Fragmented Culture and Management. No Growth. - Architecture - Senior Project Architect HDR Employee Review

2.0
24 Mar 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Big Firm, Big projects, Good benefits, and you can negotiate a good salary. The engineering side is a great team to work with. Matrix organization provides project based leadership opportunities

Cons

Last year they blocked USB ports and all data transfer websites like drop box and google drive so that no one can take work with them or reference past work which can feel like slavery with no end. On the architecture side there is no culture of promoting within and if you try to move up by taking on new roles and responsibilities this can end in a bad way. Leadership is either hired externally or transferred from the USA. In the past the architecture leadership has been led by an engineer which causes a lot of tension. 80% of HDR's work is TA technical advisory work which will never be built so if you have aspirations of doing professional paper architecture and engineering for a living this is the place to be. This can also create issues with time management because unlike real projects that are executed this work is time and materials billing so you just keep charging your client until they are angry and ask you to stop billing them. Projects can continue on for months or years beyond their scope. There was a reported a case of racism with one of the HR managers who stated that "immigrants will not be good managers because they are too emotional" and "Women do not make good CEO's", after this was reported nothing happened and there was no accountability with senior leadership.

Explore other reviews about HDR

5.0
2 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good work-life balanace, culture of being understanding and wanting employees to succeed

Cons

From what I have heard, slightly lower salaries than peer companies

1.0
19 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent benefits and that was about it.

Cons

This was one of the most challenging management experiences of my career. The manager had spent her entire career at HDR and lacked both external perspective and experience in learning and development, which was critical for our team. There was a clear pattern of favoritism, and feedback tended to focus more on mistakes than recognizing contributions. Work-life balance was minimal, and expectations often extended beyond reasonable limits. I was consistently seeking growth and development opportunities, but these were not supported unless I was willing to fund them myself. Compensation and recognition also felt uneven. Outside of engineering and architecture roles, bonuses were not offered, and raises were infrequent—I received only two raises over four years. Although I’ve since moved on, the experience had a lasting impact on me. I would encourage the organization to invest more in leadership development, employee growth, and a more balanced and supportive workplace culture.

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