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Gates Foundation

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Positive, with caveats - Program Officer Gates Foundation Employee Review

3.0
Apr 26, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Compensation and benefits are field leading

Cons

Your experience at BMGF is highly team dependent — so someone’s experience on the Global side vs US side, for example, can be completely different. It’s such big place that many parts don’t often talk to each other Leadership is extremely, shockingly white (e.g. all global divisions which serve largely serve Africa and China are led by white male Presidents), and not reflective of the population being served. Missed opportunity with Sue Desmann-Hellman’s recent departure as CEO to conduct an open search that could have surfaced a diverse candidate pool (vs another white privileged man), which is sadly indicative of how the Foundation hires senior leadership. Constant re-orgs and unclear paths to promotion. Some individuals stay in their roles / titles for many years.

Explore other reviews about Gates Foundation

5.0
Apr 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone is aligned to the mission. Fantastic benefits.

Cons

These could be pros for some but travel and ambiguity are things to deal with

3.0
Jun 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Mission-based work Diverse, passionate employee base Healthcare benefit Parental leave and support Unlimited PTO

Cons

Poor work-life balance Perfectionist culture Unreasonable expectations with working hours High levels of burnout Retaliation for setting boundaries with working hours Culture resistant to prioritization of work

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