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. 63% 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?

63% 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 137 reviews)); "Great people all working towards the same mission" ((in 58 reviews)); "There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from." ((in 52 reviews)); "it was alright and good pay" ((in 20 reviews)); "great team to work with." ((in 15 reviews))

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

"Culture is toxic and impractical" ((in 41 reviews)); "HR and management is poor" ((in 25 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 17 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

Gates Foundation reviews

3.7

63% would recommend to a friend

(561 total reviews)

Mark Suzman

81% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (561 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

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).

Reviews by job title

561 reviews

3.0

May 5, 2010

Great Mission, Culture Needs Work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Foundation has wonderful mission and is funded to make progress. Everywhere you go, people will say "Wow, you work at the Gates Foundation? How do I get a job there?"

Cons

You'll be exhausted. Also lack of clear metrics means that too much emphasis is placed on what other people think of you as opposed to whether you're achieving results. Communication between program areas can be vastly improved.

1.0

Apr 22, 2010

When the economy recovers

Program officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The program areas recruit highly intelligent people to solve complex problems faced by developing countries and high risk populations. Satisfaction is gained from making life better for others. The best benefits package of any organization I've worked for, great location.

Cons

The level of skill and professionalism in the IT department is not equal to the rest of the foundation. IT fails to deliver on time, listen to the customer, deliver promised technology or technology that functions as expected. IT staff are not civil when engaged. Groupthink and bureaucracy is at a premium. Hierarchy is very noticeable.

3.0

Apr 20, 2010

Global Health Program Assistant to Program Officers and Deputy Director

Program assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Exceptional talent at mid-level, educated and inspirational people doing fantastic work, stimulating place to work, lots of interesting topics and you will meet a lot of interesting people

Cons

Unfortunately, there is increasing beauracracy and the lower level employees, those below Program Officer level, are virtually invisible to management

Viewing 556 - 558 of 561 Reviews

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Jobs at Gates Foundation

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

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