Poonam Pandey is a civil engineer with nine years of experience in the hydropower sector. She started her career in the private sector as a civil engineer at high Himalaya hydro construction company for over a year, before transitioning to government service as a hydropower engineer. She played a pivotal role in the budhi ganga hydropower project, focusing on detailed design and construction supervision for seven years. Currently, she serves as a hydropower engineer at the Department of Electricity Development, where she supports hydropower promoters in acquiring and amending hydropower licenses, supervising and monitoring activities at the policy level.