Pros
Depending on the program, this could be a good first job out of undergrad or graduate school to begin to understand international development and the field of governance and democracy. Freedom House is well known, which can be leveraged to find a new job. Work hours are not that bad as far as DC goes, but it depends on the program. Pay is standard for organizations like this but is appalling compared to private sector and government.
Cons
Top management was totally clueless and gave directors of each program the ability to run their programs however they saw fit, regardless of quality of work, professional decorum, and decency (or lack thereof) on display. Junior staff -- and even some senior staff -- were treated as if they were totally dispensable. The nature of the work for junior staff could be totally administrative or could actually be substantive, depending on the whims and personality of program directors. The actual "work" that the organization is doing in some locations around the world is laughable and totally lacks any true impact on human rights situations. Just a very, very disfunctional organizational culture that hurts morale and makes it imperative to use the organization as a spring board to find a new position as soon as possible. Expect the worst when you're going in and you'll be pleasantly surprised if it isn't as bad as it could be.
