Is NIH a good company to work for?

NIH has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 2,842 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 80% of employees would recommend working at NIH to a friend and 60% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about NIH have been left by employees working as Postdoctoral Researcher , Intern and Summer Intern .

Does NIH pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, NIH employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at NIH. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at NIH?

80% of NIH employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated NIH 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at NIH?

Postdoctoral Fellow (298) , Research Fellow (124) , Postbaccalaureate IRTA (103) , Staff Scientist (63) , Postdoctoral Research Fellow (40) , Intern (38) , Research Assistant (38) , Summer Intern (29) , Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (27) , Scientist (25) , Research Scientist (23) , Biologist (22) , Program Analyst (21) , Post Doctoral Fellow (20) , Visiting Fellow (20)

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

"The people are great and having a role in biomedical research is rewarding" ((in 144 reviews)); "Good benefits and thrift savings plan (like a 401K) with up to 4% employer contribution per year." ((in 132 reviews)); "good work/life balance and super friendly teammates" ((in 75 reviews)); "Great lab and colleagues." ((in 59 reviews)); "Great opportunity to be mentored and grow as a scientist" ((in 48 reviews))

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

"Low salaries and lack of benefit." ((in 76 reviews)); "can become repetitive, sometime poor management, same activity repeated," ((in 27 reviews)); ""Bad" Departments has poor leadership, micromanage and terrible behaviors unbecoming of what a manager should be." ((in 13 reviews)); "Lots of bureaucracy and red tape to navigate" ((in 12 reviews)); "Certain managers (and this is a systematic problem government wide) that focus on promotion based on "time in grade" rather than job performance." ((in 9 reviews))

What are employees saying about NIH layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed NIH locations?

Bethesda , Rockville , Washington , Baltimore , Frederick , Durham , Gaithersburg , Silver Spring , Research Triangle Park , New York , North Bethesda , Phoenix , Raleigh , Boston , Herndon , Maryland Heights , Houston , Columbia , Bowie , Cambridge , Shady Grove , Little Falls , New Brunswick , Wayne , Princeton , Chicago , Kewanee , Annandale , Clifton , Reston

NIH reviews

4.1

80% would recommend to a friend

(2,341 total reviews)

Francis S. Collins

82% approve of CEO

60% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

NIH has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 2,341 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The NIH employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

Jun 27, 2024

Smart people, sexism, bureaucracy

Staff scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Smart people, cool as hell work

Cons

You get paper worked to death and getting anything done is a slow bureaucratic slog. Sexism by senior management keeps women from advancing as much and as fast as men.

2.0

May 14, 2024

Good pay and Career Experience

Operations manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay and experience for your resume. Working at this institution can bode well for your CV.

Cons

Some highly paid and career accomplished toxic supervisors are allowed to mistreat colleagues. Not enough measures in place to actually address and diffuse inappropriate behaviors. Retaliation sometimes occurs if one speaks up about mistreatment and incidences.

5.0

Apr 23, 2024

NIH is a great place to work

Business analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

NIH is probably THE best place in the government to work. While it is not without its problems here and there, NIH leadership tries very hard to protect work schedule flexibilities for all staff, they take employee experience results very seriously, and they really try to embody innovation in all parts of the organization. Overall, it is a great place and I don't know how I will ever go elsewhere.

Cons

There are a few organizations that really suck to work with in NIH. DPSAC, which handles background investigations is just horrible. They are a black hole for information so when you are onboarding you will probably be quite confused as to what is going on. The people you can get on the phone are really rude and unhelpful. There are a few small pockets like this here and there but not many.

Viewing 76 - 78 of 2,341 Reviews

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Jobs at NIH

Computational Biologist

Postdoctoral IRTA Position on Mucosal Immunity and Vaccine Development for Emerging Respiratory Viruses

Hamilton, MT

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