Our Culture

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) cares about its employees, and this is evident through the abundance of benefits—both tangible and intangible—that are available to each individual.

ORISE offers a flexible work environment, work-life balance, professional growth opportunities, robust benefits and rewards, and an accessible leadership team that is concerned about its employees. Over the past few years, ORISE’s managing contractor—Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)—has been recognized as a top employer in Knoxville and the state of Tennessee. In 2006, ORAU was honored by the Knoxville Business Journal as one of the area’s “Best Companies to Work For.” ORAU was also recognized in 2007, 2008 and 2010 as one of Tennessee’s best employers by Business Tennessee magazine.

The culture of ORISE is defined by our four pillars of success: quality, safety, security and diversity. ORISE employees and managers operate under these four guiding pillars on a daily basis, and as a result, the organization remains focused on its mission to support DOE and the nation.

Quality

ORISE strives for quality and excellence in every task it undertakes. Management constantly evaluates its plans, processes and procedures to identify potential gaps, as well as opportunities for improvement; thus, increasing the organization’s efficiency, effectiveness and overall responsiveness to meeting the needs of DOE and the rest of the country. As always, through continuous process improvements, ongoing quality is ORISE’s goal.

Safety

ORISE employees have taken particular ownership of DOE’s underlying directive to operate safely in a day-to-day work environment. As a result, ORISE has been recognized as the first site within DOE’s Oak Ridge complex to achieve “Star” status as part of DOE’s Voluntary Protection Program.

Security

ORISE boasts of its near flawless record when it comes to protecting its employees, property and information. Modeled after DOE, ORISE’s computer security thwarts physical security breaches, cyber attacks and malevolent intrusions that bring about network downtime. Because ORISE’s overall security plan is solid, DOE has presented ORISE with the highest marks possible in security.

Diversity

ORISE is committed to diversity. As a result, ORISE was named a Best Diversity Company for 2009 by Diversity/Careers magazine. ORISE was one of only four organizations to be ranked as a diversity leader in the “research” topic area, and one of 98 organizations to be ranked highest overall.

From its leadership team to its business practices, policies and procedures, ORISE exudes the importance it places on diversity. As it celebrates the differences between every individual, ORISE ensures all employees are able to operate in a safe, encouraging environment. ORISE believes these differences bring success to our people, their work and the overall organization as a result.