Stakeholder Management, Permits & Communications Director - Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

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

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401(k) with matching

Paid time off

Employee stock purchase plan

Flexible work options

Job summary

AtkinsRéalis seeks a Stakeholder Management, Permits & Communications Lead for a major pharmaceutical manufacturing campus program. You will coordinate permitting and regulatory interfaces across jurisdictions, and maintain a structured communications framework to keep executives informed of risks, milestones, and issues.

The role requires senior leadership experience in stakeholder engagement, regulatory affairs, and complex industrial projects, with a focus on proactive, transparent

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Communications, Engineering, Construction Management, Program Management, Environmental Studies, Political Science, or related field.
• 20+ years of professional experience supporting major capital programs or large industrial projects.
• Minimum 10 years leading stakeholder engagement, permitting, regulatory affairs, or program management functions.
• Experience supporting programs exceeding $1 billion in capital value.
• Strong ability to influence across large matrixed organizations without direct authority.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the owner's lead for stakeholder management, regulatory engagement, permitting, and communications strategy across the campus program.
• Establish a comprehensive stakeholder engagement framework with client leadership, project teams, regulators, utilities, and local governments.
• Develop and manage campus-wide permitting strategy aligned with milestones.
• Coordinate permit identification, development, reviews, approvals, and compliance across workstreams.
• Act as primary interface with permitting authorities and regulatory agencies.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Regulatory affairs

Communications strategy

Project management

Public policy

Travel flexibility

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Overview

We are seeking a Stakeholder Management, Permits & Communications Lead to join our Pharmaceutical Manufacturing in TX, AL, VA, PA, OH, IN, and WI.

Our Pharmaceutical team is growing! The Stakeholder Management, Permits & Communications Lead serves as the owner's single, coordinated voice across internal and external stakeholders for a major pharmaceutical manufacturing campus program. This highly visible leadership role is responsible for managing permitting and regulatory interfaces across multiple jurisdictions, coordinating engagement with public agencies and community stakeholders, and maintaining a disciplined communications framework that keeps executive leadership informed of program risks, decisions, milestones, and emerging issues. Unlike traditional project management roles focused on scope, cost, or schedule delivery, this position ensures that stakeholder alignment, external approvals, and communication pathways remain proactive, coordinated, and transparent throughout the lifecycle of the program. Success is measured by securing critical permits on schedule, maintaining positive relationships with regulatory and community stakeholders, eliminating communication gaps across the program, and enabling rapid executive decision - making through clear and structured reporting. This is a unique opportunity to help shape and lead one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing investments in North America while working alongside industry - leading professionals on a career-defining program on a greenfield campus. We are offering a full-time position with AtkinsRéalis that provides the opportunity to lead complex, high-profile programs, collaborate with world-class delivery teams, and receive a highly competitive compensation package with robust benefits.

Your role

• 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 efforts with federal, state, regional, and local agencies.
• Track permitting schedules, risks, dependencies, and critical approval milestones that could affect program execution.
• Partner with project delivery teams to resolve permitting obstacles and regulatory issues before they impact project schedules.
• Coordinate environmental, utility, infrastructure, transportation, life - safety, zoning, and construction-related permitting activities.
• Facilitate executive-level communications regarding permitting risks, regulatory developments, and stakeholder concerns.
• Develop and maintain structured communications plans and governance processes for program-wide stakeholder engagement.
• Establish regular communication cadences for Lilly executive leadership, steering committees, project teams, and external stakeholders.
• Prepare executive briefings, dashboards, reports, presentations, and decision-support materials.
• Coordinate messaging across multiple contractors, consultants, and internal functional teams to ensure consistency and alignment.
• Support leadership management of high-profile stakeholder issues, community concerns, regulatory inquiries, and public-facing communications.
• Identify and mitigate stakeholder-related risks that could affect project approvals, reputation, or program objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with government officials, community leaders, agency representatives, and executive stakeholders.
• Support crisis communications and escalation management when significant permitting or stakeholder issues arise.
• Promote transparency, accountability, and accurate information sharing across all stakeholder groups.
• Drive implementation of stakeholder engagement best practices and lessons learned across the broader campus program.

About you

• Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Communications, Engineering, Construction Management, Program Management, Environmental Studies, Political Science, or related field.
• 20+ years of professional experience (BS) supporting major capital programs, infrastructure developments, or large industrial projects.
• Minimum 10 years of experience leading stakeholder engagement, permitting, regulatory affairs, communications, public involvement, or program management functions.
• Demonstrated experience supporting programs exceeding $1 billion in capital value.
• Experience managing permitting and regulatory coordination for complex industrial, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, energy, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, or large-scale construction projects.
• Experience coordinating with environmental regulators, utility providers, transportation agencies, fire marshals, planning authorities, and other governing bodies.
• Experience supporting community engagement and public-facing project initiatives.
• Experience supporting executive leadership through structured governance, reporting, and decision-making frameworks.
• Experience navigating highly visible projects operating under significant public, political, or regulatory scrutiny.
• Proven ability to influence across large matrixed organizations without direct authority.
• Demonstrated success operating within fast-paced, high-profile client environments.
• Proven ability to develop and execute comprehensive stakeholder engagement and communications strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships with competing priorities and interests.
• Ability to develop trusting relationships with executive stakeholders, government officials, and regulatory agencies.
• Strong understanding of permitting processes across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
• Strong understanding of project development, design, construction, commissioning, startup, and operational readiness processes.
• Strong analytical, organizational, risk management, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and executive communication skills.
• Willingness to travel and maintain significant on-site engagement as required.

Rewards & benefits

At AtkinsRéalis, our values-Safety, Integrity, Collaboration, Innovation, and Excellence-are more than just words. They are the foundation of who we are and how we work. These principles shape our culture, guide our decisions, and inspire us to create an environment where every team member feels empowered to grow, succeed, and make a meaningful impact.

Depending on your employment status, AtkinsRéalis benefits may include medical, dental, vision, company-paid life and short- and long-term disability benefits, employer-matched 401(k) with 100% vesting, employee stock purchase plan, Paid Time Off, leaves of absences options, flexible work options, recognition and employee satisfaction programs, employee assistance program, and voluntary benefits. You can review our comprehensive benefits page here.

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Find out more.

Additional information

Expected compensation range is between $170,000 - $200,000+ annually depending on skills, experience, and geographical location.

Equal Opportunity Statement

AtkinsRéalis is an equal opportunity, Drug-Free employer EOE/Veteran/Disability

Please review AtkinsRéalis' Equal Opportunity Statement here.

Privacy Notice

AtkinsRéalis cares about your privacy and is committed to protecting your privacy. Please consult our Privacy Notice on our Careers site to know more about how we collect, use and transfer your Personal Data. By submitting your personal information to AtkinsRéalis, you confirm that you have read and accept our Privacy Notice.

Worker Type

Employee

Job Type

Regular

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences.