16 Oct 2023
Earthwatch Reviews
3.6
64% would recommend to a friend
Gitte Venicx
100% approve of CEO
55% positive business outlook
Earthwatch has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 45 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Earthwatch employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Non-profit and NGO industry (3.7 stars).
Reviews by job title
45 reviews
1.0
28 Dec 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook
Pros
If you've just graduated from college you will be given a lot of responsibilities right away b/c the organization can't afford to fill vacancies with experienced talent. Be careful though, because very few people have the proper skill set or experience for their position, you won't learn best practices. Decisions and actions are sloppy and rarely backed up by any evidence or fact. Also you won't find any opportunities for advancement beyond your entry-level position.
Cons
Too many to list. Poor, inexperienced leadership cascades downward. All of the talent has left the organization over the past several years, and with no resources to hire replacements, roles get divvied out lower and lower in the organization. The result: people with zero skills and experience are heading up major components of the organization, including the Executive, Development, HR and Sales. Also, the organization has become a place where innovation seems to go to die. Mainly because a thick layer in the middle is occupied by people who have been there since college (in some cases, decades) and seem to have no interest in leaving. They cling to their territory and practically shut down any sense of innovation. The organization has become cliquey and stale as a result. Plus, incoming talent realizes that they have no advancement possibility and thus exit quickly.
5.0
8 Feb 2016
Earthwatch: not just a "job"; a meaningful, fulfilling career
Anonymous employee
Current employee, more than 10 years
Allston, MA
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook
Pros
There are a lot of things I love about working at Earthwatch (amazing, similarly-motivated colleagues, connection with inspiring science and world-class researchers around the globe, knowing you are contributing to a meaningful mission every day, free breakfast on Fridays, etc), but I want to highlight something this organization has excelled at in the last couple of years in particular, and which is one of the reasons I have been with Earthwatch for 15 years and have had the opportunity to rise from Coordinator to Manager to Director. There is a strong focus within the Earthwatch management culture to tease out what really interests people (regardless of their current job description), what their hidden talents are, and find ways to capitalize on those passions and skills: develop those skills, apply the talents to special projects, even sometimes customize a position to best benefit the staff member and the organization. Internal promotions are strongly encouraged in order to ensure we are fully using the talent we already have at our fingertips; I can no longer count on both hands the enthusiastic/smart/energetic people hired on after a successful internship. I have seen so much potential blossom into reality in the last couple of years, and personally I have reached a professional level I had not before bothered to imagine was an option for me. I feel empowered to forge my own career path, but I also have the support and guidance of my manager at all times. In my 1.5 decade history here, this is definitely the best time to be an employee at Earthwatch.
Cons
Like I said, I have been with Earthwatch for 15 years. Prior to that, I had worked at a variety of environmental nonprofits. Like the other nonprofits, Earthwatch has weathered some tough times, and during those tough times, we definitely saw some good staff leave us. That was definitely challenging, as I am sure it is at other organizations as well. But I feel that the shift in focus towards embracing individuals' particular strengths and interests is at the root of our current low turnover rate, and the resulting high staff morale. So I feel that what I am describing here is essentially a con-of-the-past.
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