March 3-9 is Women in Construction Week (WIC Week), a time to raise awareness of the construction career opportunities available for women and emphasize their growing role in shaping some of the country’s most exciting projects.
In celebration of WIC Week 2024, Velo Group is spotlighting Eileen Sien.
A Professional Civil Engineer and a Certified Senior Construction Partnering Facilitator, Eileen’s career path gives her a thorough understanding of the unique issues project teams may face. Over the course of her career, she has developed substantial expertise in the transportation industry working on highway, transit and aviation projects across the Mid-Atlantic region. While rising in her occupation as a project engineer, project manager and program manager, Eileen came to value the importance of developing relationships to achieve project success.
Read the following Q&A to learn more about Eileen and the advice she has for other women interested in a construction career.
Why did you choose a career in construction partnering?
Construction collaborative partnering found me. That may sound like a line, but after 20 years in the design side of civil engineering, I shifted to a new role as an owner’s representative as part of a program management team overseeing large capital projects at BWI airport. My first week with the team, they shared that a challenging project was testing construction partnering to see if it could make a difference. Over the next couple of years, I witnessed the project team completely change their approach to communication and collaboration. This transformation was instrumental in completing the project ahead of schedule and under budget and was the driver to my newfound passion as a partnering facilitator. Over the last eight years, I achieved my partnering certification and am now a senior partnering facilitator, having led more than 150 workshops across the globe.
What do you like most about being a construction partnering facilitator?
Getting to work with impressive construction teams around the world, that are doing the real work for building crucial transportation, infrastructure and defense systems projects. Seeing firsthand the communication and collaboration required to build safely and bring the quality expected all while challenging themselves to beat schedules and budgets. It takes the whole team acting as a unit, trusting each other, and having the courage to be vulnerable and transparent.
What advice would you give to a woman who wants to work in the construction industry?
Construction is a great career choice — there are so many opportunities. But it is real work — it requires commitment as well as focus and drive to excel. Construction team members have major responsibilities to build quality projects on time and on schedule, while ensuring safety every day. Very few careers face a challenge like this and the truly amazing experiences come from being part of a team that acts as one — being open and transparent with one another as to what is working and what needs improvement. When the team is truly unified, there is no better feeling than the sense of pride and ownership every team member experiences in a job well done.
Quote you live by:
“It is all figureoutable”… -Marie Forleo . It’s a great way to live life – Every obstacle has a solution.
Any other thoughts you’d like to share?
A few years ago, I read a short, simple book The Loin Tracker’s Guide to Life by Boyd Varty. After reading it, I saw the ‘footprints’ I had been laying through my work and life that led me where I am today. Try to take the time to reflect and see the footprints you have left… They may just show you a path you didn’t even realize.