Pros
Most of the lower-level employees are incredibly smart, hardworking, and dedicated, as are most of the senior management in the field offices. The organization does really interesting research around the world and works with many top development economists. Depending on your position there can be good opportunities for travel and training.
Cons
Senior management at HQ does not treat employees with respect - employees (particularly field staff) are expected to work very long hours for low salaries. There are major salary discrepancies across the organization for people doing the same job. Many senior managers have received two raises in the past year, while salaries for all other staff have been frozen during that time. People are often expected to do jobs that fall completely outside the job description they were originally hired for, often with little input from the employee. IPA faces incredibly high staff turnover because many employees don't feel valued or respected by senior management. IPA has undergone a messy transition in its accounting system, and senior management are not honest about the challenges IPA is facing. IPA needs to get its finances in order and be transparent about these challenges in order to restore trust in the financial system, both by employees and by IPA's donors and partners.