Is Gates Foundation a good company to work for?

Gates Foundation has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 699 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 62% of employees would recommend working at Gates Foundation to a friend and 70% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Gates Foundation have been left by employees working as Program Assistant , Senior Program Assistant and Associate Program Officer .

Does Gates Foundation pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Gates Foundation employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Gates Foundation. This rating has improved by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Gates Foundation?

62% of Gates Foundation employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Gates Foundation 3.3 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.4 for culture and values and 3.2 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Gates Foundation?

Program Officer (56) , Program Assistant (40) , Senior Program Officer (36) , Deputy Director (20) , Senior Program Assistant (16) , Associate Program Officer (12) , Program Coordinator (11) , Project Manager (9) , Director (7) , Program Manager (7) , Senior Officer (6) , Associate Strategy Officer (5) , Consultant (5) , Intern (5) , Senior Program Coordinator (5)

What are the pros of working at Gates Foundation according to real employee reviews?

"Benefits are great and very comprehensive" ((in 140 reviews)); "Great people all working towards the same mission" ((in 58 reviews)); "There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from." ((in 48 reviews)); "it was alright and good pay" ((in 18 reviews)); "Salaries are good for those coming from the non" ((in 12 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Gates Foundation according to real employee reviews?

"Culture is toxic and impractical" ((in 42 reviews)); "HR and management is poor" ((in 29 reviews)); "Most of the senior leadership at this (global organization) is white and male" ((in 21 reviews)); "You will be the luckiest if you end up in a team that has a great manager." ((in 21 reviews)); "Terrible work/life balance." ((in 15 reviews))

What are employees saying about Gates Foundation layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Gates Foundation layoffs and their outlook for job security at Gates Foundation in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Gates Foundation locations?

Seattle , Washington , New York , Chicago , Ridgewood , North Chicago , Vienna , Phoenix , Omaha , Arlington , San Antonio , Virginia , Los Angeles , Mountain View , Palo Alto , United , Laurel , Jacksonville , Boston , Cambridge , Springfield , South Seattle

Gates Foundation reviews

3.7

62% would recommend to a friend

(561 total reviews)

Mark Suzman

81% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.5

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Diversity & inclusion

3.4

Culture & values

3.3

Work/Life balance

3.2

Career opportunities

2.9

Senior management

Gates Foundation has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 561 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Gates Foundation employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Nonprofit & NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

561 reviews

3.0

May 7, 2016

Inspiring mission, too bogged down in internal politics

Program officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The pay and benefits are amazing, and the mission is inspiring. In my experience I've been able to professionally develop and advance within the organization, although I agree with other reviews that these opportunities can be highly dependent on supportive teams and managers. Representing the foundation you get to be a part of many high-level conversations at the global level and benefit from working with partners who are at the forefront of the field in both research and implementation.

Cons

The work environment is very politically charged and it is easy to get bogged down in internal churn. I don't know if it is typical for this size of an organization, but the number of reorgs seems unnecessary and a huge barrier for getting work done. It's also tough for morale when smart and effective people are getting laid off and people who are good at upward politics but seem to care less about the actual work are recognized and promoted.

Gates Foundation Response

9y

Thanks so much for your thoughtful feedback. It sounds like you've had many positive experiences representing the foundation. As you know we are working hard on the culture and on identifying expected behaviors of leaders in making improvements to the internal politics that many of our team experience. Please keep making a difference with your work. It is very much appreciated.

1.0

Apr 28, 2016

Feeling the Churn

Senior program officer global policy & advocacy

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great, dedicated colleagues at staff level. Great name value (but making a lot of enemies). Lots of frequent flyer miles b/c you are never home.

Cons

Internal politics and capricious management that starts and stops strategies so often it is dysfunctional. Uses and discards employees so much you lose count of the "he/she has decided to leave the organization to pursue other opportunities."

Gates Foundation Response

9y

First, I want to apologize for my tardy reply. I want to thank you for taking the time to give us feedback. I am sorry that the experience here at the foundation felt dysfunctional. We continue to aspire to create even bigger impact in the world and feedback around the culture is always helpful. If you'd like to share more specifics, I'm happy to set up some time to chat. Please reach me at pam.yanchik@gatesfoundation.org

3.0

Apr 28, 2016

Gates

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great mission, high quality talent, amazing resources

Cons

High prioritization of strategy at the expense of a parallel emphasis on execution

Gates Foundation Response

9y

Thanks so much for your review. I appreciate your insights and hope that you are seeing positive changes since your wrote this review.

Viewing 388 - 390 of 561 Reviews

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Jobs at Gates Foundation

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Senior Communications Officer, Brand Experiential Design

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Principal Officer, Measurement, Learning & Evaluation

Senior Business Systems Analyst, HR & Payroll