Pros
The mandate of the organization and philosophy for working with grantees is commendable, some colleagues are passionate about the mandate and about doing good
Cons
A lot of jaded people, management is not transparent, direction from higher ups is unclear and inconsistent. For me, the biggest problem was the lack of development opportunities. During the hiring process, I was lured by HR into thinking that a big perk of working at IDRC are the ongoing learning opportunities. I thought I would get access to at least some professional development opportunities, such as attending seminars, conferences, and trainings, possibly even reimbursement for part of my tuition if I were to pursue part-time PhD education (and if it were directly relevant to my position and/or to the skills/technical knowledge needed to move to more senior roles within the organization in the long run). They even advertise those as perks on their careers webpage! That is the main reason why I took the job. It was extremely disappointing when it failed to materialize. Day to day tasks were mundane and unchallenging in the position I was hired for, but I was fine with that so long as it was offset by development/learning opportunities in the longer run... turned out not being the case. I saw no good reason in staying with the organization once I realized I'd be doing the same boring tasks for the next 30 years. I was hired in a permanent position that requires a masters degree and HR 'recognized' several years of relevant work experience when making my salary determination...so it was not exactly entry-level either. I eventually got bitter as I felt I had been deceived during the hiring process. The only rational explanation I have is that the organization does not want to invest into a certain class of employees (those in "junior" roles, since they are not the "PhD" bread and butter of the organization). Anyways, I've moved on to other things...and happily continuing my learning journey and professional development elsewhere...