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

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 demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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Veteran status

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).

Reviews by job title

206 reviews

4.0

Jul 17, 2013

STPI has nice, smart people who want to support public policy

Researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The people come from a variety of educational backgrounds, mostly in engineering or science. They're the nicest people I've worked with.

Cons

You can't really get promoted unless you get a PhD.

2.0

May 10, 2012

Relaxed, collegial atmosphere

Research staff member

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

This is a very flat organization; as a result, there are almost no office politics, and almost everyone is willing to help if you encounter a problem. You get to work with some genuinely smart people, sometimes on important projects. The atmosphere is very relaxed, with excellent work-life balance. Job security seems excellent.

Cons

This is a very flat organization; as a result, you will not be promoted to a management position, and there is really no reward for excellence. Salary is based almost entirely on longevity, rather than performance. Although this is ostensibly a research organization, much of the work has devolved into administrative support for other organizations.

1.0

Oct 9, 2021

Worst management team ever encountered

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits and that’s it !!! Company looks good from the outside....from inside, its a mess.....lots of incompetent people have gone to the top....buddy systems despite they’re not qualified to do management role.

Cons

The whole physical security department is a joke, mafia style, Worst work culture and high Unethical behavior, policies does not applied to managers. HR is mere spectator. They are happy to screw the employee career, even its there fault. I have seen it Expect to work during week nights and weekend because everyone quitting left and right due to physical security management team.

Institute for Defense Analyses Response

4y

Thank you for taking the time to review IDA on Glassdoor. We appreciate hearing from our staff members about their experiences. We are sorry to hear that your experience has not been positive. IDA is always looking for opportunities for improvement. If you have specific suggestions about how we can improve your work experience and discuss your concerns further, we urge you to reach out to your director, HR, or Office of the General Counsel so we can address them directly. You can also email us at feedback@ida.org.

Viewing 19 - 21 of 206 Reviews

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