“What I appreciate about NIRAS is its commitment to the SDGs, which aligns with my own values,” Lerna shares. “It’s about balancing profit with a purpose — achieving both financial and social objectives.”
Lerna’s reputation as a skilled project manager spans NIRAS’ offices, built on more than three decades of development cooperation experience. Her journey began at just 20 years of age as an administrative assistant for a USAID-funded project supporting NGOs across the Philippines — her first experience in the sector, even before she had completed her degree in Linguistics.
“That was my first job, and I had no training. We worked with 19 NGOs all over the Philippines,” Lerna shared. “One of my uncles introduced me to this lady who was working with JSI Research & Training Institute for this USAID project. She was going on leave and needed someone to take over.”
This experience set the stage for her career in development, followed by a volunteer role coordinating social programmes for her local Protestant church, which reinforced her commitment to service and helped her practice her faith with action. After returning to JSI, she contributed to a Department of Health initiative training midwives and health workers in Mindanao, an experience she remembers as foundational. From JSI, she worked in another USAID-funded project with RTI International, before she joined international development consultancy with European firms (Poyry IDP, Lahmeyer IDP, Tractebel and Eptisa).
Lerna looks back on those days with fondness as the course of her career has taken off tremendously since then. When NIRAS’ Manila office restructured, expanding the firm’s development cooperation consultancy to offshore wind, engineering and design services, Lerna took on a role as Associate Director for Project Delivery in a new business unit that supports international financing institutions (IFIs).
Lerna joined NIRAS in 2021, immediately heading several projects upon her employment. One of these was the Asian Development Bank-administered Strengthening the Transition of Vulnerable Communities Affected by the Malolos-Clark Railway Project (STVC MCRP), which wrapped up in 2023.
This project gave over 1000 affected households the training and support they needed to relocate amid the future construction of a railway along the path of their current residence. It resonated deeply with Lerna, who has worked on initiatives with a similar focus: capacity building, sustainable livelihoods and uplifting the welfare of the disadvantaged.
“I want to take on projects with meaningful social impact,” Lerna says, highlighting STVC’s success as a point of pride. Now, in its second phase as STVC South, the project aims to assist communities along the southern commuter railway route. “What I appreciate about NIRAS is its commitment to the SDGs, which aligns with my own values,” she adds. “It’s about balancing profit with a purpose — achieving both financial and social objectives.”
As we work towards progress and development, we must ensure no one is left behind.
Associate Director for Project Delivery for IFIs Lerna Melo Magdamo
Lerna sees NIRAS Manila as a stronghold of talent — from business development specialists to project managers and coordinators. Additionally, NIRAS’ strong relationship with its external experts makes it an ideal candidate for projects in education, transportation, urban resettlement and more. She is keen on strengthening this foundation by further enhancing the team’s skills and expanding its capacity to meet new challenges, especially in areas like climate resilience.
“Building a capable team will take time and effort,” she explains. “But with our past projects as guides of best practice, like STVC, we can standardise tools and streamline procedures to ensure profitability. This foundation allows us to sustain our mission-driven operations in Manila.”
To foster professional growth within the team, Lerna encourages colleagues at the Manila office to become a part of projects, too. For example, Dustin Go, a graphic designer at NIRAS is now also officially supporting STVC South as its visual artist.
This approach reflects Lerna’s personal place journey: “I had a chance to work with the ADB in a water supply project as a consultant. It was a valuable experience and now, I want to give the same chance to a lot of the people here at NIRAS Manila.”
Reflecting on her career, Lerna sees project management as both a lifeline and a calling. Early on, the need to support herself financially compelled her to put her education on hold and pursue work. During this difficult time, she also was mourning her much younger sister, whom she deeply cherished: “She was like a daughter to me,” Lerna shares. “My mother and sister stayed with me during her treatment because the hospital was near where I lived.”
After a decade of working, Lerna eventually resumed her studies, completing her degree thanks to the financial stability she had achieved. What once felt like a survival mechanism evolved into a purposeful vocation.
Today, she is driven by the desire to help those around her, whether these are project-affected communities or the people on her team. In her role as Associate Director, Lerna hopes to be a guiding figure and a source of stability and inspiration for those who need it, much as project management has been for her over the years: not just a job, but a profound way to impact lives.
“Growth should be inclusive, so that everyone shares in the rewards of our efforts,” she says. “As we work towards progress and development, we must ensure no one is left behind.”
