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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salary estimate

$114,538yearly

$55.07 hourly rate

Entry-level salary
$64,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Salaries at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is known for its impactful work and commitment to global health and education. In 2025, the foundation’s average salary is estimated at $114,538. However, this figure masks a wide range of salaries that vary significantly based on roles and departments.

Highest Paying Roles

Top positions include directors, who earn an average of $212,968, senior program officers at about $171,417, and senior advisors making $156,310. These roles reflect the foundation's focus on leadership and expertise in its initiatives.

Salaries by Department

Different departments within the foundation also show salary variations. For instance, the business development team leads with an average salary of $156,888, while the IT department offers around $115,786 annually. In contrast, roles in human resources and administration tend to pay less, averaging $72,541 and $73,422, respectively.

Comparative Insight

Compared to peers like the Academy For Educational Development and Open Society Foundations, which have average salaries of $84,624 and $84,162 respectively, the Gates Foundation remains competitive in attracting top talent in the nonprofit sector.

Highest paying jobs at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The highest paying jobs at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are director, senior program officer, senior advisor, and plans and operations manager. Director jobs at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation earn an average yearly salary of $212,968, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation senior program officer jobs average $171,417, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation senior advisor jobs average $156,310.

The lowest paying Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation roles include administrative assistant and internship. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation administrative assistant average salary is $38,363 per year. So while the average Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salary is $114,538 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

RankJob titleAverage Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salaryHourly rate
1Director$212,968$102.39
2Senior Program Officer$171,417$82.41
3Senior Advisor$156,310$75.15
4Plans And Operations Manager$137,930$66.31
5Finance Associate$137,687$66.20
6Deployment Engineer$124,703$59.95
7Project Manager$122,751$59.01
8Systems Engineer$120,802$58.08
9Applications Technician$111,918$53.81
10Business Analyst$98,488$47.35
11Research Associate$95,400$45.87
12Research Analyst$93,492$44.95
13Consultant$92,055$44.26
14Fellow$90,841$43.67
15Contracts Administrator$86,168$41.43
16Technical Writer$77,070$37.05
17Technical Support Specialist$75,006$36.06
18Computer Trainer$73,478$35.33
19Recruiter$71,758$34.50
20Benefit Specialist$68,625$32.99

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salaries by department

Salaries at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation vary depending on the department you work in. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salaries in the business development department are the highest with an average salary of $156,888. Employees in the it department at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $115,786 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation include the human resources and the administrative organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $72,541 and $73,422, respectively.

Average Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salaryHourly rate
1Business Development$156,888$75.43
2IT$115,786$55.67
3Non Profit/Government$111,598$53.65
4Finance$102,577$49.32
5Engineering$101,730$48.91
6Marketing$101,152$48.63
7Research & Development$87,757$42.19
8Education$83,426$40.11
9Art/Design$73,590$35.38
10Administrative$73,423$35.30
11Human Resources$72,542$34.88

How much does Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pay by department?

Best paying Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation non profit/government salaries

RankPositionAverage Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salaryHourly rate
1Senior Program Officer$171,417$82.41
2Program Assistant$41,791$20.09

Best paying Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation finance salaries

RankPositionAverage Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salaryHourly rate
1Portfolio Manager$176,167$84.70
2Investment Associate$164,227$78.96
3Finance Planning Manager$155,199$74.61
4Finance Associate$137,687$66.20
5Senior Managment Analyst$109,341$52.57
6Senior Contract Administrator/Contract Administrator$105,201$50.58
7Subcontract Administrator$101,694$48.89
8Contracting Officer$92,083$44.27
9Consultant$92,055$44.26
10Contracts Administrator$86,168$41.43
11Complaint Evaluation Officer$84,115$40.44
12Policy Analyst$79,267$38.11
13Contract Coordinator$48,014$23.08

Best paying Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation IT salaries

RankPositionAverage Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salaryHourly rate
1Senior Solutions Architect$180,885$86.96
2Security Manager$165,889$79.75
3Information Technology Project Manager$153,527$73.81
4Senior Network Engineer$147,699$71.01
5Business Architect$143,757$69.11
6Securities Consultant$115,692$55.62
7Applications Technician$111,918$53.81
8Technical Support Specialist$75,006$36.06
9Computer Trainer$73,478$35.33
10Information Technology/Support Technician$64,188$30.86

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation competitors, like Academy For Educational Development, Open Society Foundations, and The Rockefeller Foundation, vary. Academy For Educational Development employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $84,624. The average salary at Open Society Foundations is $84,162 per year, and the average salary at The Rockefeller Foundation is $82,296 per year.

Highest paying Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation competitors

Recently added Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation salaries

JobLocationDate addedSalary
Strategy Officer, MalariaSeattle, WA06/28/2025$168,200
Senior Program Officer, Drug DiscoverySeattle, WA06/21/2025$285,300
Senior Research Scientist, Gender, Vulnerability and Health Equity (*LTE)Seattle, WA06/20/2025$203,100
Program Officer, Statistical Analysis & Modeling, Discovery & Tools, LTESeattle, WA06/20/2025$152,800
Deputy Director, Legal (IP and Transactions)Seattle, WA06/19/2025$285,300

What employees say about salary at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Employee reviews
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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros of working at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Highly competent and talented staff.

Cons of working at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Very little work-life balance.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation benefits

Comprehensive benefits

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its employees or that of Zippia.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation may also be known as or be related to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and GATES PHILANTHROPY PARTNERS.