Yogita Bilkhu, Deputy Chief Engineer, Burns & McDonnell Engineering India Pvt Ltd.

With 19 years of experience in engineering and project management, what inspired you to pursue a career in this field, eventually becoming Deputy Chief Engineer at Burns & McDonnell?

Initially I started my career as a software engineer, but later strongly missed my core interest in electrical engineering as it is definitely challenging and more interesting. So that’s where I am now, after 19 years in the field, eventually achieving the post of Deputy Chief Engineer at a prestigious firm like Burns & McDonnell. I can provide a general perspective so that it can inspire others to pursue a career in engineering and project management.

I like to solve complex problems and create innovative solutions. The challenge of designing and managing projects that have a tangible impact on society can be highly motivating. The coming era is full of AI and innovation with fascinating technology, infrastructure, and how things work. The opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects and contribute to advancements in the industry can be a significant draw. As an engineer I often wanted to contribute to society by improving infrastructure, developing sustainable solutions, or enhancing quality of life through their work. This sense of purpose can drive a long and fulfilling career.

As one gains experience, the opportunity to lead teams, mentor younger engineers, and shape the direction of projects can be incredibly rewarding. This often leads to roles like what I perform presently, where one can influence both technical outcomes and organisational culture. Engineering is a field that requires constant learning and adaptation. For many, the opportunity to continuously grow, take on new challenges, and expand their expertise is a key motivator.

Managing large-scale projects like the $700M MB6 OneOK project is a significant achievement. What leadership principles guided you during this challenging endeavour?

Here is a brief summary:

1. Training and mentoring: Trained team members with required skill sets, giving them time to adopt the new software/technology. Motivation and encouraging the team is the key factor.

2. Clear Vision and Goals: Establishing clear vision and well-defined goals is essential. This ensures all team members understand the objectives and are aligned in their efforts.

3. Effective Communication: Open, transparent, and consistent communication is key to keeping all stakeholders informed and engaged. This includes regular updates, addressing concerns promptly, and fostering a collaborative environment.

4. Strong Decision-Making: Leaders must be decisive, especially when faced with complex challenges. This involves gathering input from experts, analysing data, and making informed decisions that balance risks and benefits.

5. Empowerment and Delegation: Trusting and empowering team members to take ownership of their tasks fosters accountability and innovation. Delegating responsibilities effectively allows leaders to focus on high-level strategic issues.

6. Risk Management: Proactively identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks is crucial for large-scale projects. Leaders must anticipate potential challenges and have contingency plans in place.

7. Adaptability and Resilience: Large projects often encounter unforeseen obstacles. Leaders must remain flexible, adapt to changing circumstances, and maintain a positive, solution-oriented mindset.

8. Collaboration and Team Building: Building a cohesive, multidisciplinary team is vital. Leaders should encourage collaboration, respect diverse perspectives, and create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued.

9. Focus on Quality and Safety: Ensuring that the project meets high standards of quality and safety is non-negotiable. Leaders must prioritise these aspects and instill a culture of excellence throughout the team.

10. Stakeholder Management: Balancing the needs and expectations of various stakeholders—clients, contractors, regulators, and the community—requires strong interpersonal skills and diplomacy.

11. Continuous Improvement: Reflecting on lessons learned and seeking ways to improve processes and outcomes is a hallmark of effective leadership. This mindset helps drive innovation and efficiency.

12. Management guidance: support and discussion on necessary points are key factors of a successful project.

Sharing your lesson with teams, mentoring your team and ensuring their contributions are recognised has been a key aspect of your leadership. Could you share a memorable mentoring experience that made a lasting impact?

Early in my career, I worked with many new joinees who had just passed out from college. I always motivated them and built confidence in their abilities. They were assigned to a critical part of my project but rather than taking sole ownership, encouraged them with proper guidance on how to handle things and make progress, allowing them to take credit when they were successful in the task. In recent years, I guided them in their future career path of pursuing higher education too. I mostly like to be with them at the same generation level.

Your role in drafting business proposals and onboarding documents reflects your commitment to organisational development. How do you ensure alignment between technical goals and business strategy?

There are these points elucidated below:

Collaborate with Stakeholders: Engage with senior leadership, business development teams, and clients to fully understand the organisation’s strategic objectives, market positioning, and long-term goals.

Identify Key Metrics: Determine the key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter most to the business, such as revenue growth, cost efficiency, client satisfaction, or market share.

Break Down Strategic Goals: Decompose high-level business goals into actionable technical objectives. For example, if the business aims to expand into renewable energy, the technical goal might be to develop expertise in solar or wind energy projects.

Prioritise Initiatives: Align technical projects and initiatives with the most critical business priorities. Use frameworks like SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to identify where technical efforts can have the greatest impact.

Balance Innovation and Feasibility: Propose solutions that are innovative yet realistic, ensuring they align with the organisation’s capabilities and resources.

Include Risk Management: Address potential risks and mitigation strategies to show that the proposal is both ambitious and grounded in practicality.

Developing onboarding documents that reflect alignment

Communicate the Big Picture: Ensure that new team members understand how their roles contribute to the organisation’s strategic goals. Include this in onboarding materials and training sessions.

Clarify Technical Expectations: Provide clear guidelines on technical standards, processes, and tools while emphasizing how these align with business objectives.

Key team members: List of emergency and technical support list

Foster Cross-Functional Understanding: Encourage collaboration between technical and non-technical teams by including business context in technical onboarding documents and vice versa.

Site visits and client interaction, such as your work in Houston, play a vital role in project success. What strategies do you use to effectively address client needs and expectations?

During the MB6 project, I visited OneOk MB5 site, I experienced many key aspects as project lead.

Client perspectives are important while designing, costing, package handling, and installation. Site challenges and safety factors are designing points that need to be considered. I shared all my site experiences with the team and guided them with the live examples I experienced.

As a leader in the engineering domain, what is your vision for the future of project management, particularly in terms of technology and team collaboration?

In the upcoming AI generation, we all should focus on innovation but don’t need to forget the roots of engineering because innovative tools may fail sometimes but never in the basics. One must be ready to adopt new technologies and think and make efforts beyond your boundary limits.

What advice would you give to aspiring engineers looking to excel in large-scale project management and team leadership?

Continue with your learning growth. Never feel yourself saturated with knowledge. Share experiences and lessons learnt with colleagues and juniors. Try to adopt the team spirit.

What is your opinion on the role of Industrial Automation magazine in showcasing industry trends and empowering women in technology and automation?

Industrial Automation magazine is the best platform for encouraging and supporting women working in the technical field. I have seen many platforms for social workers, this is a unique platform where they acknowledge the contribution of women working in the technical field.

What are the three words that best describe how it feels to be a finalist in the Women in Tech 2025 competition?

Empowered. Recognised. Satisfied.

Yogita Bilkhu has nineteen years of experience in the engineering field and is presently Deputy Chief Engineer at Burns & McDonnell, engaged in oil & gas and chemical industrial projects for detail designing. Well experienced in leading projects for the last 10 years, she has supervised engineering and design teams and has experience with team management for electrical through all phases of design for successful completion. She has knowledge of interpreting and applying NEC, IEEE, IEC, AS/NZS to different projects.

 Yogita is well experienced in project responsibilities including identifying project scope including change management, developing and managing the electrical team estimates, schedules, and budgets, and interfacing and coordinating with the Interdisciplinary lead and project teams. She has also played the role as Quality advocate for 2 years, completed Lead Communication training and LCP training and 5 Interviews of LCP.

 She has worked on multiple projects from India, Iraq and Oman, apart from India and USA.