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 31 reviews)); "Great people to work with" ((in 28 reviews)); "Also very diverse and great culture." ((in 20 reviews)); "Pay is good." ((in 11 reviews)); "The CEO is passionate." ((in 10 reviews))

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

"They leave bad managers." ((in 12 reviews)); "Leadership is deceptive and play favorites." ((in 11 reviews)); "Upper management is a meme and like a helicopter parent." ((in 6 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))

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

Jul 23, 2014

Help

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pipeline has several drugs. Pay is good. Flexible hours. Some people take lots of vacation. Good location for north and east bay residents.

Cons

Highly political. Department fiefdoms. A few incompetent people in high positions. Understaffed in some functions. Overstaffed in others. Focused on stock price

4.0

Mar 18, 2014

smart people

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

smart and innovative clinical strategy. accomplished a great deal with so few people. a subset of very smart individuals. some good managers. good competitive salary and bonus. Stock options excellent. work life balance similar to other companies with active and important drugs in development. some flexibility around work schedules

Cons

some former experiences and cultures for different employees from different past companies vastly different. need to meld culture

1.0

Dec 9, 2013

Experience of working at Ultragenyx

Director level clinical team member

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The science is very exciting. The clinical team members are great to work with

Cons

The CEO has cultivated a culture of domination and fear. He is openly critical of others' work to the point of humiliation. He seems to feel that his superior intelligence will enable him to coerce the regulatory authorities to accept clinical research that doesn't meet normal standards. He expects tacit support for his questionable strategies from all his employees. He expects employees to respond to his emails that he sends all weekend at all hours. Most employees are working in fear of him.

Viewing 244 - 246 of 246 Reviews

Jobs at Ultragenyx

Associate Director, Investigations

Senior Manager, CMC QA

Senior Manager, CMC QA

South San Francisco, CA

$175K - $216K /yr

(Employer provided)

View job

Senior Manager, CMC QA

Manager, QA Product Disposition