About IDA

The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is a private, nonprofit corporation headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC. IDA’s mission is to answer the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective analysis leveraging extraordinary scientific, technical, and analytic expertise.

IDA's FFRDCs

IDA manages three Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs):

• IDA Systems and Analyses Center (SAC). The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) sponsors SAC—the first and largest FFRDC IDA manages. Collocated with IDA corporate headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, SAC traces its roots back to 1956, when IDA was formed. The length of the association between IDA and OSD speaks to the mutual trust inherent to the relationship.
• IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI). The National Science Foundation sponsors STPI. Located in Washington, DC, STPI primarily supports the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President. This FFRDC’s focus is on supporting policymakers with objective analyses on matters of scientific and technological importance to the government.
• IDA Center for Communications and Computing. The National Security Agency sponsors the Center for Communications and Computing, which comprises three centers located in Princeton, New Jersey (established in 1959); Bowie, Maryland (established in 1985); and La Jolla, California (established in 1989). This IDA FFRDC focuses on development of innovative technology solutions to complicated mathematical and computational problems in cryptology, which includes both foreign signals intelligence and protecting the communications of the U.S. Government.

Sponsors rely on IDA’s FFRDCs for dispassionate, fact-based, and scientifically rigorous research and advice performed in a research environment free of commercial or shareholder interests where objectivity and the public interest are foremost.

The work produced by IDA’s FFRDCs is characterized by unquestioned objectivity and high quality. Because of our unique relationship with our U.S. Government sponsors, IDA enjoys unusual access to classified government information and sensitive corporate proprietary information. We adhere to a strict regime for avoiding conflicts of interest. We are thus in the position of offering outsider perspectives on important issues with insider access to information.

Mission: Together. Many people. One mission.

Vision: As the Nation’s trusted partner in security and science policy analyses, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) enable IDA to integrate the full range of human experiences and perspectives.

Aspirations: DE&I are essential in our mission, which is to answer the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective analysis leveraging extraordinary scientific, technical, and analytic expertise. Diversity is the foundation for creating insights in our work. Equity empowers all IDA community members to achieve their fullest potential. Inclusion enables shared understanding and opportunity for effective collaboration across IDA. As a learning organization, IDA recognizes that innovation is strengthened through DE&I and commits to transparency and integrity in our work and for our people.

Commitments: IDA commits to rigor, transparency, and integrity as we move forward to:

• Promote diversity through recruitment, retention, and career growth
  • Ensure diverse representation throughout IDA’s workforce composition and especially in our leadership, including the Board of Trustees, executives, directors, and management to strengthen the execution of the IDA mission
  • Identify and resolve inequities and biases in recruitment, hiring, pay, and career growth for all job functions to attract and retain the Nation’s top talent

• Implement and maintain policies and practices that enable the success of all IDA community members in our shared mission
  • Build and maintain policies and practices that dissolve systemic barriers to equity and inclusion in the IDA community while tailoring strategies to address the wide range of our employees’ specific needs
  • Provide resources and accommodations to ensure the mental and physical well-being of our community members
  • Provide professional development, mentorship, coaching, and training opportunities for all members of the IDA workforce to enhance career progression and ensure alignment to the IDA mission

• Foster a culture of active citizenship within IDA and society more broadly to establish an environment that values each member of the community
  • Create a workforce that understands the value of diversity, equity and inclusion and actively incorporate each into our work
  • Identify our biases and strive to resolve them; develop an intersectional, collaborative workforce that values all voices equally and treats them with respect
  • Provide DE&I training opportunities that promote self-reflection and develop a shared understanding and integration of our varied perspectives
  • Celebrate what makes our workforce unique, and appreciate how diversity in experience generates a wide pool of ideas to achieve IDA’s mission

• Engage internal and external stakeholders in a data-driven process of continuous feedback and learning
  • Ensure strategic listening, encourage open dialogue, empower our personnel to raise their concerns, and act on the feedback we receive with transparency into the processes by which decisions are made
  • Evaluate and evolve our policies and practices, seeking and incorporating new perspectives, information, and data for continuous improvement so that employees can reach their fullest potential
  • Communicate transparently, both internally and externally, about our DE&I actions, outcomes, and continued progress

Broaden Your Perspective at IDA

The Institute for Defense Analyses is a nonprofit organization that provides government agencies with high-quality, objective analyses of issues of national security. We provide a work environment that encourages rigorous, independent research on challenging and complex issues.

IDA embraces diversity and supports an inclusive work environment. Working here requires energy, commitment, flexibility, and teamwork. Whether you’re a graduate student ready to start your career, a professional looking for your next challenge, or a member of the military hoping to transition to the private sector while continuing to make a difference in the national security of your country, we offer exciting opportunities to learn and grow.

Applicants who are selected will be subject to a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. U.S. citizenship is required.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement

Equal Opportunity Employer

IDA is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a fair recruiting process and working environment free from discrimination. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Click the button below to learn more about IDA’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. DE&I Commitment