Alliant Techsystems – “ATK is a great stepping stone for young entry level employees”

Pros

I would say the best reason to work at ATK is skill development. They encourage and pay for continuing education. The design engineering position itself is very technical, and you are exposed to a number of competent people who are willing to teach you about the ins and outs of rocket science. It's also a great place to learn how to deal with bureaucracy. That's pretty common in every company, and it's interesting to watch and learn at ATK.

Cons

At promontory, the commute is terrible. With 50 miles to the nearest well established town, it puts a lot of wear and tear on your vehicle. The company is top heavy, much like other companies. They put far too much emphasis on lean manufacturing for a company that builds the world's largest rocket motor and spends at least half its budget on paperwork. It's unfortunate that upper management at Launch Systems hasn't worked on obtaining more contracts, leading to massive layoffs. One of the biggest complaints, though, is that the company is so focused on safety, oversight, and standardization that it has all but paralyzed itself. It takes nine signatures to get a technician to test a piece of plastic. That kind of thing slows down productivity.

Also, it would be nice to work at a place where the management is hired for their ability to manage people. I've seen people with excellent managerial skills get passed up for someone with seniority, but no management skills. The place may be more efficiently run if there was more emphasis on business development and less on paperwork.

Advice to Senior Management

See cons.