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 138 reviews)); "Great people to work for" ((in 56 reviews)); "There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from." ((in 50 reviews)); "it was alright and good pay" ((in 20 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 39 reviews)); "Instead, she seems more concerned with promoting her own profile than reforming bad management." ((in 24 reviews)); "You will be the luckiest if you end up in a team that has a great manager." ((in 21 reviews)); "Most of the senior leadership at this (global organization) is white and male" ((in 19 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

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

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

2.0

Oct 4, 2013

Culture not what I'd expected

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Beautiful campus, great benefits, exposure to Bill, Melinda and other incredible speakers who come to speak at the campus.

Cons

Culture is a bit "cold." They hire VERY smart people but many of those smart people take pay cuts to "save the world" and then feel let down when they realize their job isn't going to save the world, it's just a job.

3.0

Feb 21, 2013

the mission is everyone's true north

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

In many ways, it's like most complex organizations - constant leadership change, reorgs, shifting priorities. But at the end of each day, no matter how challenging, I walk away knowing I contributed in some way to a greater good.

Cons

Your success hinges greatly on your manager. This can be a very good thing if you have a manager who is your champion. If you don't, it could be completely detrimental to your career growth. Manager effectiveness is still very much an area of development for the organization as a whole.

3.0

Jul 26, 2012

Easy to lose perspective.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The mission and people are inspiring. The wealth of expertise, resources and ability is sometimes staggering. The building is amazing.

Cons

A number of people in management positions are there for their subject matter expertise, not their management skills, which are often lacking. This is not the case broadly, but in pockets. The focus of upper management is changing how people work, rather than the work itself. This leads to initiative after initiative striving to fix problems that are real.

Viewing 259 - 261 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 Officer, AI Technology Policy

Lead Platform Engineer

Associate Program Officer, Digitally Enabled Teaching and Learning

Deputy Director, Digital Transformation and AI Policy & Advocacy

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

Gates Foundation reviews FAQs

Reviews Gates Foundation reviews

Gates Foundation

Gates Foundation reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Culture not what I'd expected

the mission is everyone's true north

Easy to lose perspective.

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Gates Foundation

Gates Foundation reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Gates Foundation reviews FAQs

Jobs at Gates Foundation