Is NIH a good company to work for?

NIH has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 2,843 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 80% of employees would recommend working at NIH to a friend and 60% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about NIH have been left by employees working as Postdoctoral Researcher , Intern and Summer Intern .

Does NIH pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, NIH employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at NIH. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at NIH?

80% of NIH employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated NIH 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at NIH?

Postdoctoral Fellow (298) , Research Fellow (124) , Postbaccalaureate IRTA (103) , Staff Scientist (63) , Postdoctoral Research Fellow (40) , Intern (38) , Research Assistant (38) , Summer Intern (29) , Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (27) , Scientist (25) , Research Scientist (23) , Biologist (22) , Program Analyst (21) , Post Doctoral Fellow (20) , Visiting Fellow (20)

What are the pros of working at NIH according to real employee reviews?

"The people are great and having a role in biomedical research is rewarding" ((in 136 reviews)); "Benefits are great and as expected" ((in 124 reviews)); "good work/life balance and super friendly teammates" ((in 81 reviews)); "Great lab and colleagues." ((in 59 reviews)); "Great opportunity to be mentored and grow as a scientist" ((in 51 reviews))

What are the cons of working at NIH according to real employee reviews?

"Low salaries and lack of benefit." ((in 73 reviews)); "Very little recourse for bad management." ((in 28 reviews)); "Corrupt leadership, erosion of standards" ((in 13 reviews)); "Lots of bureaucracy and red tape to navigate" ((in 12 reviews)); "Certain managers (and this is a systematic problem government wide) that focus on promotion based on "time in grade" rather than job performance." ((in 9 reviews))

What are employees saying about NIH layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed NIH locations?

Bethesda , Rockville , Washington , Baltimore , Frederick , Durham , Gaithersburg , Silver Spring , Research Triangle Park , New York , North Bethesda , Phoenix , Raleigh , Boston , Herndon , Maryland Heights , Houston , Columbia , Bowie , Cambridge , Shady Grove , Little Falls , New Brunswick , Wayne , Princeton , Chicago , Kewanee , Annandale , Clifton , Reston

NIH reviews

4.1

80% would recommend to a friend

(2,341 total reviews)

Francis S. Collins

82% approve of CEO

60% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

NIH has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 2,341 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The NIH employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

5.0

Aug 11, 2014

Inspiring place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Contribute to exciting medical research community

Cons

Bureaucracy - it is affected by the workings of the federal government at large

2.0

Jul 2, 2014

Poor Work-Life Balance; Strict Policies

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-Plenty of opportunities for advancement -Salaries are fair and decent

Cons

-Work-Life Balance: Only allowed to telework once a pay period if on AWS schedule (cannot be physically out of the office more than one day a week) -Workload is heavy and management likes to give people a hard time about taking vacation -One particular manager only approves leave a few days before the leave is supposed to take place -Acquisition policies are stricter than at other federal agencies/offices (more reviews, no thresholds for review, more paperwork and back-up required to award contracts)

5.0

Jun 27, 2014

Medical Officer, NIH

Medical officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible Work Schedule, Interesting Clinical Protocols.

Cons

Salary Freezes and Ceilings; Federal approach to treating workers all the same.

Viewing 166 - 168 of 2,341 Reviews

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Postdoctoral Fellow

Research Triangle Park, NC

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