Employee Review
- Current Employee★★★★★
IISD
Dec 18, 2013 - Anonymous EmployeeRecommendCEO ApprovalBusiness OutlookPros
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.
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
- Former Contractor, more than 5 years★★★★★
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.
- Current Employee, more than 1 year★★★★★
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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International Institute for Sustainable Development Response
Director of Communications