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 132 reviews)); "Great people all working towards the same mission" ((in 55 reviews)); "There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from." ((in 54 reviews)); "it was alright and good pay" ((in 18 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 41 reviews)); "HR and management is poor" ((in 27 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 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

Jan 3, 2017

Great mission, management needs work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

There is something about walking through the doors at the Gates Foundation that is super empowering. The Foundation is taking on enormous challenges, and it feels good to contribute to that mission.

Cons

The ability to collaborate across programs needs some work. There are some managers who use fear as a strategy, which seems very counterintuitive to the overall mission.

Gates Foundation Response

9y

Happy New Year and thanks so much for your review. I share your experience when walking through the doors. In order to create a more powerful collaboration across programs,our leaders will be prioritizing the collective success of our work over their own individual and team achievements. If you have additional feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly at pam.yanchik@gatesfoundation.org

5.0

Nov 11, 2016

Great place to learn and grow

Summer intern

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You get the opportunity to work with smart, passionate people to solve some of the world's biggest problems. Great "campus" feel in Seattle--I felt proud walking in to work every day

Cons

Feels very siloed--at a big organization, hard for all the teams and departments to talk to each other. Also, some people seem kind of complacent in their roles; you might not necessarily get a fast-paced startup feel here at such a big, bureaucratic nonprofit, but it varies based on what team you're on.

Gates Foundation Response

9y

I so appreciate your review! It sounds like you had a great opportunity as a summer intern. Thanks for your insight around the areas for improvement - they are very helpful. Best of luck in your future endeavors.

5.0

Aug 3, 2016

Hard problems, amazing colleagues

Program officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Incredibly talented colleagues. Super sharp with deep experience in their field - Hard and meaningful problems (financial services for the poor, malaria vector control, agricultural development, etc) - Willingness to take bets and apply serious resources to promising solution

Cons

- Has become more bureaucratic over time - Overemphasis on presentation/performance in talking with leadership about team progress - unclear career path for younger employees

Gates Foundation Response

9y

Thanks so much for your review. It's always great to get such constructive feedback.

Viewing 247 - 249 of 561 Reviews

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Jobs at Gates Foundation

Senior Communications Officer, Brand Experiential Design

Senior Business Systems Analyst, HR & Payroll

Principal Officer, Measurement, Learning & Evaluation

Deputy Director, Ending Infectious Diseases

Senior Research Manager, Elimination & Eradication