Does DOWL pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, DOWL employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at DOWL. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at DOWL?

93% of DOWL employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated DOWL 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 4.3 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at DOWL?

Civil Engineer (9) , Project Manager (9) , Senior Project Manager (9) , Engineer (8) , Water Resources Engineer (6) , Transportation Engineer (5) , CAD Drafter (2) , Civil Designer (2) , Civil Engineer I (2) , Project Engineer (2) , Surveyor (2)

What are the pros of working at DOWL according to real employee reviews?

"Met some great people that I am still in contact with" ((in 16 reviews)); "The opportunities are endless at DOWL HKM." ((in 10 reviews)); "I have a ton of variety in my work, very flexible schedule, and am empowered to do whatever it takes to keep happy clients." ((in 5 reviews)); "Excellent leadership." ((in 5 reviews)); "good pay" ((in 4 reviews))

What are the cons of working at DOWL according to real employee reviews?

"Depending on office and time of year, work/life balance can be challenging." ((in 7 reviews)); "Bad management." ((in 7 reviews)); "Some long hours for deadlines, but it's consulting..." ((in 4 reviews))

What are employees saying about DOWL redundancies in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about DOWL redundancy and their outlook for job security at DOWL in 2026.

DOWL Reviews

4.2

93% would recommend to a friend

(134 total reviews)

Jeffrey Shoemaker, P.E.

92% approve of CEO

91% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Compensation and benefits

4.3

Career opportunities

4.2

Senior management

3.9

Culture and values

3.9

Diversity and inclusion

3.9

Work/Life balance

DOWL has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 134 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The DOWL employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Construction, repair and maintenance industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

134 reviews

3.0

30 Jan 2019

Flood of positive reviews in 10 days seems fishy

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Some of the smartest and hardest working people I’ve ever met work at DOWL.

Cons

Well, management can be disingenuous. (See the rash of glowing reviews during a merger.) Staff utilization is king, as with all consulting firms, but management seems to lack interpersonal skills and don’t seem to care much about employees.

DOWL Response

7y

People are encouraged to register open and honest reviews on a recurring basis, and thank you for yours. As far as I know each of these reviews (whether positive, negative, or neutral) have an employee attached to them that believes what they say and is speaking form the heart. I am sorry that your perception is that management does not care about employees and is less than genuine. That has not been my experience in my nearly 25 years at the company. I suggest that you reach out to me or to the People Department to see if we can address your unhappiness.

3.0

23 Apr 2017

Mileage May Vary

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Good talent in some areas Good leadership below the C Suite Flexible work schedules Things are good when transportation is good Some offices are great

Cons

Subpar talent in some areas Corporate silliness Things are bad when transportation is bad Some offices are not so great

DOWL Response

9y

Appreciate the candid evaluation. DOWL is strong firm with a very bright future. You are correct that transportation is an important component of our business, but civil, water, environmental, and geo-construction are strong contributors as well. As for the comment about sub-par talent and poor quality offices, I will respectfully disagree. Best to you.

2.0

7 Jan 2017

Very corporate feel

Engineer ii

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Good experience at entry level positions. This company is a 'Stepping-Stone' firm. If you 'know' the right people they may advance you, if not then you will get a few years of experience and then move to another firm

Cons

Poor management, owners and senior management create an 'Us' vs 'Them' mentality between lower level employees and the departartmemt heads and up. The department heads are more focused on the business of the company than the employees, clients, and projects.

DOWL Response

9y

DOWL does strive to provide exceptional experience to people early in their career through mentorship and structured career development and training. Our turnover rate remains quite low, we have just added five new Owners to our company that have all come up through the system, and we promote religiously from within. Interestingly, on Saturday night we just celebrated an employee that has been with the company for 34 years. I am troubled by the comment of us vs. them, and a singular focus on business versus employees/clients service. If you would be comfortable stopping by my office to discuss, or possibly slipping an anonymous note under my door with more information or suggestions, I would like to hear your perspective. You have my word that their will be no negative blow-back. I am only interested in improving the company.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 134 Reviews

Jobs at DOWL

Civil Engineering Internship (Summer 2026)

DOWL

DOWL Reviews

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Reviews by job title

Flood of positive reviews in 10 days seems fishy

Mileage May Vary

Very corporate feel

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