Lockheed Martin, the security and aerospace company that’s over a hundred years old, has become a dominant player in the unique industry. Find out more about the company, including the defining characteristics of its company culture, how the company addresses diversity, and inside advice on how to get hired there.
Lockheed Martin rundown
Size: 105,000
Industry: Defense & Space
Locations: The company’s headquarters is in Bethesda, Maryland, but it also has locations in Grand Prairie, Texas, Orlando, Florida, Archbald, Pennsylvania, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Founded: 1912
Founders: Allan and Malcolm Lockheed, Glenn L. Martin
CEO: Marillyn Hewson
Mission: Lockheed Martin’s mission is actually other company’s missions- that of its many customers. “Whether it’s protecting citizens or advancing the boundaries of science, these missions are some of the most important and challenging in the world,” the company’s website said. “We bring an unwavering commitment to help our customers succeed, and it’s that sense of purpose and opportunity to make a difference in the world that drives us every day.”
How much do Lockheed Martin employees make?
The average salary for a Lockheed Martin employee is $112,136 per year. Ladders estimates are based on our calculations.
Lockheed Martin jobs
Lockheed Martin is currently hiring for 498 open positions, including a Senior Staff Electrical Engineer and a Chief Engineer to join the team in Grand Prairie, Texas. Find a full list of open roles on Ladders’ Lockheed Martin Jobs page.
Company culture
Lockheed Martin is a large and diverse company, so of course the culture can vary a bit depending on your geographic and focus areas. Despite its varied culture, Program Manager Sheldon Thomas can still pinpoint four distinct features that do exist company-wide: dedication to the mission, commitment to integrity, collaboration, and passion.
First, employees at Lockheed Martin are mission-focused, meaning they are extremely committed to the focus of whatever customer they are currently working on a project with.
“It’s all a part of trying to find that best solution to the customer’s needs,” Thomas said.
According to Thomas, the strong commitment to integrity is obvious throughout the culture, no matter which department or customer project.
“The idea of doing what’s right is a message that we hear and we see practiced all the time,” Thomas said. “We want to be very ethical in terms of how we do business.”
In addition to these traits, the company is also extremely collaborative. Employees not only have the chance to work with others in the vast company, but others in the industry, academia, and with customers.
Another common trait that Thomas sees throughout all employees is passion for the field and excitement to be at work. Employees that exceed at Lockheed are those that have extreme passion for each project that they work on.
“They’re very passionate about what we’re doing here and about their field and their area of expertise,” Thomas said.
Another aspect of the company culture is mobility, or the ability to easily hop around different departments and projects.
“Whether you want to do a diverse set of things within cyber or you’re not sure exactly what that diverse set of things are from that perspective because there’s so much that we have our hands in,” Thomas said.
Whether you want to focus on one area or try out a few different ones, Thomas emphasizes that employees at the company will support you either way, noting that he’s seen employees go from working on spacecraft to working on seacraft.
“People encourage you to follow what your career goals are and if you want to explore, explore and try new things,” Thomas said.
Mentorship at Lockheed Martin
In addition to a wide range of areas that one can focus at the company, there are also a wide range of mentorship programs available.
“They’ve been a key to my longevity with the company…they’ve played a vital point in shaping how my career has gone,” Thomas said.
The company has established mentor programs as well as many peer mentor relationships.
“The company has been very good about providing tools, tips, guides and other things on how to get the most effective mentoring relationship that you have, whether you’re part of a mentorship program or leadership program, or just as an individual employee- just looking for a mentor on your own,” Thomas said.
Diversity at Lockheed Martin
The company aims to make its work environment as diverse and accepting as possible, with options like resource groups for minority employees.
Thomas, who is a member of the African American Council of Excellence, notes the groups as great ways for employees to get together, share experiences, and find mentors.
Other examples of groups include a women’s group and one for hispanic employees. “Employees are encouraged to participate in ones that they may not identify with,” Thomas said. “By participating in those not only do you learn a little bit more about the considerations and meet more people within those communities, but I think it also shows a very high level of support there.”
Each group, according to Thomas, does things a little differently. Examples of group activities include annual conferences, frequent conference calls, trainings, community outreach activities, email distribution lists, and networking events.
What a program manager says it takes to get hired at Lockheed Martin
Thomas’s most prominent piece of advice to a candidate is to come prepared with your passion and enthusiasm for Lockheed Martin. “If you’re excited about working here, it gets us excited as well during the interview,” Thomas said.
Additionally, don’t feel confined to telling stories and passions that fit strictly within the job description. The company has a wide reach, so candidates who share their true passions during interviews end up in the most fitting roles at the company.
In line with sharing your true passion, Thomas recommends that you continue to practice communication so that you are able to clearly deliver your ideas during interviews. According to Thomas, expressing your ideas, who you are, and thoughtful answers to interview questions are extremely important parts of nailing the interview.
“It’s something that technical people- some of us- struggle with, but the better you’re able to do that, the better things go over,” Thomas said. “That especially holds true if you’re going to interview with us for a leadership position.”
One common trait of all Lockheed Martin employees is passion for the job and field, so representing this trait in yourself during your interview is a surefire way to nail the opportunity. “People who are willing to get out of their shell and definitely take on challenges tend to do very well here as well,” Thomas said.
Additionally, Thomas recommends that young professionals begin to start networking early on. While communication and networking aren’t things necessarily drilled into people pursuing degrees in technical industries, they carry a lot of weight at Lockheed Martin.
“Being able to speak and connect with people and also have an effective relationship with people is going to be a vital part of your career and success, whether you’re just trying to get your technical idea implemented or you’re trying to generate new business.”
Funding and acquisitions
The company has raised $28.3 million over four funding rounds. The latest Venture round was announced on Nov. 22, 2010 and raised $4.4 million.
Lockheed Martin has acquired 30 companies, with its latest acquisition being Sikorsky Aircraft on July, 20, 2015 for $9 billion.
Employee benefits
- Health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
- Flexible spending account (FSA)
- Health savings account (HSA)
- Supplemental life insurance
- Occupational accident insurance
- Mental health care
- Accidental death & dismemberment insurance
- Health care on-site
- Retiree health & medical
- Retirement plan
- Performance bonus
- Charitable gift matching
- 401K plan
- Maternity & paternity leave
- Adoption assistance
- Reduced or flexible hours
- Work from home
- Family medical leave
- Military leave
- Unpaid extended leave
- Vacation & paid time off
- Paid holidays
- Sick days
- Bereavement leave
Employee perks
- Employee discount
- Employee assistance program
- Mobile phone discount
- Company social events
- Diversity program
- Professional development
- Tuition assistance
- Job training
Lockheed Martin employee reviews 2019
Reviews on Glassdoor range from two-star reviews titled “too many people, not enough work” to five-star reviews titled “interesting work, great people.”
“We get good pay, good benefits, and good work,” one reviewer wrote. “It’ll never be the ‘perfect’ job, because it’s so large they can’t mold it to your needs. Understand that it’s a massive company with all the associated struggles. Beyond that, there are plenty of opportunities, but you have to learn to look for them and take them. LM will not hand you opportunities on a silver platter.”
The review also mentions that if you’re looking for a solid job with good benefits and plenty of time to work on projects, then Lockheed Martin is for you. “If you want fast paced, long hours, and high pay then go somewhere else,” the reviewer wrote.
The company has a good rating on Glassdoor, with 73% of reviewers recommending the company to a friend and 86% of reviewers approving of the CEO.
What does Lockheed Martin do?
Lockheed Martin is a global security, innovation, and aerospace company that does most of its business with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. federal government agencies.
Sikorsky, which is a Lockheed Martin company, creates military and rotary-wing aircraft for each branch of the U.S. armed forces.
The remainder of the company’s business is comprised of sales with international governments as well as commercial sales of products, services, and platforms.
For a full list of Lockheed Martin products, visit the company’s website.
The company lists its capabilities as the following:
- Aircraft
- Energy
- Maritime systems
- Missile defense
- Space
- Training, Logistics & sustainment
- Weapon systems
The company lists its enabling technologies as the following:
- Advanced manufacturing
- Autonomy and artificial intelligence
- C4ISR
- Cyber
- Directed Energy
- Electronic Warfare
- Multi-domain operations
- Radar & sensors
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