Incredible institution, one-of-a-kind work environment - Anonymous employee RAND Employee Review

5.0
Aug 4, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

RAND produces cutting-edge research, evaluation, and policy analysis that shapes societies and communities. It was a privilege to work at this renowned institution. Everyone is unbelievably smart, sharp, and hard-working. The tremendous portfolio of work across various policy spheres allow you to branch out, working across disciplinary bounds in a way that is unusual for an institution. The support structure is excellent - from administrative to grant/contract processing to finance to media/communications. Things just "work" and operations flow very smoothly.

Cons

Getting project work is the biggest challenge. RAND is an internally competitive job market, even after you're hired you must constantly work to get on projects. Research staff are expected to bring in their own funding, or join forces with other researchers that have funding to cover their time. The projects don't just come to you, you must go out and make them happen. There are pros and cons to this.

Explore other reviews about RAND

5.0
May 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really flexible hours, amazing project team members, engaging projects.

Cons

You will need to network and find your own projects, sometimes finding ~3-5 projects at one time to ensure full utilization.

4.0
Jul 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting work, some brilliant colleagues, access to senior decision makers throughout government.

Cons

Stressful trying to stay fully staffed on projects (i.e., internal market within RAND)

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