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 127 reviews)); "Great people all working towards the same mission" ((in 53 reviews)); "There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from." ((in 51 reviews)); "it was alright and good pay" ((in 21 reviews)); "Salaries are good for those coming from the non" ((in 14 reviews))

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

"Culture is toxic and impractical" ((in 38 reviews)); "Instead, she seems more concerned with promoting her own profile than reforming bad management." ((in 26 reviews)); "You will be the luckiest if you end up in a team that has a great manager." ((in 20 reviews)); "Most of the senior leadership at this (global organization) is white and male" ((in 19 reviews)); "Terrible work/life balance." ((in 16 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

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Gates Foundation

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

2.0

Oct 17, 2015

Great mission but many missed opportunities

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Mission. Lack of resource constraints typically encountered working for a non-profit. Extraordinary technical (e.g. programmatic) talent (in contrast to surprisingly weak management talent). Great benefits.

Cons

As an organization and "business" very badly managed -- from strategy to resource allocation to talent management. This arises from (1) having technical experts in senior management positions, and (2) over-conciliatory, consensus-driven, passive-aggressive culture. Where pockets of true management talent exists, it's highly under-utilized. Management decision-making is undisciplined and political, resulting in sub-optimal results.

4.0

Oct 14, 2015

Program Assistant

Program assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working alongside of brilliant minds for purpose

Cons

No clear path for advancement for most positions.

Gates Foundation Response

Thanks so much for your review. While we always hope that there is more advancement for our colleagues, we are finding that we are doing much better providing opportunities for stretch roles during parental leave backfills. If you'd like to share ideas with me or my on how to do this better, we'd love to chat. Pam.yanchik@gatesfoundation.org

5.0

Oct 5, 2015

I wish every job was like this

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent pay and benefits Lot of fun activities within departments You get to work with very smart and creative people that are dedicated to their work and making the world a better place

Cons

None except that It's hard to get a job here. I was really hoping that my contract would turn into a position but I was not so lucky. Regardless, I still enjoyed my year there

Gates Foundation Response

Thanks so much for your review. Please check out the job postings on http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Jobs for new opportunities. We have a lot of new roles coming available every week. Thanks again, Pam Yanchik Connealy Head of Talent

Viewing 427 - 429 of 561 Reviews

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Associate Communications Officer, Social Media

Senior Communications Officer, Brand Experiential Design

Senior Communications Officer, Creative Partnerships (Limited Term Role*)

Senior Business Systems Analyst, HR & Payroll

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Great mission but many missed opportunities

Program Assistant

I wish every job was like this

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