What is a Operations Manager at Burns & McDonnell?

The Operations Manager role at Burns & McDonnell is a pivotal leadership position that bridges the gap between high-level business strategy and on-the-ground execution. Unlike operations roles at purely administrative firms, this position is deeply embedded in the technical and practical realities of engineering, construction, and environmental services. You are not just managing workflows; you are safeguarding the financial health, safety culture, and operational efficiency of a Global Practice or Regional Office.

In this role, you act as a steward of the employee-ownership culture. You are responsible for leading diverse teams—ranging from project managers to field superintendents—ensuring that projects are executed safely, profitably, and to the highest quality standards. Whether you are in the Environmental Services division managing complex remediation programs or in the Construction Group overseeing field logistics and labor, your decisions directly impact the firm's reputation and bottom line.

You will be expected to champion the "Live Safer" philosophy, drive business growth through client relationship management, and mentor the next generation of employee-owners. This is a role for a strategic thinker who is equally comfortable reviewing P&L statements with leadership and discussing resource allocation with site managers.

Common Interview Questions

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for an interview at Burns & McDonnell requires a shift in mindset. You are not just applying for a job; you are applying to become a co-owner of the company. Your interviewers will be looking for evidence that you treat company resources, reputation, and safety with the same care as if they were your own.

Safety Leadership – Safety is the cornerstone of operations at Burns & McDonnell. You must demonstrate a profound understanding of safety protocols (such as LOTO or OSHA standards) and, more importantly, a history of creating cultures where safety is proactive rather than reactive.

Operational Strategy & Financial Acumen – You need to show that you can manage the "business" side of engineering and construction. This involves deep experience with P&L management, forecasting, resource utilization, and contract negotiations. You should be prepared to discuss how you balance project quality with profitability.

People Leadership & Mentorship – As an employee-owned firm, retention and development are critical. Interviewers evaluate your ability to recruit, train, and retain top talent. You must demonstrate how you handle performance management, conflict resolution, and the professional development of your direct reports.

Client & Stakeholder Management – Operations Managers often interface directly with clients to identify growth opportunities or resolve escalations. You will be evaluated on your ability to communicate complex information effectively and maintain long-term client trust.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process for the Operations Manager role is thorough and structured designed to assess both your technical competency and your cultural alignment with the employee-ownership model. Generally, the process moves from an initial screening to more in-depth behavioral and technical assessments. You should expect the process to be rigorous but respectful, reflecting the company's commitment to finding the right long-term fit.

The initial stages typically involve a conversation with a recruiter followed by a screening with a hiring manager or a Regional Global Practice Manager. These discussions focus on your resume, your high-level experience with operations and safety, and your motivation for joining Burns & McDonnell. If you advance, you will move to panel interviews. These sessions often include peers, other Department Managers, and leadership. They will dig deep into behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to understand how you have handled specific operational challenges, safety incidents, and personnel issues in the past.

Throughout the process, expect a heavy emphasis on cultural fit. Because the company is 100% employee-owned, interviewers are highly protective of the culture. They want to ensure you are collaborative, accountable, and driven by shared success rather than individual glory.

The timeline above illustrates a typical progression for this level of seniority. Note that for an Operations Manager role, the "Onsite/Panel Interview" stage is significant and may involve meeting with multiple stakeholders from the Global Practice to ensure cross-functional alignment.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To succeed, you must prepare for specific evaluation areas that define the Operations Manager role. Based on job descriptions and candidate insights, these are the core pillars you will be tested on.

Safety and Risk Management

This is likely the most critical evaluation area. You cannot lead operations at Burns & McDonnell without an uncompromising commitment to safety. Interviewers will test your knowledge of safety programs and your ability to implement them in high-risk environments.

Be ready to go over:

• Safety Program Implementation – How you roll out new initiatives and ensure compliance across distributed teams.
• Incident Management – Your experience with root cause analysis and corrective actions following a safety incident.
• Risk Mitigation – How you identify business and project risks (contractual, physical, or financial) before they become issues.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Describe a time you had to stop work due to a safety concern. How did you handle the schedule impact and client communication?"
• "How do you ensure consistency in safety culture across different job sites or office locations?"
• "Tell me about a time you identified a significant project risk during the contract review phase."

Financial and Operational Performance

You will be evaluated on your ability to run a profitable department. This requires hard skills in financial analysis and the strategic ability to forecast future needs.

Be ready to go over:

• P&L Management – Managing department budgets, overhead, and project profitability.
• Resource Management – optimizing staff utilization rates and coordinating assignments between projects.
• Forecasting – Predicting revenue and staffing needs based on the sales pipeline.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk me through how you manage a department budget. How do you handle variances?"
• "How do you approach resource allocation when multiple high-priority projects are competing for the same staff?"
• "Describe a time you turned around an underperforming project or department financially."

Leadership and Talent Development

As a manager of people, your ability to build and sustain high-performing teams is essential. This includes everything from recruitment to conflict resolution.

Be ready to go over:

• Recruitment & Retention – Strategies for attracting top talent in a competitive market and keeping them engaged.
• Performance Management – Conducting evaluations, setting KPIs, and managing underperformers.
• Mentorship – Developing the next layer of leadership (Section Managers, Site Managers).

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult feedback to a direct report. What was the outcome?"
• "How do you foster a sense of ownership and accountability in your team?"
• "Describe your approach to mentoring junior staff into leadership roles."