Is Institute for Defense Analyses a good company to work for?

Institute for Defense Analyses has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 231 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 10% over the last 12 months. 60% of employees would recommend working at Institute for Defense Analyses to a friend and 42% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Institute for Defense Analyses have been left by employees working as Summer Associate , Research Associate and Research Staff Member .

Does Institute for Defense Analyses pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Institute for Defense Analyses employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Institute for Defense Analyses. This rating has decreased by 9% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Institute for Defense Analyses?

60% of Institute for Defense Analyses employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Institute for Defense Analyses 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 2.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Institute for Defense Analyses?

Research Staff Member (44) , Research Associate (21) , Summer Associate (14) , Research Assistant (7) , Research Analyst (4) , Researcher (4) , Senior Research Manager (4) , Computer Systems Administrator (3) , Intern (3) , Science Policy Fellow (3) , Security (3) , Analyst (2) , Data Science Fellow (2) , Data Scientist (2) , Personnel Security Specialist (2)

What are the pros of working at Institute for Defense Analyses according to real employee reviews?

"I've never felt underpaid, and the benefits are great." ((in 24 reviews)); "Great people who love what they do and the people they do it with." ((in 18 reviews)); "I've got smart colleagues to work with." ((in 14 reviews)); "good work / life balance" ((in 12 reviews)); "Job security seems excellent." ((in 7 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Institute for Defense Analyses according to real employee reviews?

"Pay is low." ((in 8 reviews)); "Poor management" ((in 7 reviews)); "Cons are pay scales are not transparent and upward mobility is mainly driven by educational degree." ((in 5 reviews)); "Very little opportunity for career advancement within the company." ((in 3 reviews)); "Not too many cons in my view; fairly flat management structure" ((in 3 reviews))

What are employees saying about Institute for Defense Analyses layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Institute for Defense Analyses layoffs and their outlook for job security at Institute for Defense Analyses in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Institute for Defense Analyses locations?

Alexandria , Washington , Princeton , Arlington , Bowie , New Alexandria

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Institute for Defense Analyses

Institute for Defense Analyses reviews

3.6

60% would recommend to a friend

(57 total reviews)

Adm. Charles A. Richard, USN (Ret.)

100% approve of CEO

42% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.8

Work/Life balance

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.4

Diversity & inclusion

3.2

Culture & values

2.9

Senior management

2.9

Career opportunities

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

57 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

Return to all reviews

4.0

Feb 10, 2018

Interesting work, difficult to advance

Research associate

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.

4.0

Nov 15, 2017

Research Assitant

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

flexible, interesting topics, good retirement benefits

Cons

no ladder, lower pay, mostly males, older crowd

1.0

Oct 29, 2017

Research Staff Member

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Ability to operate autonomously and establish own programs.

Cons

Women should avoid this company; the top management (including the general counsel and HR) ignored repeated reports of male leaders harassing and bullying female staff members--despite clear evidence of the harassment and bullying. Even worse, they blamed the women! Moreover, every year the top research award always went to a male researcher. Thankfully, there are much better employers in the greater DC area where a smart woman can pursue her research agenda for the defense of our country. Women - take your brains, hard work, and ideas to a company that values decency. #MeToo

Institute for Defense Analyses Response

We are disappointed and sorry to hear that any employee would experience what is alleged while working at IDA. IDA values diversity and actively strives to provide a supportive and collegial work environment for all staff. IDA thoroughly investigates every allegation of behavior that violates our code of conduct, including complaints of harassment or bullying by any IDA staff member. We also take prompt disciplinary action in all cases where the complaint can be substantiated. Although we are generally unable to share the details of our investigations or any ensuing disciplinary actions with staff, we can confirm that in no instance have repeated reports of harassment and/or bullying by IDA leadership been ignored. Because of the seriousness of the allegations included in this review, IDA’s leadership would welcome the opportunity to discuss this review in further detail. Please feel free to contact Linda Huntt, VP Management at lhuntt@ida.org to discuss this matter further.

Viewing 40 - 42 of 57 Reviews

Jobs at Institute for Defense Analyses

Systems Administrator II - La Jolla, CA

Security Force Lieutenant I

Research Analyst - Operations Research and Military Campaign Analysis

Deputy Director, Talent Management and Workplace Culture

HR Business Partner - Alexandria, VA

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Interesting work, difficult to advance

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