Avantages
Great benefits, to include healthcare and retirement options. Some programs offer flex hour options for work weeks (4x10's, 9x80s, etc). Stable and reliable paycheck. Great health incentives (and you'll need them!), HSA and company contributions. Great mission and you really feel like you're a part of something bigger and important.
Inconvénients
Men get paid and promoted more than women. If you are a woman, I recommend looking elsewhere, period. Engineers are valued above all else. Absolutely no work/life balance. Pace is unreal. Not enough people to perform the work and as a result so much turnover. You are expected to work overtime, it's an unsaid rule, but definitely expected that you work at a minimum of 45 hours per week. They claim work/life balance, because they give you the option to work on the weekends ... beware - overtime is part of the culture. Antiquated culture. Much of the workforce is close to retirement and stuck in the way we've always done things, many lacking technological skills/training, still printing tons of paper, and grumpy. Growth opportunities are limited and middle management is not supportive of advancement and mentoring. Skills are not matched and potential not realized for a lot of the employees. Expected to do stretch assignments to get bonuses, but not given time to perform these assignments/ opportunities. So many young people leave for higher paying jobs. Lack of general administrative processes and emphasis on process improvement. They encourage you to speak up for change, but nothing changes.