employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

Institute for Defense Analyses

Engaged Employer

Interesting work, difficult to advance - Research Associate Institute for Defense Analyses Employee Review

4.0
Feb 10, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Most people here enjoy their work and treat their colleagues well. Workplace drama is low. Projects are interesting & challenging and there's a lot of flexibility to work in different areas. Lots of opportunities for interesting travel (international and domestic). Pay is slightly lower than comparable companies, but benefits are great. IDA contributes 11% of your salary to a retirement account annually.

Cons

Flat structure makes it very difficult to advance without further education. Research associate title doesn't track well with the actual work RAs do. The title makes these employees sound more junior than they are, which presents challenges when trying to move on from IDA. No bonuses; typically just cost of living salary adjustments.

Explore other reviews about Institute for Defense Analyses

5.0
Jul 14, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Loved it, learned a lot and helped me grow.

Cons

Pay and lack of advancement

4.0
Jul 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very smart people across a range of STEM disciplines Freedom on what you get to work on Relative lack of office politics Interesting exciting projects available

Cons

Hard to think of a con. Every place has its own flavour and IDA CCS Bowie like anywhere else, isn't for anyone. I'm not positive either way about IDA's budget/hiring situation these days, with all the stuff going on in this general space. It also can be easy to find yourself getting lost when it comes to finding a good project if you are not careful. But even that is a bit of a reach.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All