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Institute for Defense Analyses

Engaged Employer

Great place to work! But... - Research Associate Institute for Defense Analyses Employee Review

4.0
Feb 1, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits as an FFRDC. Basically a pseudo federal employee. 401k is exceptionally generous - much better than FAANG. Very interesting work.

Cons

Cons are pay scales are not transparent and upward mobility is mainly driven by educational degree. If you don't have a PhD you won't ever truly elevate in the organization unless you have 15 + years coming in of work experience.

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.

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