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 and PTO" ((in 28 reviews)); "I've got smart colleagues to work with." ((in 15 reviews)); "Nice people throughout the company." ((in 15 reviews)); "Great work life balance at work" ((in 11 reviews)); "Smart people, wonderful coworkers" ((in 6 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)); "Not too many cons in my view; fairly flat management structure" ((in 3 reviews)); "Your immediate supervisor will often try to hold you back from taking on roles that help you advance." ((in 2 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

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Parent or family caregiver

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Reviews by job title

206 reviews

2.0

Feb 10, 2012

Important work, with many intellectual challenges, but both importance and challenge are declining.

Research staff member

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting, knowledgeable co-workers, who are very collaborative, with little posturing. Pressure to get a predetermined answer on a study is rare to non-existent.

Cons

Very poor vertical communications. A lack of forthrightness in the communications. Paternalistic attitudes by management, which is not well enough connected to the staff to get their paternalism right.

4.0

Sep 18, 2025

Was a great company to work for

Research staff member

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Division leadership is excellent and focused on positive work culture

Cons

Recent turmoil in DoD resulted in lay offs that were not handled well

3.0

Dec 16, 2023

Good Place to Work But No Professional Advancement

Research staff member

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Competitive Salary (But at the low end of range) Good Co-workers Excellent Benefit Package Pressure/Motivation to Perform comes from within.

Cons

Very little Professional growth. Depends how Division Director likes you. If you're over the age of 45, no chance of advancement. Best/Most Interesting/New Projects given to employees with little experience. Division Leadership is stagnated. New ideas are discouraged.

Viewing 13 - 15 of 206 Reviews

Jobs at Institute for Defense Analyses

Research Analyst – Space Science, Engineering, and Policy

CCS - Security Officer (1st Shift)

Research Analyst - Live Fire Test & Evaluation

Summer Research Opportunity - Center for Computing Sciences (CCS) SCAMP

JCATS Ground Campaign Modeler

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Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Important work, with many intellectual challenges, but both importance and challenge are declining.

Was a great company to work for

Good Place to Work But No Professional Advancement

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