Alliant Techsystems Reviews in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN Area

Pros

The employees at ATK were very supportive. They all wanted to make sure that I felt confortable at the company and that I was treated with respect.

Cons

Management gave me little feedback on my performance. I wish I knew a little bit more about how I was performing whether the information be good or bad. I did get to interact with managers on a daily basis.

Advice to Senior Management

It would be nice to know a little bit more about my own career development.

Pros

On the surface, a very attractive Fortune 1000 business with interesting work taking place.

Cons

- ATK Corporate has very little influence in the business units, which are siloed and inefficient, not necessarily ineffective.

- No process or empowerment from the top down to achieve results.

- Low EQ's from senior leaders who should be better qualified for their roles.

Advice to Senior Management

Advice to the board...

A sweeping reorganization in one of two possible directions:

Collapse the ineffective Corporate function in Minneapolis and redistribute shared services out to the business units, where the decisions are being made anyway. (In other words, revert back to a holding company which is the model in which ATK business operations currently function.)

OR

Seek to achieve greater efficiency in business operations by:

- Selecting the behaviors of shared services functions from across all business units (or other like business operations) which are effective and proven,

- Model Corporate Shared Services after these successful business behaviors and,

- Resuscitate Corporate Shared Services by introducing leadership personalities which will innovate rather than stagnate business operations, and deliver services which not only achieve the mission but demonstrate due diligence to ATK's partners and customers. (It seems an attempt was made with one step forward and two steps back.)

Pros

Pride by association: working in the defense industry (integral to the world's stability) and supporting executives who used to be military leaders. Fabulous benefits. Wonderful co-workers at the management/executive level. Good pay. Stability. Education opportunities funded by the company. Employee reward programs. Exceptional employee stock purchase program.

Cons

Management incompetence, infighting &/or turnover (you'd lose a really good boss and then be assigned a jerk). Senior leaders who may have been competent in the military but don't know how to treat "real" people. Favoritism. No 360 feedback for staff-level, resulting in some co-workers who were lazy or incompetent because they felt "set for life."

Advice to Senior Management

Work together, not against one another. So much backstabbing, competitiveness, pettiness was immature.

Pros

Working on products that make a difference. I love working on new defense measures and defense weapons. Things that the soldier will get use when they go out on the battlefield! This company will continue to grow if they keep up the way they do business, they do an excellent job thanking their employees. My coworkers have been great and have always been wiling to help me no matter how easy the question is to answer.

Cons

Plymouth is small and limited career opportunities within the division. I wish they had more jobs that directly applied to areas that strongly interested me.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work, feels almost like a family when I come to work.

Pros

This is a fantastic company at which to work. They have a great senior management team, and it flows down to all levels at the company. You know where senior management is taking the company, why, and what it will take from you to help it get there. Each employee is held accountable to helping reach the company's goals. I worked on research and development programs. ATK has well westablished methods of running research and development program. From the initial proposal, to executing on the program, to managing the risk -- you will see how a research and development program should be run. You will work with a team of people that are happy to be there and excited about what they are doing. You will feel like a valued member of the team. I worked here for 8 years -- I saw it grow from a $1B company to a $3B company through executive management decisions and smart acquisitions. ATK has also diversified beyond just aerospace/defense into commercial sporting goods. I use the things I learned here everyday in my professional life since leaving ATK. I was given the opportunity to participate in an employee mentorship program that helped me transition into my current career as a contracts manager. I also was sent (at ATK's expense) to several contracts management training classes out-of-state that provided invaluable training. This shows impressive commitment to their employee's growth. They publish salary bands for job classification/experience/responsibilities to their employees -- so you'll always know where you stand. They also have a great benefit package. In addition, ATK believes in work / life balance. You will work really hard and a lot of hours when required (e.g. a major proposal is due) -- but you won't be working by yourself. This is not a company where management stays home and the grunts work all night. The entire team will work side by side until its done. They also provide bonuses and comp time at the completion of the proposals. This company treats its employees with respect. If you have something go really wrong in your personal life (death of a family member, medical issue, divorce, military leave) -- they care. You can take a leave and will NOT be made to feel guilty. I really enjoyed working here and highly recommend this company. I have worked at both the Edina and Plymouth locations and thought highly of both of them. In fact, given that I believe the work environment starts with senior executive management -- I feel comfortable recommending any division of ATK.

Cons

I started at ATK right out of college with minimal experience. After a few years-- my salary no longer reflected my current responsibilities and experience. As I said above, they publish salary bands -- my salary was lower than the lowest on the band for my job title -- even with promotions/raises each year (5 promotions in 5 years) - my salary did not come up to even the median level for the band. I recommend that you negotiate a salary you are comfortable with when you initially interview.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up with your current path. You are doing a great job.