What is the hiring process like at Lockheed Martin?

Decent pay and potential for growth in other business areas after a minimum of a year as a new hire

Quality is not deemed as number priority over cost and schedule of the product

I can’t think of a single one.

This isn’t just procurement or supply chain I’ve heard very similar stories from friends in engineering, quality, pretty much all across the board. First off, absolutely terrible leadership starting from your low level manager all the way up to VP. They do nothing to ensure you have the tools to do your job effectively or efficiently but still expect you to move mountains. It was exhausting from morning to night. Every single day to the point where my wife was practically begging me to find a new job. If you have a 4/10 work schedule expect to work well over 10 and on your days off including Saturday and Sunday. When you aren’t capable of doing your job for reasons that become apparent very quickly, it turns into a personal performance or attendance issue. We had a team of 6 and every one of us left the group and eventually company for the same or similar reason. Some caught on quickly to the overall department dynamics and the sketchy vibe but the ones who didn’t catch on ended up in the absolute dumpster fire upper management created. First we had our VP retire, a week later our Director left and went to Raytheon with no notice. Two weeks later our Senior Manager retired with no notice and he was a very friendly guy who frequently had personal conversations with each and every employee. Everyone on the team at that point was very surprised and even more suspicious which is when it became apparent something was happening that upper management was hiding from their employees. Then when our direct manager called a random meeting 3 days later to announce she took an entirely new position outside of procurement and supply chain and would be transitioning the following week it was obvious something was wrong. However, at that point it was too late to try and find a new position without getting wrapped up in the overall disaster Lockheed calls their Rotary Mission Systems supply chain because to find a new position it takes weeks sometimes months, you need managerial recommendation most of the time and I didn’t have one so trying to explain that to a hiring manager was difficult in itself because we were left in the dark about everything. There was literally no one able to assist in anything aside from the VP. It was obvious he could not or did not want (I want to say he could not but part of me thinks he simply did not want) to take time out of his day to step in to help his employees when needed. So when one of us was negotiating their very first $100M contract with 6 corporate lawyers with a combined 80 years of negotiation experience at a sole source supplier. One who we had a 25 yr relationship with because they are the only supplier in the world that has the ability to provide this specific material and parts. You run into an issue that requires some higher level assistance, which you always will when negotiating a contract of that amount with a sole source. You’re left with no help whatsoever and your hands tied and the supplier has you backed into a corner. I personally did very well when this happened to me I requested help from other Directors and VP’s however we needed approval from Supply Chain upper management on a requested change to the T&C’s, one that completely changed the terms and would put our production line at a halt for at least 18 months. There were dozens of emails and phone calls going to the VP from various individuals on a daily basis requesting and almost demanding assistance in the most respectful manner possible but if you’re in this position you know every day a counter offer isn’t provided it gives the other side of the table more leverage in the negotiation. Flash forward two months we had a new manager come in who was about inept as they come. However… I thought… finally! We have some assistance! NOPE. She absolutely obliterated the negotiation in the worst way possible in all of 3 weeks. Instead of taking responsibility for her shortcoming when the VP got word. She pointed her fingers at her employees. (Me being the main employee as it was my contract/negotiation but also another Staff Purchasing Rep, someone one level above me who tried to help because he saw I really needed it). I personally had my manager tell me that she requested ethics do a deep dive into my daily time charging as if I were cheating my time card and not doing my job correctly (or in this case at all) and that’s why the negotiation went sideways. The investigation was completed I sent screen shots of daily conversations with the supplier and everything else needed to be entirely absolved of all allegations (which I was never made aware of to begin with). Prior to, there was no offer of a one on one conversation asking if I was cheating time or possibly logging my time incorrectly. No warning, nothing. I was blindsided because it was an immediate personal vendetta from someone I had known for all of maybe a month. She was hired to immediately fill a position that she was no where near ready for and once again that’s on upper management. I spoke with her twice the entire time she was my manager, she ignored or missed every single meeting request from me to discuss issues and assistance needed. I could tell at that point I was looking at some possible bulldozing like the other employees experienced. Still, I held on hope in the company and because it was my only stream of income at the time for my family and I was planning a wedding I could not lose the job. At that point we had another purchase rep leave the company so to my absolute zero surprise she assigned his entire desk (job) to me on top of my already established desk that I worked as my primary job requirement(s). I was now essentially working two jobs. When I could not keep up on the work load because, who could work two 9-5 jobs with the same work schedule and still have a life at home. As I mentioned at this time I was planning a wedding which I made her aware of and I very selfishly had to shy away from helping my wife with the planning at times because I was requested by my manager to take a random 2-3hr phone calls with distributors on a Saturday or Sunday to ensure our raw materials were on dock by Monday so our production line didn’t shut down which they would’ve have because I ensured I brought in enough inventory but to her it was a situation that required my immediate attention on a Saturday at 3pm. That’s aside the point though. I was drowning and everyone knew it and saw it but when someone offered to help my manager declined their offer on my behalf without even asking me if I needed the assistance knowing 1000% it was needed. That’s when other team mates started leaving and applying for other positions outside of the company. Some successfully did, others did not and those who did not ended up fired after being put on a PIP and ultimately failed because our manager was trying to make it seem like it was our group that drove the production procurement/supply chain into the ground. I was put on a PIP while working those two positions. I passed but yet a week later I was called into a meeting with HR and my manager and was told I was being fired for breaking contract. I demanded reasoning and she pulled up everything from me accidentally putting in the wrong charge number to failure to efficiently perform my job duties on a daily basis (I WAS WORKING TWO PEOPLES POSITIONS. No one would be able to efficiently perform both positions). I argued and told them I would sue for wrongful termination. I didn’t hear anything for about 2 months during which time I did everything I could to find a new job yet every time I would get an interview my manager would tell them not to hire me so I was stuck. At that point it was apparent I wouldn’t be able to win this because I was now their fall guy and she had a personal issue with me for reasons I still can’t understand. I ended up leaving after submitting my resignation which she tried to reject but obviously could not. Months later I contacted all of the people I worked with including those in neighboring departments and every single one of them transitioned out of the company.

Solid benefits, easy interview process.

Not for me--working here was mostly a haze of filling out Jira tickets and doing very little actual engineering.

Benefits work life balance and culture

Slow and complicated process’ hard to be agile

Decent company to work for If you have 8+ months to actually wait for your background check to get back to work and still wait 5 months after that to possible start work again.

-Decent Company, Terrible On Boarding Process. - The background check process is extremely slow, especially when handled through First Advantage. - Communication during onboarding can feel inconsistent or unclear. - Long waiting periods between offer, background check, and actual start date create unnecessary stress. - The hiring pipeline feels outdated and needs better oversight.

-well work/life balance -great interview process

-can be replaced with anyone

- Benefits - Stable environment - Clearly defined processes - May suit those looking for structured, low-pressure work

My experience fell well short of expectations and what was communicated during the hiring process — to the point that I never performed any work for the program or role I was hired for. For nearly five months, I sat at my desk actively asking for work, offering support, and trying to integrate into the team, but was repeatedly told to “wait.” When tasks eventually came, they were largely administrative — tracking approvals and coordinating between teams — rather than actual engineering. The culture makes it difficult to get anything done efficiently. Communication is heavily siloed and overly dependent on formal systems, with little willingness to collaborate directly. Work is frequently passed between groups without ownership, resulting in repeated errors, delays, and constant rework. Accountability is minimal; deadlines are often missed without clear ownership, follow-up, or urgency. There is also a disconnect between job titles and actual responsibilities. Much of the work is execution-focused, with limited emphasis on engineering fundamentals, system integration, or manufacturing awareness. Decision-making is highly risk-averse and driven top-down, leaving little room for technical input or innovation.

Excellent work and life balance.

Slow hiring and interview process.

Pay and benefits are nice. Good on boarding at company level.

Disorganized, too many tracking tools. Management is focused on the process and checking the box for the new process. No team on boarding or training. Existing employees just assume new employees know process and will figure it out.

I have worked many companies in this industry, and from pure observation, this company exceeds expectations on all levels. As they implement new processes for improving business operations and communication I see real potential working here.

Depending on who is your upper management if they have your back or not is the game “make or breaker” for many.