Is RAND a good company to work for as a Associate Policy Researcher?

Associate Policy Researcher professionals working at RAND have rated their employer with 3.4 out of 5 stars in 27 Glassdoor reviews. This is a lower than average score with the overall rating of RAND employees being 4.0 out of 5 stars. Search open Associate Policy Researcher Jobs at RAND now and start preparing for your job interview by browsing frequently asked Associate Policy Researcher interview questions at RAND .

Does RAND pay Associate Policy Researcher employees well?

Associate Policy Researcher professionals rate their compensation and benefits at RAND with 3.5 out of 5 stars based on 27 anonymously submitted employee reviews. This is 5.6% worse than the company average rating for salary and benefits. Find out more about Associate Policy Researcher salaries at RAND.

How happy are Associate Policy Researcher professionals working at RAND?

78% of Associate Policy Researcher employees at RAND would recommend their employer to a friend. This rating has increased by 43% in the past 12 months. Associate Policy Researcher professionals have also rated RAND with a 4.1 rating for work-life-balance, 3.3 rating for diversity and inclusion, 3.2 rating for culture and values and 3.8 rating for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at RAND?

Research Assistant (45) , Administrative Assistant (22) , Assistant Policy Researcher (17) , Analyst (15) , Researcher (15) , Summer Associate (12) , Manager (7) , Policy Analyst (7) , Assistant Policy Analyst (6) , Finance (6) , Behavioral Scientist (5) , Policy Researcher (5) , Senior Analyst (5) , Associate Policy Researcher (4) , Senior Political Scientist (4)

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

"Great people and very intellectual" ((in 67 reviews)); "• brilliant colleagues" ((in 61 reviews)); "Good benefits and starting point for someone's career." ((in 50 reviews)); "Good culture, colleagues and interesting work" ((in 17 reviews)); "Beautiful office, lots of collaborative spaces" ((in 10 reviews))

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

"Low pay relative to outside (non" ((in 18 reviews)); "Long hours because of gripping topics and always juggling priorities on different projects." ((in 12 reviews)); "salaries are low (at least at the Europe office)" ((in 10 reviews)); "Senior Leadership can treat their staff with contempt." ((in 8 reviews)); "aggressed by managers and directors that I relied on for work and management was unequipped to deal with these issues." ((in 8 reviews))

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RAND Associate Policy Researcher reviews

3.4

78% would recommend to a friend

(27 total reviews)

Jason Matheny

100% approve of CEO

82% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Work/Life balance

3.8

Career opportunities

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.3

Diversity & inclusion

3.3

Senior management

3.2

Culture & values

Associate Policy Researcher employees have rated RAND with 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 27 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Associate Policy Researcher professionals have a good working experience there. RAND is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Associate Policy Researcher professionals compared to other employers within the Management & Consulting industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

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Reviews by job title

27 reviews

3.0

Jun 10, 2026

Experience in think tank space, but limited hours

Assistant policy researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Experience in the think tank space

Cons

Lack of work, limited hours, false advertising

4.0

Sep 16, 2025

Great job and great people

Associate policy researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

In general, the work produced is very high quality and other employees are highly competent and pleasant to work with.

Cons

Soft money environment and internal labor market make billable hours stressful.

3.0

May 30, 2025

Great place to work but slowly declining

Assistant policy researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing Work You will work with some of the brightest people in the world

Cons

Culture is declining with more focus on transactional relationships, often at the cost of the work Difficult internal labor market to navigate in current times

Viewing 1 - 3 of 27 Reviews

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RAND Associate Policy Researcher reviews

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Experience in think tank space, but limited hours

Great job and great people

Great place to work but slowly declining

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