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 140 reviews)); "Great people all working towards the same mission" ((in 58 reviews)); "There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from." ((in 48 reviews)); "it was alright and good pay" ((in 18 reviews)); "Salaries are good for those coming from the non" ((in 12 reviews))

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

"Culture is toxic and impractical" ((in 42 reviews)); "HR and management is poor" ((in 29 reviews)); "Most of the senior leadership at this (global organization) is white and male" ((in 21 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

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

Mar 16, 2022

Smart Colleagues, Poor Management

Director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Absolutely loved working with colleagues who all want to make a difference in the world. Have enjoyed working with AMAZING grantees.

Cons

On the whole, leadership (Deputy Directors and above) get rated poorly for management and culture by staff. Executive listening sessions happen without meaningful follow up for change. There are constant re-orgs and strategy refreshes. It causes unwarranted confusion in the field. Leadership is often out-of-touch with what is needed needed in the field and instead puts forth ideas to the co-chairs that they believe Bill Gates would like. Rather than the ideas with the most evidence behind them.

5.0

Nov 10, 2021

Happy in my role

Program assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits are great, if you click with your team it is a great community.

Cons

HR and management training could use some improvement especially compared to companies that put more time and emphasis and money on training their managers. However, if on the right team it does help!

4.0

May 30, 2020

A good place to work, with good people

Museum professional

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It's all the perks of working for a tech company (free food, beautiful offices etc.) without feeling evil. People really care about the work they are doing which is motivating.

Cons

Because people are so motivated, you can get sucked into becoming a workaholic. Also, I noticed that different departments/teams are doing a better job at diversity and inclusion than others, and there is a lot of room for improvement.

Viewing 190 - 192 of 561 Reviews

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Jobs at Gates Foundation

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

Senior Communications Officer, Brand Experiential Design

Principal Officer, Measurement, Learning & Evaluation

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Senior Business Systems Analyst, HR & Payroll