They haven't realized how dependent they are on grandfathered-in older employees who will soon retire but carry a lot of hidden knowledge & expertise. Not enough pay & support for the bay area, especially if you have a family. No decent meals on site.

3.0

Jun 20, 2022

Work and saftey

Area manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The upper management put great emphasis on working safely and takes time to understand where issues could occur

Cons

Better mentorship amongst the senior and newer employs should be prioritized.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Response

4y

Thank you for taking the time to review SLAC. Safety is a top priority for the lab - the senior leadership is committed to fostering a work environment where everyone feels comfortable speaking up about concerns and understanding where improvements can be made. We agree that knowledge transfer from existing employees to newer employees is crucial for onboarding as well as development. We have a cross-lab mentorship program available and are looking for more ways to create these opportunities for our staff.

4.0

Jun 9, 2022

Great place to work with good work life balance

Senior staff engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-Great work life balance -Very intelligent coworkers -Affiliation with Stanford University -Excellent benefits

Cons

-Salary is on the lower side -Opportunities for growth -Some of the facilities require updates -Doesn’t offer incentives like free lunch , etc

Viewing 82 - 84 of 318 Reviews

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Jobs at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Entry-Level Scientist (Q-NEXT)

Intern - Microelectronics Algorithms, Software Scaling

Experimental Support Associate

Senior Site Reliability Engineer

Scientific Software Developer/Data Systems