Mission: Our core values and core purpose form the foundation on which we operate the firm and serve our clients.
Our core purpose: To provide an environment for our people to flourish.
Our core values are: honesty, integrity, and ethics; exceptional client service ... Read more
As we all confront COVID-19, we may see our personal responsibilities in a different light. Our CEO Steven Lefton shares his approach to responsibility as a leader, father and husband, and American citizen in the face of a pandemic.
For the 13th time, we're excited to be named one of FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For! The list is published annually by global research and consulting firm Great Place to Work™ and FORTUNE. This year, we ranked #16 on the 2020 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For list, which is based on survey feedback representing more than 4.1 million employees. Respondents rated their workplace culture on 60-plus elements of workplace satisfaction including trust in managers, compensation, fairness, camaraderie, and workplace traits linked to innovation.
Kimley-Horn keeps two groups of people at the center of its business: its clients and its staff. Past president Ed Vick said, "We have no reason to exist except to serve our clients." That intense focus on providing quality to the people we serve has made Kimley-Horn one of the nation's top consulting firms in every discipline we practice.
But the firm's core purpose, articulated by its leadership and lived out daily, is "to provide an environment for our people to flourish." We know that people are fulfilled, motivated, and challenged in different ways. In order to foster our individual aspirations, we support our people as they grow into roles and take on responsibilities that are important to them. Growing professionally, having fun with our colleagues, and finding satisfaction in our work are central to our way of life.
To that purpose we add core values: "honesty, integrity, and ethics; exceptional client service; high expectations; sharing and caring; sustained profitability." Our core values and core purpose provide a foundation for the way we approach our business. Our vision is long-term and our expectation is always to perform with quality, for the sake of both groups at the center of our firm.
Through their work, our people discover untapped talents and interests. At Kimley-Horn we work hard to allow that to happen. We have college students who started as traffic engineers now working on ITS projects. We have former administrative assistants who are now human resources professionals and former marketing coordinators who are now transportation planners.
We provide the environment. We want you to take advantage of it and flourish!
Kimley-Horn began as the partnership of two transportation engineers, Bob Kimley and Bill Horn. Kimley came out of the NC State Highway Commission. Horn was a highly intuitive, creative engineer—the kind of guy who could sketch the plan for a thousand-acre project in pencil on scrap paper and get it right the first time. After a year, Bill and Bob invited one of Bill's former grad students to join them. Ed Vick was a creative problem solver whose technical excellence and genial ways built a loyal clientele. The three incorporated in February 1967.
Steady growth marked the firm's development through the 1970s and 1980s, with new disciplines being added as new specialists joined the firm. Those specialists—practice builders, we still call them—are given tremendous freedom and corporate support for building their own enterprise within the enterprise. Once a practice builder is on board, he or she can draw on the full resources of the firm to make their practice work.
Starting in the 1990s, ambitious annual and five-year goals fueled the always competitive staff to new achievements. The firm leaped from an ENR ranking of 105 in 1990 to 33 in 2014. It became the nation's leading engineering firm for multi-family residential and retail properties.
The impending retirement of the last founder in 2001 sparked introspection about what should never change. Five core values and a core purpose were identified. Our business exists, above all, to provide an environment for our people to flourish. But inextricably interwoven are the values of honesty, integrity, and ethics; exceptional client service; high expectations; sharing and caring; and sustained profitability.
Those values and purpose aren't new—they go all the way back to our founders. Our circumstances change, but our character remains the same. And as we move through a new millennium, that just seems right.
You'll find that we're not like other consulting firms. In fact, we're not like most companies in general. The quality of our people, culture, clients, and our approach to business set us apart. We invite you to learn more about us. Our current and future success depends on hiring, developing, and retaining high caliber people. If that describes you, we'd like to hear from you! Apply Now.
In a historically male industry, we know how important it is to recruit and support women. That's why Kimley-Horn is committed to providing the environment and resources needed to help our female leaders succeed.
We actively seek the best female professionals in the industry during our recruitment process, and continue to help our women leaders grow through professional training, annual internal gatherings, women's leadership groups, and professional development opportunities. Our LIFT initiative (Lasting Impact for Tomorrow) supports women in out firm through networking events, family-focused tools such as back-up childcare and maternity transition coaches, and targeted developmet programs to help our women reach their full potential. As part of the LIFT program, senior women in the firm reach out to women across the firm, sharing their "secrets to success" in audio and video conference discussions.
Many of our women's programs are local as well as corporate. Our women's network hosts forums in local offices across the country, to help women connect and build supportive relationships as they share what they've learned about career development, workload management, work-life balance, and a host of other tops that network members suggest. Recent topics have included sessions on building your personal brand, tools to support flexibility in the workplace, giving and getting feedback, and building rapport with others.
In our entrepreneurial workplace, women can expect opportunities to advance their careers as part of an exceptional team. Men and women can develop their confidence and leadership abilities as they build their own practice within a collaborative, goal-driven, and supportive environment. The results can be seen across the firm, where women hold key positions in our organization—including CFO, owner, regional leader, and practice builder.
Kimley-Horn celebrates the talents and accomplishments of our veterans, and we're committed to providing an environment in which they can flourish.
Military veterans and service members like you are talented, driven, and passionate about their work. We out these same characteristics in our employees because we appreciate the outstanding leadership experience and technical skills that you bring to the workplace.
During your time in the service, you were surrounded by like-minded individuals who worked together for the good of the team. At Kimley-Horn, we're proud of our culture of collaboration. Become a member of our firm and see your unique perspective and skill set valued as you deliver powerful solutions for clients and communities. We're ready and excited to help you take the next step in your career.
Helpful (2)
I have been working at Kimley-Horn full-time (More than 10 years)
Pros
The culture is amazing - it's hard to believe how much fun we have while still working pretty hard. The benefits are unmatched (they are really as good as advertised), the compensation is strong, and performance is rewarded. Everyone has an opportunity to share in the success of the firm.
I also love the ownership structure - privately held and many hundreds of owners across the firm with no one person controlling more than a small percentage. You really feel like you are working for each other at "the Horn", and not for Wall Street or a few select owners.
Working here at first requires a bit of faith and trust, but for smart, motivated people, it pays off in spades.
Cons
Working here requires some extra effort, but mostly it requires passion and energy.
Advice to Management
Keep up the good work, and keep shifting office space to downtowns where possible - that's where the smart young talent wants to work.
Helpful (4)
Application
I applied through college or university. The process took 2+ months. I interviewed at Kimley-Horn.
Interview
Meet at Campus Career Fair. Had a phone interview then an on-site interview. The on-site interview was 2 hrs long with a 1 hr lunch. Very nice people and a very welcoming atmosphere. Took 1-2 weeks to reach back out with a decision. after the on-site. Whole process took about 2 months.
Interview Questions
