Is RAND a good company to work for as a Research Programmer II?

Research Programmer II professionals working at RAND have rated their employer with 4.3 out of 5 stars in 67 Glassdoor reviews. This is a higher than average score with the overall rating of RAND employees being 4.0 out of 5 stars. Search open Research Programmer II Jobs at RAND now and start preparing for your job interview by browsing frequently asked Research Programmer II interview questions at RAND .

Does RAND pay Research Programmer II employees well?

Research Programmer II professionals rate their compensation and benefits at RAND with 3.1 out of 5 stars based on 67 anonymously submitted employee reviews. This is 17.6% worse than the company average rating for salary and benefits. Find out more about Research Programmer II salaries at RAND.

How happy are Research Programmer II professionals working at RAND?

88% of Research Programmer II employees at RAND would recommend their employer to a friend. This rating has increased by 87% in the past 12 months. Research Programmer II professionals have also rated RAND with a 4.1 rating for work-life-balance, 3.5 rating for diversity and inclusion, 3.9 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) , Policy Researcher (5) , Senior Analyst (5) , Associate Policy Researcher (4) , Behavioral Scientist (4) , Senior Political Scientist (4)

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

"Great people and very intellectual" ((in 62 reviews)); "Great location and colleagues with expertise in their field." ((in 58 reviews)); "The benefits for time off and health insurance can be good." ((in 43 reviews)); "Good culture, colleagues and interesting work" ((in 17 reviews)); "Work with brilliant coworkers in multiple disciplines." ((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 13 reviews)); "salaries are low (at least at the Europe office)" ((in 11 reviews)); "Employees stay a long time and therefore there is not much room for upward mobility." ((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 Research Programmer II reviews

4.3

88% would recommend to a friend

(67 total reviews)

Jason Matheny

78% approve of CEO

58% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Work/Life balance

3.9

Culture & values

3.8

Career opportunities

3.5

Diversity & inclusion

3.4

Senior management

3.1

Compensation and benefits

Research Programmer II employees have rated RAND with 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 67 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Research Programmer II professionals have an excellent working experience there. RAND is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Research Programmer II professionals compared to other employers within the Management & Consulting industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

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Reviews by job title

67 reviews

3.0

Jan 27, 2026

Meaningful work - but low pay and limited opportunities

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good and talented people, interesting projects,

Cons

Very low pay, slow career progression, low diversity,

5.0

Jan 21, 2026

choose your own adventure

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Being a research assistant at RAND is very unstructured in a good way. You are given major autonomy to explore topics and projects you are interested in without much oversight. There are great mentors to be found if you initiate the relationships yourself.

Cons

It requires lots of initiative and social skills to be successful here, which can be stressful. You must bill 40 hours a week to projects which means you often are at work slightly more than that to do your timesheet, have a long conversation in the hallway, etc.

5.0

Jan 6, 2026

Great first job

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

freedom and if you are interested in the work being done there you are in a playground

Cons

internal labor market can be challening

Viewing 4 - 6 of 67 Reviews

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RAND Research Programmer II reviews

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Meaningful work - but low pay and limited opportunities

choose your own adventure

Great first job

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