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 143 reviews)); "Great people all working towards the same mission" ((in 57 reviews)); "Fantastic and smart colleagues" ((in 50 reviews)); "it was alright and good pay" ((in 15 reviews)); "great team to work with." ((in 11 reviews))

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

"Culture is toxic and impractical" ((in 36 reviews)); "Instead, she seems more concerned with promoting her own profile than reforming bad management." ((in 25 reviews)); "Most of the senior leadership at this (global organization) is white and male" ((in 22 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

Jan 31, 2018

Wanted to love it

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Smart colleagues. Ambitious aspirations, very inspiring. Beautiful office space and very generous benefits.

Cons

Low salary/bonus. Highly political culture. Bureaucratic. Not performance-driven.

Gates Foundation Response

8y

It sounds like the foundation was close to being a great fit for you, but didn't fully fulfill your hopes during your short tenure. Please reach out if you have specific suggestions, in particular around being more performance-driven. chris.ernst@gatesfoundation.org

1.0

Aug 27, 2016

Noble mission and goals, but substandard management/execution

Program officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great mission and visionary goals. The large endowment and payout make the Gates Foundation a true game changer in the development business. Advocacy by the Co-Chairs has tremendous potential.

Cons

Lots of shifting strategies. Lack of clear priorities and institutional policies - change in leadership/director roles brings change in entire teams. HR is not well developed. Country offices are a drag.

Gates Foundation Response

9y

Thanks so much for your thoughtful feedback. We are definitely establishing more clarity around our HR policies but if you have specific feedback on this, please reach out to me directly. pam.yanchik@gatesfoundation.org. Your thoughts on this important topic are appreciated.

2.0

Mar 30, 2016

Assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits cannot be overstated, they are unbelievably generous. The mission and resources available to "drive toward impact" (a very gatesian term) is noble and lofty. You may also get to work with some of the smartest, humblest, and nicest people in the world and learn so much.

Cons

It is more likely that you will work alongside people who are just trying to do their job and stay under the radar. Too many reorgs, too many bad managers, and too much political lobbying for too few promotions from within the organization. Program staff can only get so far and then they just get more work and more responsibility dumped on them and support staff have nowhere to go. When opportunities do arise, it is always a cattle call and survival of the fittest. The most politically well-connected win the day. Skill, experience, competency, commitment don't always mean anything.

Gates Foundation Response

9y

Thanks so much for your thoughtful post. I would love to sit down and chat with you about your experience. We are very committed to create more fairness and transparency around our promotional practices to reduce the impression that the most well connected employees get the opportunities. Please reach out to me directly for a meeting. pam.Yanchik@gatesfoundation.org

Viewing 109 - 111 of 561 Reviews

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Jobs at Gates Foundation

Senior Communications Officer, Brand Experiential Design

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

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

Coordinator, Business Project Management (Convenings) (LTE until 31 December 2027)

Principal Officer, Measurement, Learning & Evaluation