Spent the first 10 years of my career here. Had no idea how toxic it is. - Anonymous employee ICF Employee Review

2.0
Oct 25, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Diversity of work opportunities. Passionate, driven colleagues. Some of the projects are mission-driven.

Cons

Toxic culture in many teams. You are pitted against your colleagues for project opportunities and promotions, which hinders sincere collaboration. Work/life balance is abysmal. Because this was my first job out of school, I had no idea how awful it was working here. I have since had 2 other employers and the opportunity to work with managers who are actually decent people and view their employees as humans - not just cogs to drive as much profit as possible. I worked under a few dozen different managers (either reporting to or working under for particular projects) during my tenure at ICF and I wouldn’t want to return to work with any of them. In contrast, I have been happy with all of my leadership since I left. Working at ICF is fine as a first job, especially if you’re not already specialized in how you want to shape your career. But learn from my mistake - don’t stay and let it suck the life out of you. You will almost certainly be valued and have better growth opportunities elsewhere.

Explore other reviews about ICF

5.0
Jan 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good place to work and flexible

Cons

Remote culture and different time zone provides less physical interaction with team

4.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Wonderful people Meaningful work Flexibility with schedule and remote work

Cons

Sub-par benefits and pay, particularly compared to other consulting roles High utilization targets for junior staff

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All