Is Institute for Defense Analyses a good company to work for?

Institute for Defense Analyses has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 231 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 10% over the last 12 months. 59% of employees would recommend working at Institute for Defense Analyses to a friend and 44% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Institute for Defense Analyses have been left by employees working as Summer Associate , Research Associate and Research Staff Member .

Does Institute for Defense Analyses pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Institute for Defense Analyses employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Institute for Defense Analyses. This rating has decreased by 9% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Institute for Defense Analyses?

59% of Institute for Defense Analyses employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Institute for Defense Analyses 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 2.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Institute for Defense Analyses?

Research Staff Member (44) , Research Associate (21) , Summer Associate (14) , Research Assistant (7) , Research Analyst (4) , Researcher (4) , Senior Research Manager (4) , Computer Systems Administrator (3) , Intern (3) , Science Policy Fellow (3) , Security (3) , Analyst (2) , Data Science Fellow (2) , Data Scientist (2) , Personnel Security Specialist (2)

What are the pros of working at Institute for Defense Analyses according to real employee reviews?

"Great Benefits and PTO" ((in 28 reviews)); "I've got smart colleagues to work with." ((in 15 reviews)); "Nice people throughout the company." ((in 15 reviews)); "Great work life balance at work" ((in 11 reviews)); "Smart people, wonderful coworkers" ((in 6 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Institute for Defense Analyses according to real employee reviews?

"Pay is low." ((in 10 reviews)); "Poor management" ((in 9 reviews)); "Cons are pay scales are not transparent and upward mobility is mainly driven by educational degree." ((in 5 reviews)); "Not too many cons in my view; fairly flat management structure" ((in 3 reviews)); "Your immediate supervisor will often try to hold you back from taking on roles that help you advance." ((in 2 reviews))

What are employees saying about Institute for Defense Analyses layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Institute for Defense Analyses locations?

Alexandria , Washington , Princeton , Arlington , Bowie , New Alexandria

Institute for Defense Analyses reviews

3.6

59% would recommend to a friend

(206 total reviews)

Adm. Charles A. Richard, USN (Ret.)

100% approve of CEO

44% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

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Institute for Defense Analyses has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 206 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Institute for Defense Analyses employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

206 reviews

4.0

Dec 30, 2009

Summary of Operations

Senior research manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The working conditions are very good. The library is very good. The work is balanced and does not become chaotic. The work is varied and interesting. The atmosphere is collaborative and a small percentage of the colleagues are brilliant.

Cons

The work is fragmented. Continuity of work so that real expertise that is gained is accomplished by major effort from the individual. Real research is done in very few projects - the rest of the projects use buzzwords but are mundane.

3.0

Nov 18, 2009

Interesting work, but forget ambition!

Research staff member

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits. Interesting, varied and important projects with access to government sponsors. Colleagues are top notch, some even brilliant.

Cons

This is a very flat organization, so expect to remain in place for many years. Lack of core funding, plus government imposed limits leads to "feast or famine" project work. Limited opportunity for research staff to participate in business deveopment. There is no consistent development program for project/task managers. PM is mostly done by "rainmakers" with personal ties to sponsors. Funding for modern tools (e.g., software) is done at task rather than enterprise level.

5.0

Apr 6, 2009

Overall, a great stable place to exercise your creative problem solving skills.

Research

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Employees at IDA are brilliant and well selected. Also the benefits of working there are hard to match.

Cons

The overall structure of IDA is relatively flat. So there really is not that much movement when it comes to advancement.

Viewing 202 - 204 of 206 Reviews

Jobs at Institute for Defense Analyses

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Security Guard -- (SAN DIEGO, CA)

STORM Campaign Modeler

Senior Executive Assistant to EVP