Skip to contentSkip to footer
      employer cover photo
      employer logo
      employer logo

      Applied Research Associates

      Is this your company?

      Applied Research Associates reviews

      3.2

      45% would recommend to a friend

      (252 total reviews)
      avatar

      Rob Sues

      52% approve of CEO

      53% positive business outlook

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Applied Research Associates has an employee rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars, based on 252 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Applied Research Associates employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Aerospace & Defense industry (3.6 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      252 reviews
      1.0
      Aug 4, 2010

      ARA needs to "clean house"

      Scientist
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Benefit package is OK but it takes 3 years to become vested. Very dependent on local work environment. Good job experience and HR is great. Local management is very influential - this can be both a good and bad thing

      Cons

      Unskilled middle management allowed hostile work environment- bully behavior accepted as ok. ARA culture is great but local team leader is fearful of something. At this level I do not expect a response of "I don't want your opinion I just what you to do this when I say and how I say". This is not a respectful work place. Ideas are repressed. Management tried to manipulate skill set to meet contract as opposed to marketing skills and expand contract access as indicated in interview.

      3.0
      Jun 16, 2010

      Not bad for a defense contractor

      Software engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      ARA has a strong engineering culture and generally tries to hire people who are passionate about the work. They also are very open to new market opportunities, and encourage individual initiative. Because the company primarily does "small" government contracts, there is a lot of chance at intra- and inter-company collaboration, which means you get to try new things.

      Cons

      It's a government contractor, so you generally can't work on anything that you can't get money for up front. You also have to deal with inordinate amounts of bureaucracy from "The Customer." "Everybody markets" is the slogan - and marketing is prioritized over engineering. If someone is bringing in new contracts, it doesn't matter how bad they are at engineering or teamwork.

      5.0
      May 11, 2010

      Very good company

      Senior engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Surrounded by a lot of smart, motivated people. Excellent benefits. They care about the customer and produce quality work. Good software development process. The office and facilities are first class - most people have their own office. The administrative support staff is helpful. I have autonomy to do my job and no one micromanages me. Every two years all the technical staff gather in one city/location for a technical conference - this is very cool!

      Cons

      Product releases are stressful due to "war-room" environment (but kind of fun too). Some bureaucracy involved in government contracting like daily time-sheets and things like that.

      Viewing 247 - 249 of 252 Reviews
      Related searches: Applied Research Associates jobs | Applied Research Associates salaries | Applied Research Associates benefits | Applied Research Associates interviews
      ReviewsApplied Research Associates reviews

      Glassdoor has 282 Applied Research Associates reviews submitted anonymously by Applied Research Associates employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Applied Research Associates is right for you.