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. 59% of employees would recommend working at Institute for Defense Analyses to a friend and 44% 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?

59% 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?

"Great benefits as an FFRDC." ((in 24 reviews)); "I've got smart colleagues to work with." ((in 18 reviews)); "Great people who love what they do and the people they do it with." ((in 18 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 10 reviews)); "Poor management" ((in 9 reviews)); "Cons are pay scales are not transparent and upward mobility is mainly driven by educational degree." ((in 5 reviews)); "Weak on sick leave, part of PTO, which is 24 days total." ((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

59% would recommend to a friend

(206 total reviews)

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

100% approve of CEO

44% 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

Institute for Defense Analyses has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 206 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Institute for Defense Analyses employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

206 reviews

5.0

Oct 14, 2020

Keep learning

Data science fellow

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Always learning. Lots of training possibilities.

Cons

Little upward mobility beyond the position you have at the start without more degrees.

3.0

Sep 29, 2020

Not bad

Research staff member

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

job security, pleasant place to work

Cons

boring, lack of growth opportunity

3.0

Jun 16, 2020

Don't come here for data science

Research associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good work-life balance, you get your own office usually, allows to obtain a clearance

Cons

Somewhat siloed from industry tools and practices

Institute for Defense Analyses Response

Thank you for taking the time to review IDA on Glassdoor. It is important for us to hear from employees, current and former, about their negative experiences. We want you to know that we have shared your feedback with our Data Science Fellowship Coordinator. People come to IDA to have the opportunity to solve challenges related to defense and national security. At IDA, we work in multi-disciplined teams and employ many skill sets against any given problem. Some problems require the use of advanced data science and data analytics; others do not. If you have specific suggestions about how we can improve our application of data science at IDA, we urge you to email us at feedback@ida.org. IDA is always eager to hear ideas that move us forward.

Viewing 76 - 78 of 206 Reviews

Jobs at Institute for Defense Analyses

HR Business Partner - Alexandria, VA

Deputy Director, Talent Management and Workplace Culture

Senior Executive Assistant to EVP

STORM Campaign Modeler

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Don't come here for data science

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