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 136 reviews)); "Great people to work for" ((in 56 reviews)); "There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from." ((in 51 reviews)); "Great benefits and pay." ((in 21 reviews)); "Great opportunities to learn about making an impact at scale" ((in 14 reviews))

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

"Culture is toxic and impractical" ((in 40 reviews)); "Instead, she seems more concerned with promoting her own profile than reforming bad management." ((in 23 reviews)); "Most of the senior leadership at this (global organization) is white and male" ((in 20 reviews)); "You will be the luckiest if you end up in a team that has a great manager." ((in 18 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

63% would recommend to a friend

(561 total reviews)

Mark Suzman

81% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

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

1.0

Oct 23, 2017

World's richest foundation, worst job

Deputy

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Without doubt, BMGF is a place that can do so much good. It has nearly unlimited resources to change the world and make it a better place. The mission is inspiring. The employee benefits are very good, health insurance, 401k contributions and leave surpass your typical job anyday.

Cons

It is a pity that BMGF management and work culture suck (pardon the language). There is continuous change with strategy processes that do not make much sense. Senior management egos drive the organization. There is no rules based process, even critical functions like HR are subject to whims of program leaders. As there is no independent Board, such practices flourish. Superior subject matter experts, like a former family pl director, are summarily fired and replaced with management stooges like former HR professionals with no background in the subject. It is a pitiful state of affairs and what is even more pitiful is that leadership at CEO level does not take notice or rectify the situation.

Gates Foundation Response

8y

Thanks so much for your review. It is very difficult to read about your experience and your experience of your previous management and culture. I am not certain when you left the foundation but the leadership is quite committed to make the cultural changes so that we can have an even bigger impact in the world. Please feel free to reach out to me directly or if you left over the last few months, please respond to the outside firm managing our exit interviews. pam.yanchik@gatesfoundation.org

4.0

Sep 18, 2017

Great Benefits, Tough Environment

Senior program officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Terrific mission, great benefits, lots of opportunity to do good work. Looks good on the CV.

Cons

A perfectionist culture, (everything is "over-worked"). This probably comes from the style and preferences at the very top (and hence is unlikely to change). The CEO is trying to improve management capabilities (as distinct from scientific and leadership capabilities), but this is slow going. Arrogance is still a big problem in some quarters.

Gates Foundation Response

8y

Thanks so much for your thoughtful review and in particular your advice to Sue. As you know, Sue is a very powerful and thoughtful leader that is focused on the impact the foundation has in the world as well as the way we treat each other and the important role of a manager. I'm happy to have a call with you if you'd like to share more about your experience as we continue to evolve. pam.yanchik@gatesfoundation.org

5.0

Sep 13, 2017

Nowhere else like here

Director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Today I had an amazing lunch conversation at Gates with a colleague talking about how one of our grants is enabling the largest mapping of social networks ever attempted - across nearly 800 villages in Honduras - to accelerate the speed and adoption of transformative health outcomes. I looked up and realized similar inspiring and innovative conversations were happening all around me. Smart, creative, passionate, committed colleagues, all leaning in to changing the world at scale. Yes, there are challenging days yet that's often the case when trying to do big things that matter. It's a real privilege to be here.

Cons

Under Sue (CEO), the foundation is making huge strides forward in everything from culture to management and from simplification to fun. Yet, there are still managers and leaders here not fully on the bus, so the place can feel uneven. Best to understand the nature and dynamics of the team you are joining beforehand.

Gates Foundation Response

8y

What a great post. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. If you'd like to share more about leaders and managers not fully on the bus, me or one of my colleagues can sit down and chat with you to gain a bit more insight based on your perspective. Please don't hesitate to reach out. pam.yanchik@gatesfoundation.org

Viewing 64 - 66 of 561 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

American Heart Association

4.2★Compensation & Benefits

AARP

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

3.8★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Gates Foundation

Associate Communications Officer, Social Media

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

Senior Communications Officer, Brand Experiential Design

Senior Research Scientist, Population Health Modeling (Nutrition and Disease) (*2-year LTE)

Senior Business Systems Analyst, HR & Payroll