Does Ultragenyx pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Ultragenyx employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Ultragenyx. This rating has decreased by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Ultragenyx?

45% of Ultragenyx employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Ultragenyx 3.3 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.4 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Ultragenyx?

Director (23) , Associate Director (14) , Research Associate (9) , Senior Research Associate (9) , Manager (7) , Sr. Director (6) , Contractor (4) , Intern (4) , Scientist (4) , Scientist II (4) , Vice President (4) , Clinical Operations (3) , Patient Diagnosis Liaison (3) , Research Associate II (3) , Senior Scientist (3)

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

"Great location and great benefit." ((in 35 reviews)); "Great people to work with" ((in 28 reviews)); "Also very diverse and great culture." ((in 20 reviews)); "Somerville team is friendly and always willing to help" ((in 10 reviews)); "Pay is good." ((in 9 reviews))

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

"They leave bad managers." ((in 12 reviews)); "Terrible leadership." ((in 12 reviews)); "Company has yet to fully integrate so communication is poor and there is a lot of duplication of efforts due to the many siloes." ((in 6 reviews)); "Upper management is a meme and like a helicopter parent." ((in 5 reviews)); "No career development or management support (politics)" ((in 3 reviews))

What are employees saying about Ultragenyx layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Ultragenyx locations?

Novato , Woburn , Brisbane , San Francisco , Cambridge , Boston , Bedford , South San Francisco , San Rafael , Somerville , Jersey City , Boise , Salt Lake City , Chicago , Rockford , Canada , Biloxi , San Diego , Mill Valley , Santa Rosa , Seattle , California , Orlando , Coconut Creek

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Ultragenyx

Ultragenyx reviews

3.4

45% would recommend to a friend

(246 total reviews)

Emil Kakkis

66% approve of CEO

44% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Compensation and benefits

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.4

Culture & values

3.3

Work/Life balance

3.1

Career opportunities

2.9

Senior management

Ultragenyx has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 246 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Ultragenyx employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

246 reviews

2.0

Oct 29, 2016

Company Growth, but no Individual Growth

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- CEO and company culture is focused on the patient community - Willing to target ultra rare disease areas other companies may avoid - Competent/dedicated lower level employees - Work/life balance for those that delegate effectively

Cons

- Disorganized - Poor quality culture - Decision paralysis - Political: individuals who focus on completing work are often passed up for promotion in favor of smooth talkers - Unequal distribution of resources across departments and between drug programs - Communication between drug programs and between departments-lack transparency

2.0

Oct 27, 2016

Poor management and career development

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits are decent to good, and there are a number of quality people in the lower ranks. Focus on the patient is a prevalent part of the culture.

Cons

Highly political environment. Lack of transparency for growth and career development. Company has grown rather quickly and managers tend to be largely ignorant, ineffective or too busy for promoting development opportunities and understanding individual employee contributions.

5.0

Sep 13, 2016

Fantastic Company

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Laser-like focus on the patient is not just a mantra but is instilled in the fabric of the company. - Been at 6 different small and large pharma and biotechs in my career; this experience (going on 2 years) is by far the most rewarding. - Incredibly entrepreneurial in spirit. - Significant focus on employee morale and providing services to make work enjoyable. - Opportunities to develop professionally abound.

Cons

- Getting a little large rather quickly. Company needs to ensure it doesn't lose the patient-centric spirit that got it to this place. - Title inflation in some groups means a top heavy org chart.

Viewing 217 - 219 of 246 Reviews

Jobs at Ultragenyx

Rare Disease Field Sales (Dallas)

Associate Director, Production and Manufacturing Excellence

Senior Manager, CMC QA

Senior Manager, CMC QA

South San Francisco, CA

$175K - $216K /yr

(Employer provided)

View job

Senior Manager, CMC QA