Veeva partners with Waterloo co-op students to take life sciences to the cloud
By: Christie Zeb (she/her)
Veeva benefits from the innovative skills co-op students bring, which lead to full-time hires with meaningful careers in technology.
Veeva Systems, a global leader in cloud-based software for the life sciences industry, is committed to innovation, product excellence and customer success. The company has a client base of over 1,000 customers, including emerging biotechs and some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Veeva provides cloud-based solutions to help its clients address operating challenges and regulatory requirements.
As part of its big vision to build the industry cloud for life sciences, Veeva is dedicated to developing the next generation of talent. Since 2018, the company has hired more than 140 Waterloo co-op students.
Veeva actively hires co-op students from Waterloo’s Computer Science program in the Faculty of Mathematics as well as students from Faculty of Engineering's Computer Engineering and Software Engineering programs. Many of those students have transitioned into full-time roles and launched careers through Generation Veeva, the company’s global professional development program for fresh graduates.
The company integrates engineering co-op students into Generation Veeva’s Engineering Development Program (EDP), which provides a structured path for career growth.
Through this program, students gain insights into potential full-time roles post-graduation, access professional development workshops and play a vital role in driving Veeva’s success.
Co-op students at Veeva contribute to critical projects, enhance product features, improve automation and optimize client solutions.
“One of the most attractive qualities of Waterloo co-op students is that they adapt quickly,” says Kayla Brendle (she/her), university recruiting lead at Veeva. “When Waterloo students join Veeva they often already have other co-op experiences and typically don’t require as much lead time during onboarding to get them up to speed.”
Kayla Brendle, university recruiting lead at Veeva
From co-op to full-time: Weiqi's journey at Veeva
Weiqi Wang, (she/her) (BCS ’24) worked at Veeva as a software developer for her final co-op work term. Wang was on the network frontend team where she helped to develop various pages within the network admin portal using technologies like React and dynamic HTML.
Weiqi Wang, BCS ’24, Faculty of Mathematics graduate and software developer at Veeva
“In the final month of my co-op work term, I had the opportunity to work on NMC (Network Management Console), an internal management tool that supports many of our core operations,” says Wang.
“It was an exciting experience to work across both frontend and backend development while making impactful changes that contributed to the operational side of the business.”
Despite being with the company for only one four-month work term, Wang’s impact was felt across the team. She brought fresh thinking and took on challenges that were hard to solve.
Kevin Chen (he/him) (BCS ’14), engineering manager at Veeva, who also started his career at the company after graduating, reflects on Wang’s contributions. “The work Weiqi did was exceptional,” says Chen.
Some of her projects started as standalone algorithms that could be shared across teams. There were even senior developers who were afraid to touch it, but she conquered it with a fresh perspective and new ways of solving problems.
Wang’s contributions continue to make a significant impact at Veeva. After completing her co-op, Wang returned to Veeva as a full-time software developer to continue developing solutions that benefit life sciences companies worldwide.
“The Engineering Development Program played a significant role in my decision to return. It was something unique to Veeva that allowed me to connect with mentors and meet peers through various events. This helped me build a network and sense of community early on,” says Wang.
Nurturing growth and development
From recruitment to career development, Veeva is committed to creating an environment where co-op students can thrive, expand their skill sets and build meaningful careers.
The company pairs students with mentors who work closely with hiring managers to establish clear, tangible goals for students for the first 60 to 90 days on the job. “We make sure to match students with mentors who can provide one-on-one support and guidance on both technical and career-related questions,” says Brendle.
Once they are settled into their roles, co-op students don’t work on surface-level or isolated projects—they tackle real, impactful work alongside full-time developers. Regular check-ins and open conversations throughout the term help ensure students gain valuable experience.
“While we don’t rely on rigid structures, we make sure that co-ops have a clear set of milestones and regular check-ins. This includes big-picture conversations about their career goals, what excites them and where they may need additional support,” says Chen.
“We want them to feel like full-time developers, working with the same intensity and commitment.”
Kevin Chen, (BCS ’14), engineering manager at Veeva
At Veeva, co-op students aren’t just temporary hires—they’re future industry leaders. The company’s intentional approach ensures students have the confidence, experience and skills needed to take the next step in their careers.
“Veeva goes beyond simply hiring co-op students, it invests in their growth. The mentorship, guidance and real-world challenges they tackle set them up for long-term success in their careers,” says Donna Shin (she/her), the University of Waterloo’s Co-operative and Experiential Education’s account manager for Veeva.
The company continues to hire fresh graduates into its Engineering Developing Program as associate software engineers and associate performance engineers, offering a clear path for emerging talent to grow into impactful positions within the company.