Pros
I was able to progress upwards at DAI and grow my salary, but I had to fight for it every step of the way. I was shielded from a lot of the drama because I had a wonderful manager, but that is certainly not a universal experience. Lots of opportunities for travel, even at the junior level. Most staff, outside of senior management, are lovely. Looks good on a resume.
Cons
Upper management has created a toxic working atmosphere. It wasn't until I left that I fully understood how bad it was. All of the other reviews that have pointed out it's a boys' club are 100% correct. I watched so many men receive promotions over more qualified women. I was sexually harassed in my FIRST week by someone who now runs a huge department. Another time, I was in a training in which a facilitator make repeated transphobic jokes. Nothing happened to him even after I reported it. He still has a job and has been included as KP on several proposals. The workload is unsustainable. I did not take a single vacation without being asked to work while I was gone. I worked on proposals three Christmases in a row. Senior staff basically do whatever they want, and more junior staff are just expected to clean up after them. I had a senior technical person who told me I had to text him whenever I wanted to schedule a meeting with him because he could not bother to keep his calendar up-to-date. Be prepared to be thrown under the bus. Whoever is lowest ranking takes the blame. Unrealistic revenue goals, especially in a contracting market. Be prepared to participate in a million useless trainings. Blatant favoritism from senior management. And on top of all of that, low pay and meh benefits. I managed to stay for a long time because I had a wonderful boss, but think I would have only lasted about a year on any other team. Get in, get the experience on your resume, and then go literally anywhere else.