Pros
Good people among the analysts and other staff. Excellent salary and benefits.
Cons
Terrible culture, unethical business practices, no value on creativity, you will lose technical skills within one year of working there, few managers that care about professional growth of employees, lack of vision. The Institute for Public Research cares only about dollars, not about the products or about helping government agencies. Non-performance is not addressed. Employees who do not contribute are left to bill overhead for months at a time while the strong performers must take on the role of multiple people. During my tenure, the only way that CNA got rid of poor performers was through numerous "RIFs". If you have a strong work ethic you will be frustrated by what is accepted at CNA. One of the Pros is that the benefits are excellent, but they are abused by many. Unlimited sick leave means that some people are 'sick' nearly every Monday or Friday. Those people without project work often take the most sick leave. Nothing is said by management. Promotions are given in order to create a look of diversity (mostly in promoting women that should not be in management positions).