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 57 reviews)); "There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from." ((in 49 reviews)); "it was alright and good pay" ((in 18 reviews)); "great team to work with." ((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 25 reviews)); "You will be the luckiest if you end up in a team that has a great manager." ((in 19 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

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Gates Foundation

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

1.0

Mar 29, 2010

Don't waste your time

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Mission, Great medical benefits and retirement, interesting guest speakers who are famous, free food, convenient location, great Xmas party and summer picnic.

Cons

Don't expect the right things to get done and don't expect skilled management. Management here leaves little to be desired. Not only are they incapable of basic management tasks they have no idea of the technology they manage. Think Lord of the Flies live daily. Management does not support their direct reports either professionally or personally. Work/life balance could be improved if processes were improved. Avoid interacting with the Director of Computing and Network Operations and Network Services Manager.

2.0

Mar 19, 2026

Highly political

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great pay and benefits. High prestige (at least up till Epstein files) and high access. Your emails will never go unresponded.

Cons

Not everyone uses their powerful position as a Gates employee responsibly. Bad behavior -- such as pushy / demanding grant officers, toxic and micro-managing leadership and prioritizing politics over impact -- is often rewarded with good behavior penalized.

1.0

Oct 8, 2025

Excellent if you're high-level. Terrible if you're not.

Senior program coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great pay and benefits compared to other non-profits

Cons

Leaders are protected at all costs and support staff are given no growth opportunities and are regularly thrown under the bus to spare leaders any accountability. You'll be paid relatively well compared to other non-profits, but it comes at the cost of your self-worth.

Viewing 217 - 219 of 561 Reviews

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Jobs at Gates Foundation

Senior Communications Officer, Brand Experiential Design

Senior Business Systems Analyst, HR & Payroll

Senior Program Officer, Measurement, Learning, & Evaluation (9 month LTE)

Principal Officer, Measurement, Learning & Evaluation

Senior Program Officer, Data & AI Infrastructure Integration

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Gates Foundation

Gates Foundation reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Don't waste your time

Highly political

Excellent if you're high-level. Terrible if you're not.

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