Toya Gates, senior project manager, is a leader at Perficient who enables her team to do their best work through open communication, flexibility, and more. I recently sat down with her to learn more about her role. We also discussed the things she values about Perficient’s culture of collaboration and inclusion.
Thank you for joining me today, Toya. I’d love to kick off by hearing more about your role as a senior project manager. How do you challenge, champion, and celebrate the people you lead in your role?
Toya and her family hiking a trail through the botanical gardens.
As the head of the computer systems validation department, I plan, write, implement, and review the computer systems validation protocols within highly regulated industries.
As a leader at Perficient, I help to set the company culture. I do this by providing positive and constructive feedback to my team and clients. I have open communication, flexibility, and show them genuine interest.
Each day brings something new for me, but a typical day includes several meetings. When I’m not in meetings, I’m writing or reviewing documentation. I consult on several projects at a time and spend my day ensuring that each project is following the defined protocols.
LEARN MORE: About our Promise to Challenge, Champion, and Celebrate our People
What do you enjoy most about your role and about working at Perficient?
In my role, I value the opportunity to meet with new people and consult with different companies. My team is not afraid to help each other and provide support where needed. That makes a big difference. At this company, I value work-life balance. Perficient has local offices when I need them. And in my role, I have the ability to work from home.
READ MORE: Collaboration at Perficient
What initially drew you to a career at Perficient? What continues to motivate you in your work?
Perficient was highly recommended to me by a friend that I worked with at a previous company.
I feel that Perficient values me and my work. That makes me want to stay and do my best work.
My colleagues are also awesome, and I like working with them. The opportunities to travel with paid lodging, transportation, and food is a great perk too! I’ve explored many awesome cities while traveling for projects.
What does diversity in the workplace mean to you? How is this a part of our company culture at Perficient?
Toya and her husband at a murder mystery dinner theater event on Halloween.
To me diversity is a way to include people from underrepresented groups. As a Black woman, I belong to at least two of those groups.
At Perficient, I feel like I belong and can be my true self.
We work with companies from all over the world. Our diversity and inclusivity are a part of what makes Perficient successful. The leaders at Perficient listen to us. At Perficient, I feel like I am a part of a community. I’ve been here for just over ten years and can’t imagine a better work home.
EXPLORE NOW: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) in Healthcare
Life Sciences Leaders Turn to Us
Our deep expertise in life sciences and digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, helps transform the R&D process and deliver meaningful value to patients and healthcare professionals. More than 150 pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and clinical research organizations have counted on our world-class industry capabilities and experience with leading technology innovators.
We bring pragmatic, strategically-grounded know-how to our clients’ initiatives. And our work gets attention – not only by industry groups that recognize and award our work but also by top technology partners that know our teams will reliably deliver complex, game-changing implementations. Most importantly, our clients demonstrate their trust in us by partnering with us again and again. We are incredibly proud of our 90% repeat business rate because it represents the trust and collaborative culture that we work so hard to build every day within our teams and with every client.
With more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Perficient is a trusted, end-to-end, global digital consultancy.
It’s no secret our success is because of our people. No matter the technology or time zone, our colleagues are committed to delivering innovative, end-to-end digital solutions for the world’s biggest brands, and we bring a collaborative spirit to every interaction. We’re always seeking the best and brightest to work with us. Join our team and experience a culture that challenges, champions, and celebrates our people.
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