Director, Stakeholder Engagement & Permits

AtkinsRéalis; Alexandria (VA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

AtkinsRéalis is seeking a Stakeholder Management, Permits & Communications Director to lead permitting and engagement for a major pharmaceutical manufacturing campus program across multiple jurisdictions. This high-visibility role coordinates regulatory interfaces, public agencies, and community stakeholders to keep leadership informed of risks, milestones, and issues.

You will drive a structured communications framework, develop governance processes, and ensure alignment across client

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent in a related field.
• 20+ years of professional experience supporting major capital programs or large industrial projects.
• Minimum 10 years of experience leading stakeholder engagement, permitting, regulatory affairs, or program management functions.
• Experience managing permitting and regulatory coordination for complex industrial projects.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the owner's primary lead for stakeholder management, regulatory engagement, permitting coordination, and communications strategy across the campus program.
• Establish and maintain a comprehensive stakeholder engagement framework spanning client leadership, project teams, contractors, regulatory agencies, utility providers, community organizations, and local governments.
• Develop and manage a campus-wide permitting strategy that aligns regulatory approvals with project delivery milestones.
• Coordinate permit identification, application development, review cycles, approvals, conditions tracking, and compliance requirements across all project workstreams.
• Act as the primary interface between project teams and permitting authorities having jurisdiction.
• Lead engagement and coordination with federal, state, regional, and local agencies.
• Track permitting schedules, risks, dependencies, and critical approval milestones that could affect program execution.
• Coordinate environmental, utility, infrastructure, transportation, life-safety, zoning, and construction-related permitting activities.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Regulatory engagement

Permitting coordination

Communications strategy

Executive communication

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Public Administration

Bachelor's degree in Communications

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management

Bachelor's degree in Program Management

Job description

AtkinsRéalis is seeking a Stakeholder Management, Permits & Communications Director to lead permitting and engagement for a major pharmaceutical manufacturing campus program across multiple jurisdictions. This high-visibility role coordinates regulatory interfaces, public agencies, and community stakeholders to keep leadership informed of risks, milestones, and issues.

You will drive a structured communications framework, develop governance processes, and ensure alignment across client