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

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

Jun 1, 2016

great mission, amazing benefits, but...

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone connects with this organization's mission. For a non-profit, you can't find better benefits. The most amazingly talented group of colleagues I've ever worked with. Flexible work schedules (if you and your particular team take advantage of it) including working from home at times.

Cons

The exponential growth a number of years ago caused so many lingering internal business system and process challenges to getting things done. Leadership changes seem to just reset the clock so you have to go back and redo things yet again that you already struggled to deal with in the past.

Gates Foundation Response

9y

Thanks so much for your thoughtful feedback and advice to the management team. As you may be aware, the organization is working to transform both our systems and our internal processes but this won't happen overnight. During this time of transition, all of our teams are working together to address things that can be addressed right now and things that may take a bit more time. Thanks again.

2.0

May 31, 2015

no promotions on some teams

Associate program officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

career advancement, and pay is generous when compared externally

Cons

pay and responsibilities for the APO job range exorbitantly.

5.0

Feb 22, 2012

Constant Growth and Learning Opportunities

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

* The mission and values of the company can't be beat * All health care covered, including domestic partners * Money Share Account in which 15% of your annual pay is automatically contributed by the foundation * They match your personal donations to charitable organizations by 3xs * Many opportunities for promotion if you are a self-starter and proactive * Lots of parents with young kids work here * Wonderful office/campus (across the street from the Seattle Center) *Great commuter benefits

Cons

*If you aren't liberal or progressive, this is NOT the place for you * Ethnic diversity is low, despite the work we do. Therefore you can feel like a "colonizer" at times. Most of the senior leadership at this (global organization) is white and male- and from South Africa at that. (They just replaced their Asian president of Global Health, and their female president of Global Development with white men- go figure. * Passive-aggressive, but this also reflects the PNW/Seattle area * Lots of Type A people, and many who don't have a lot of personality * They often overhire, i.e., many of the program assistants (admin assist.) have two degrees.

Viewing 100 - 102 of 561 Reviews

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Jobs at Gates Foundation

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

Principal Officer, Measurement, Learning & Evaluation