Pros
When I first joined, it was a good place to work. Good pay for federal research, a bright and innovative team, and remote work really helped offset needing to work a lot of overtime because it saved hours a day commuting in DC traffic.
Kontras
Ipsos North America/USPA used to be a good place to work, but repeated reorgs and recent management changes have made it awful. They keep laying off the staff who do the work to keep shareholders happy while hiring execs who are completely out of touch with the work. The office environment is miserable - noisy, with no personal space - because the workforce used to be primarily remote. It's hard to get things done and, even in the office, everyone spends most of the day in virtual meetings. There are so many meetings that the only way to get work done is by working after hours. They pay below market and rarely give raises. When I was recruited they told me there were sizable annual bonuses - there are no bonuses. Despite good performance reviews and saving several projects from disaster, pay raises are near non-existent and, if you get one, it won't be more than 2% every 2-3 years. When I joined, 4-5 years ago, it was a great place to work even though it was frequently short-staffed. Now it's absolutely terrible. The new leadership is terrible and doesn't care at all about the quality of work or whether there's anyone to get it done. There's lots of favoritism and a lot of hostility towards some of the most talented and knowledgeable staff.