Leonardo reviews

- Low salaries for teams consisting of many highly qualified individuals (PhD graduates). - Career progression is not made clear when first joining. - Career progression is gated behind a “Systems Engineering” competency framework. - Career progression is not based on merit but on how long an individual has been at the company. - Lack of roadmapping leading to poorly planned work. - Technical-leadership not communicating properly to people-leadership. - Research Scientists are not trusted to complete their work by people-leaders. - Work is micro-managed and still not finished. - No accountability for constant right-shifting of deadlines. - Novel techniques and approaches are met with resistance - “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” mentality. - Work carried out is closer to Software Engineering, but under System Engineering title, Research Scientists are given poor resourcing. - E.g. Office terminals and laptops do not have enough compute (lag when using a standard IDE). - Lack of on-site facilities planning - E.g. expedited hiring leading to lack of parking. Inappropriate security-safe floor plating.

While there are many highly skilled individuals in the business and pockets of great engineering, the leadership culture in certain areas is controlling, dismissive, and resistant to feedback. I experienced repeated examples of being held accountable for team output while key decisions were made above or around me, undermining my ability to lead effectively. The culture prioritises hierarchy over contribution, and psychological safety is low if you challenge the status quo. Internal mobility exists, but some roles are tightly gatekept by managers who don't want to lose control. If you're early in your career or in the right part of the business, there is good experience to be gained, but be cautious if you're entering a senior role without clear support above you.