Pros
The work is highly rewarding. You are on the frontiers of international development research. Field work in particular is fantastic, with the opportunity to collaborate with top government officials as well as members of the target communities. Most people who work for IPA are young, passionate, and very smart. Despite the cons listed below, this really is the most rewarding job I have ever had.
Cons
Really dysfunctional senior management that is increasingly disconnected from the realities facing country offices. They make unilateral, abrupt, and often poor decisions without carefully considering the consequences...or they fail to make any decisions at all, leaving major problems unaddressed for months, if not years. Turnover is high at all levels or the organization, in large part due to terrible pay and poor working conditions (long hours, poor leadership). IPA is increasingly losing its best and brightest to competitors, which are growing/expanding by the day. Most people at IPA are candid about the fact that they are looking to go elsewhere in the near future.