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Charles River Analytics

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More dysfunctional than not - Anonymous employee Charles River Analytics Employee Review

1.0
May 23, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Competitive compensation and benefits, mostly. Generally friendly people who are helpful and ethical. Fascinating work at times. Autonomy, if you're looking for it. Some great travel opportunities. Company will bend over backwards to protect you if they like you

Cons

Annual bonuses, especially for engineers, are far behind par compared to other tech companies in the area. Work from home policy is inconsistent. It is regularly looked down upon, yet are a handful for whom exceptions are always made for. Work is disorganized and chaotic. The company overall does not supply project management so each business unit is expected to fend for themselves in terms of tracking if things get done. There's a monoculture. If you have the right personality type, the company will seem like a utopia. For the rest, you will find it difficult to get things done or communicate important information. No VP or Director of Technology. Engineers don't have any representation in senior management. There is a Chief Software Engineer role but it is unclear what that person does. Teamwork not emphasized. Company celebrates individual accomplishments over group achievements (the exception to this being public outreach or volunteer programs). Internally, your promotion, career track or publications are more important than company health and vitality. Managers at all levels appear to be inexperienced. Employees are distrustful that they can be relied upon to adequately solve problems that go beyond day to day concerns. Leaders of the company do not speak in one voice. Policies get interpreted differently based on who you talk to. Lack of cohesive vision for the company. Very academic feeling. There are times where it will feel like you are back in college rather than at a professional workplace.

Explore other reviews about Charles River Analytics

5.0
May 20, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

CRA is a great company to work with. The flexibility, and overall company culture is hard to find these days.

Cons

Management should reach check in with employees more often.

4.0
Jun 28, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

R&D environment with many small projects and ‘all hands on deck’ culture is good for gaining exposure to new technologies, building up a diverse skillset and learning about the business side of R&D. Opportunities for self-direction and ownership for enthusiastic proposal writers. Excellent opportunity for early career engineers/scientists hoping to build up a technical foundation.

Cons

As the company’s bread & butter, R&D proposal wins are King, and technical excellence is valued only insofar as it enables these wins. Funding opportunities are typically small and fragmented, rarely offering room for achieving the critical mass needed to truly create something of lasting value/impact. Good for research and learning, poor for developing products. The company has made unusual decisions regarding the administration of its IT infrastructure in a bid to mimic their expectation of how larger defense primes would operate, sacrificing development speed and thereby one of the few advantages a small business has over larger established players. The company has become highly adverse to taking on risk, and which is a major hurdle to growth.

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