Science and Technology Facilities Council Employee Reviews

A relatively laid back place to work, lots of freedom and perks like flexi time, high annual leave, onsite facilities e.t.c. Salary does tend to lag behind private sector but pension scheme and leave make up for it.Workload can be inconsistent, and some projects are badly managed, which can be frustrating.

Pros

Decent work life balance, flexi-time, pension, lots of freedom

Cons

inconsistent workload, some stressful periods, some badly managed projects

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Amazing

Mechanical Engineer (Current Employee) - Harwell - 25 November 2022

A great place to work. So many benefits and a lovely environment to be in. Having a flexible working schedule is really great and the work is always interesting.

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Insights into Science and Technology Facilities Council

Based on 3 survey responses

What people like

Inclusive work environment
Time and location flexibility
Overall satisfaction

Areas for improvement

Feeling of personal appreciation
Sense of belonging
Trust in colleagues

Interesting work but lack of progression and low pay

Mechanical Design Engineer (Current Employee) - Edinburgh - 18 May 2022

The work culture is good but the lack of progression and the low pay make it hard to stay about. Only way to promotion is leaving and trying to find a higher band role to rejoin.

Pros

Good culture, flexible working, trusted

Cons

Low pay, zero progression

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Workplace with interesting projects

Neutron Data Analyst (Former Employee) - Didcot, Oxfordshire - 27 July 2021

Day-to-day work involved collaboration with instrument scientists and other teams to solve unique scientific problems. Strong, collaborative atmosphere. Relaxed, with no-one breathing down your neck. Opportunity to meet plenty of interesting people.

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Awful employer.

Temporary role (Former Employee) - Harwell, Oxfordshire - 17 March 2021

Treated appealing by this Company because I was a temp covering maternity leave. No support. Very poor work culture. No Company values there whatsoever.

Pros

None

Cons

Environment and people

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Amazing opportunities

Placement Student (Current Employee) - Harwell, Oxfordshire - 6 February 2020

Had the experience of working with not just networking routers and switches but also learned about the telephony systems. Also taking parts in project gave me the opportunity to put my skills and knowledge to the test.

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Relaxed place to work, great culture

Micro-Target Fabrication Engineer (Former Employee) - Oxford - 12 January 2020

Great year there, enjoyed every minute. Had many opportunities to be trained by technical staff in various areas, went on training courses and help was always available when needed.

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Good company to work for

Receptionist/Administrator (Current Employee) - Harwell, Oxfordshire - 24 December 2019

staff friendly management very good very well run organisation my role was a temporary contract, due to sickness off a membeer of staff, following recovery contract ceased

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Relaxed and productive atmosphere

Senior Business Analyst (Former Employee) - Warrington - 25 September 2019

Relaxed atmosphere, encourages innovation, able to freely interact with senior managers. Lack of pressure meant that the best productive work could be achieved.

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Challenging but relaxed workplace

INTERN (Former Employee) - Didcot, Oxfordshire - 7 March 2019

Management are experts at what they do, the culture is quite relaxed and people are friendly. The food in the canteen is pretty expensive but it's good.

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Productive and fun workplace

IT Support Analyst (Former Employee) - Didcot, Oxfordshire - 21 February 2019

Very good place to work. Very caring people, will help with any problems. Workplace culture is at very high standards. Every day is a new opportunity to learn something new.

Pros

Flex hours

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In all a good place to work

Mechanical Technician (Current Employee) - Harwell, Oxfordshire - 11 December 2018

Good work life balance as regards leave and flexible working. If you are into training courses there is plenty of opportunity. Projects can be many and varied

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Amazing Place to Work

Sandwich Student Finance (Former Employee) - Harwell - 2 October 2018

Lovely atmosphere, lovely colleagues. Everyone was very supportive and nurturing and gave me the opportunity to maximise my learning during my time with the company.

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Bleeding edge of science

Software Engineer (Current Employee) - Oxfordshire - 30 April 2018

It feels good to work for the benefit of the people, in a multicultural place such as the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, based in Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire. In this place I've learned to better manage my time and my tasks; the management is proportioned to this large scale organization (+17k emplyees) and works very good. The attention for job work/life balance is amazing. Unfortunately, it has became hard to advance and the salaries are not aligned with the actual inflaction / tax scheme. There are minor benefits offered, but the only real benefit is the pension scheme.

Pros

Thrilling environment

Cons

Low salary

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Excellent environment.

Full generalist remit (Former Employee) - Oxford - 9 February 2018

Excellent environment for learning and development. Exciting research with focus on continuous professional development. Flexible working opportunities.

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Friendly and supportive workplace

e-learning developer (Current Employee) - Didcot, Oxfordshire - 13 November 2017

I enjoy working here very much. I have learnt lots of new skills, including research skills and IT skills. I have been given the opportunity to have my say on how my project went and feel that my opinion was not only considered but valued.

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Varied opportunities

Database Administrator and Developer (Former Employee) - Didcot, Oxon - 25 October 2017

Starts early (8am) but finishes early too with clock in system. Laboratory campus with lovely countryside views. Social and sports activity at lunch or after work. Public sector management for some projects.

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Great place to work.

Engineer (Current Employee) - Didcot, Oxfordshire - 2 October 2017

Great place to work, with interesting work being carried out. Easy to get stuck in post if role carrys specific needs which are not easily transfered to others. Excellent training opertunities for enhancement of career.

Pros

Very social and friendly

Cons

None of great concern.

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Impenetrable management

Instrument Scientist (Former Employee) - Harwell - 1 June 2017

Impenetrable management, inflexible, backward looking, unsupportive, bureaucratic, bullying, male chauvinistic culture, hierarchical, non-progressive.

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Excellent opportunities if in STEM environments

Business Support Manager (Former Employee) - Harwell Campus - 3 May 2017

During the past ten years I'm not sure I can confidently say there has ever been a typical day but in saying that there has never been a boring day either. I managed a large number of colleagues across four diverse groups in 11 different disciplines. The work place culture, and that of the organisation, is positive in the STEM environments but less so in the Administration areas. I have been actively involved with a number of high profile technical and Estates projects to ensure the infrastructure for all the great and exciting science was in place ready for the next ground breaking discovery. Salaries are better than most people outside Government employment actually realize with no glass ceilings. If you have a passion for science, technology or engineering this really is the place you want to be as your role will take you all over the world and open up opportunities in other countries working on similar or joint projects. All paid for by the UK Government. The hardest part of the role I held was the politics as a strong diplomatic core was necessary to resolve or mediate to ensure forward progress but with so many projects wanting a slice of an ever reducing budget it is understandable. STEM colleagues are passionate about their science and live it 24/7. The Joint Venture company operating on the Harwell site provides the critical commercial expertise and will be provide the momentum into the future.

Pros

Passionate STEM environment and part of a world wide event

Cons

Constant budget cuts targeted at Administration and infrastructure

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Fast-paced and complex organisation with some excellent employees

Executive Team and Council Secretariat Manager (Current Employee) - Swindon and Didcot - 18 April 2016

I have two offices, one in Swindon and the other at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Didcot. I split my time between the two because I manage staff at both sites. The people I manage provide administrative support to the directors and chief executive of the organisation. These people are dedicated and conscientious, working in a busy and demanding environment. I take my management of them very seriously and often find this part of my job takes up a lot of my time. Then there's the other side of my role which is working directly with the CEO and the Chairman. I run all the board meetings, and on the days of those meetings, there's a tension in the air as my team and I ensure the meetings run smoothly, i.e. lunch arrives, taxis arrive, presentations are loaded, relevant papers ready, and all the time remaining clam and positive. The organisation is about to go through some huge changes, and there is tension building as people wonder what it means for them. Change is always difficult, but lack of control/information is highly detrimental to morale. The changes have been instigated by Government and the CEO and and his board are charged with implementing them. It is impacting negatively on the atmosphere in the offices and in some cases, pride in one's work.