Pros
Very talented team of unique characters with diverse backgrounds. You have near-complete autonomy to get what you want out of this position. You often have the freedom to choose projects that interest you. Your work often has direct impact on the warfighters' lives. If you push yourself and can chart your own path you will find this job to be very productive and rewarding. You are encouraged to present at conferences and participate on panels and grow your skills. You are in a good position here to help influence change across the DoD through policy and advocating for best-practices.
Cons
Depending on the partner organizations and external stakeholders involved there can be a lot of bureaucracy to navigate. If you aren't good at raising concerns early or don't have solid people skills you can get buried. There has been a lot of bureaucratic churn over the past few years with a number of leadership changes but current leadership is very capable, a strong advocate for the team, and will have your back. The workload is very streaky – feast or famine. You need to be able to find things to do without someone telling you. Not all have this ability and will lurk in the shadows from time to time.