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International Institute for Sustainable Development

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International Institute for Sustainable Development

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Employee Review

  1. 5.0
    Current Employee

    IISD

    Dec 18, 2013 - Anonymous Employee 
    Recommend
    CEO Approval
    Business Outlook

    Pros

    Incredible academics, friendly colleagues, and making a real difference in the world of international affairs and sustainable development.

    Cons

    Not much interaction between the different offices, and there is sometimes tension between them.

    3 people found this review helpful

    International Institute for Sustainable Development Response

    Director of Communications

    Thanks for your feedback. So glad you're having a five-star experience :) We agree about the incredible team who work here and the impact they have in the world. We also agree we wrestle with silos. It's a natural result of having offices spread across the planet with people focused on ambitious objectives in very different fields. We've recently added to our comms team to improve internal communications. Weekly emails and a more robust intranet are helping celebrate the work across our organization. The leadership team is also raising awareness of the different programs's grant proposals, so more of our teams collaborate across offices and time zones. And breaking down silos is -very much- on the leadership team's minds.

Other Employee Reviews

  1. 5.0
    Former Contractor, more than 5 years

    Punches above its weight

    Oct 15, 2017 - Associate 
    Recommend
    CEO Approval
    Business Outlook

    Pros

    This is a truly non-ideological organization that promotes research and informed policy making about sustainable development. You will work with great, intelligent, concerned people.

    Cons

    Salaries are quite modest, so you will be tempted to leave.

    Be the first to find this review helpful
  2. 3.0
    Current Employee, more than 1 year

    Pretty good with room for improvement

    Jan 10, 2023 - Analyst 
    Recommend
    CEO Approval
    Business Outlook

    Pros

    Flexible work environment Good work life balance Passionate co-workers committed to sustainable development

    Cons

    The institute is VERY siloed. Although senior management encourages cross-program collaboration, this does not happen in practice, and sometimes it feels like programs are competing with each other. There is no external review system for research products, and coming from an academic background, the economic and policy research often feels like it lacks rigor. Like any organization, the experience depends very strongly on your supervisor and co-workers. Some teams feel very hierarchical with limited opportunities for junior staff to take on responsibility, regardless of previous experience. Because all work is project-based and depends on external funding, it can be hard to explore new ideas, and sometimes the work feels like consulting. Pay is lower than other think tanks.

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    1 person found this review helpful

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International Institute for Sustainable Development Photos

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International Institute for Sustainable Development photo of: Exposed brick, open concept, bright smiles. We like our modern offices.
International Institute for Sustainable Development photo of: The lab is where our work finds firm footing
International Institute for Sustainable Development photo of: Being hands on helps us scale up our work
International Institute for Sustainable Development photo of: Technology connects our teams across the globe
International Institute for Sustainable Development photo of: Diversity, respect and excitement about our work are part of our DNA
International Institute for Sustainable Development photo of: We take the work seriously. Ourselves? Not so much (even if names get mangled).
International Institute for Sustainable Development photo of: We value team bonding, in and out of the office
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