Plenty of exciting work, but accountability is often lacking - Anonymous employee Ultragenyx Employee Review

3.0
Apr 28, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are many programs in the pipeline, which creates a high volume of work and strong opportunities for visibility. The compensation is competitive, and the benefits package is also quite solid.

Cons

There are several individuals in managerial or senior-level roles who, despite their titles, lack key interpersonal skills, empathy, and a sense of accountability for their responsibilities. Additionally, the organization appears to be undergoing silent layoffs affecting a small group of employees, coinciding with recent changes in leadership.

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Ultragenyx Response
1y
First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to share such a thoughtful review of your experience at Ultragenyx. We truly appreciate your feedback and recognize the importance of addressing concerns related to management and leadership. We remain committed to the growth and development of all our employees at every level, including leadership. Thank you again for your valuable insights and for your contributions during your time with us. We wish you all the very best in your future endeavors!

Explore other reviews about Ultragenyx

5.0
May 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great place with great people who are all pulling toward a common goal of bringing therapies to market that will change people's lives

Cons

For a small company, decisions can take a while to make because everyone wants to be involved, and most people in centralized roles work across all of the different brands within the company.

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Ultragenyx Response
1mo
Thank you for your review and thoughtful feedback. We’re proud of the passion our teams bring to advancing therapies for patients, and we appreciate you sharing your perspective on how we work together. We’re glad to have you with us!
3.0
Jul 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits and generally reasonable work-life balance.

Cons

In my experience, the organization had many layers of leadership (many VPs, Sr Directors and Directors), unclear decision-making authority, and frequently changing priorities, which sometimes slowed progress and weakened accountability. Considerable time was devoted to meetings, presentations, and strategy, but these activities did not always translate into measurable scientific outcomes. Hands-on scientists often appeared to have limited influence over technical decisions. Leadership also seemed to favor established hypotheses, outsourcing, and new biology-focused pilot studies over investing in innovative platform technologies that could address multiple diseases. Alternative perspectives and technical concerns did not always receive sufficient consideration. Career advancement appeared more accessible to highly visible employees with strong networking and presentation skills than to those contributing primarily through laboratory and technical work. While the benefits and work-life balance were positive, I would have valued clearer priorities, greater scientific openness, and stronger support for hands-on contributors.

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