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 131 reviews)); "Great people all working towards the same mission" ((in 54 reviews)); "There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from." ((in 51 reviews)); "Great benefits and pay." ((in 23 reviews)); "Salaries are good for those coming from the non" ((in 11 reviews))

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

"Culture is toxic and impractical" ((in 39 reviews)); "Instead, she seems more concerned with promoting her own profile than reforming bad management." ((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 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

62% 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

4.0

Jan 19, 2022

NA

Researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

great team to work with.

Cons

Political capture in defining priorities

4.0

Jan 16, 2022

great pay and benefits; each team has a different culture

Senior program officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pay and benefits are fantastic. These include six months of paid parental leave (although it used to be a full year) and a contribution to one's retirement fund of 15% your salary. In effect, this means that compensation is 15% higher that the salaries you see quoted. Also, if you work and live in Washington state, there's no state income tax. They have some very talented and experienced people at the foundation, and the mission, of course, is a very fulfilling and meaningful one. The foundation also has a very good reputation in most places, so it's a good line on one's resume, and contacting people with a foundation email address helps a lot in getting responses.

Cons

Ultimately it's Bill and Melinda who make the decisions. They are very involved in the work of the foundation, and _a lot_ of effort goes into preparing for presenting work to them, and it can be quite a political place. There's also an annual strategy review for most teams, so a lot of energy goes into preparing for that every year. The culture is very different from team to team. Some are amazing and collegial; others are absolutely poisonous, so ask around and have 1:1 conversations with people there before joining a team.

5.0

Jan 7, 2022

Developing the human factor

Heath care assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Health Services care for people

Cons

Yes that my challenge i help the people

Viewing 163 - 165 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

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)

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

Senior Business Systems Analyst, HR & Payroll