Good support and friendly faces right out of College - Program Associate Mathematica Employee Review

4.0
Dec 13, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of freedom to work on projects that you find interesting. TONS of support from coworkers and supervisors for new staff. I felt really welcome when I started. Flexible hours, and work from home options are a plus. In general, people really care about the work that they're doing and want to make a positive difference in the world.

Cons

The work can be fairly isolating. While each team is collaborative, very little teamwork occurs in-person. Instead, everyone spends tons of time sending emails and talking to each other over the phone. It can be draining to sit in front of a computer and not meaningfully interact with another person face-to-face for days at a time. Additionally, while the company is making real progress with issues of diversity and inclusion, it still has a ways to go with fully integrating a comprehensive understanding of social justice in the workplace culture. That said, I don't know of any other company in this sector that's clearly handling these issues better, so this is not much of a con. Maybe with that context, this is a pro, since Mathematica appears to be ahead of many other orgs even though it's not enough.

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5.0
Apr 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great colleagues, 401k match, and interesting work

Cons

Work life balance could be improved and more ability to move between departments

3.0
Jun 29, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Smart people, impactful work. A real community.

Cons

Poor strategic planning. Rather than performing real analysis and proactive thinking, leadership reacts to the environment. Strategy development and implementation at Mathematica seems like leadership throws wet spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks. In the 2010s, it was predictive modeling. Rather than proactively using predictive modeling to support their client's goals and the organization's mission, they created a data analytics division, hired smart people, and provided no guidance to support the division. Today, AI has replaced predictive modeling. These examples provide two instances of failures of corporate leadership; many more exist. Unfortunately, the company suffers from short-term incentives and an aversion to long-term investments. As an employee-owned company, you would think that the board and leadership would be more responsive to the employees. No! Over time, they have removed employees' voices from decision-making and focused on increasing their own power and independence.

7
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