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

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

Nov 15, 2018

Senior Program Officer

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Bill and Melinda are tackling some of the toughest problems in the world. They do not give up on challenging issues. Employees are mission driven and care about the work they do. Lots of smart people to work with. Great benefits- full year off for paternity/maternity with pay.

Cons

US Program senior leadership jumps when Bill raises an eyebrow. There is constant change on the tools used to get the job done. Silly issues like open space and where people sit dominate office politics. Motto is "overthinking analysis" which leads to public paralysis. Most of the work is feeding the machine.

Gates Foundation Response

7y

Thanks for your candid observations about both the pros/cons working for an organization founded by two of the world's most inspiring and high-striving visionaries!- chris.ernst@gatesfoundation.org

4.0

Oct 24, 2018

Strategy Officer

Strategy officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good Work and Global Focus

Cons

A lot of organization re-structuring

Gates Foundation Response

7y

Thanks for this input - chris.ernst@gatesfoundation.org

3.0

Oct 5, 2018

Golden handcuffs

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

When it comes to the benefits available to employees, the foundation is outstanding.

Cons

Unfortunately, the politics, extensive collaboration that has evolved into analysis paralysis, and desire for perfection at the expense of progress has stalled the Operations division.

Gates Foundation Response

7y

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. If you have specific ideas related to Operations, please share with your manager, leader and/or colleagues -chris.ernst@gatesfoundation.org

Viewing 295 - 297 of 561 Reviews

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Jobs at Gates Foundation

Senior Business Systems Analyst, HR & Payroll

Principal Officer, Measurement, Learning & Evaluation

Deputy Director, Ending Infectious Diseases

Senior Research Manager, Elimination & Eradication

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