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 136 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 15 reviews)); "great team to work with." ((in 13 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)); "Most of the senior leadership at this (global organization) is white and male" ((in 20 reviews)); "You will be the luckiest if you end up in a team that has a great manager." ((in 20 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 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

3.0

Aug 6, 2016

Program Assistant Role in Global Development

Program assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing network, great benefits, work from home Fridays, knowledge acquisition. There are always speakers and big events going on at Gates. Attending these events was like getting a masters in topic specific public health without paying tuition. There is a lot of opportunity to learn at Gates.

Cons

The culture can be quite cut throat and the tension around the office can get intense. There a many systems in place that do not work effectively and hinder performance.

Gates Foundation Response

9y

Thanks so much for your review. I can understand why you were concerned about the culture and the intensity and tension you experienced which is why Sue Hellmann and the executive leadership is so focused on creating a culture of trust, respect, transparency and creating energy for our employees. I wish you well 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.

2.0

Jul 28, 2016

Anonymous

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I worked with some wonderful people. I had some great supervisors until I got a bad one. The mission. The benefits. I learned so much! Saw President Carter and Jane Goodall!!

Cons

I was overworked and then thrown away when I got an awful supervisor. It was a horrible demeaning experience, one that I will never forget. I was there for over 6 years and I was very dedicated. It was an amazing learning experience but terrible as well.

Gates Foundation Response

9y

I'm sorry that you had a supervisor that created a demeaning situation for you. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you'd like to share more details. Best of luck to you in the future. pam.yanchik@gatesfoundation.org

Viewing 373 - 375 of 561 Reviews

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Jobs at Gates Foundation

Senior Communications Officer, Brand Experiential Design

Senior Communications Officer, AI Communications (2-year LTE*)

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

Principal Officer, Measurement, Learning & Evaluation

Deputy Director, Artificial Intelligence & Digital Health Evidence and Learning