Workforce & Community Partnerships Manager

KBR; Fox Woods (DE); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K plan with company match

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Flexible spending account

Disability insurance

Paid time off

Flexible work schedule

Job summary

KBR Sustainable Technology Solutions seeks a Workforce & Community Partnerships Manager to develop stakeholder engagement strategies and a regional workforce development program. You will build partnerships with universities, technical schools, apprenticeship programs, and community organizations to create pipelines for skilled trades and engineering roles.

Responsibilities include labor market analysis, recruitment coordination, local workforce participation initiatives, and diversity programs

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in a related field.
• Minimum 10 years in community relations, government affairs, or stakeholder management.
• Experience on large capital projects >$500M TIC.
• Strong understanding of government processes and public engagement.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement workforce development strategy for construction to operations phases.
• Build partnerships with universities, colleges, apprenticeship programs, and workforce organizations.
• Foster relationships with community groups, economic development agencies, and public-sector partners.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Public engagement

Labor market analysis

Diversity & inclusion

Project management

Educational partnerships

Education

Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, HR, Communications, Political Science, Public Relations, Community Development, Business Administration, or related field

Job description

Workforce & Community Partnerships Manager

KBR Sustainable Technology Solutions (STS) provides holistic and value-added solutions across the entire asset life cycle. These include world-class licensed process technologies, differentiated advisory services, deep technical domain expertise, energy transition solutions, high-end design capabilities, and smart solutions to optimize planned and operating assets. KBR is seeking a Workforce & Community Partnerships Manager to develop and execute stakeholder engagement strategies that foster positive relationships between the project, local communities, elected officials, government agencies, economic development organizations, educational institutions, and other key stakeholders. The Workforce Development Manager is responsible for establishing and managing a regional workforce development program that supports both project execution and the client’s long-term operational staffing objectives. This role develops partnerships with local colleges and universities, local trade schools, apprenticeship programs, workforce development agencies, VEDP, and community organizations to create sustainable pipelines of skilled craft professionals, technicians, engineers, and future operations personnel.

Responsibilities include workforce forecasting, labor market analysis, recruitment coordination, local workforce participation initiatives, apprenticeship integration, diversity and inclusion programs, workforce performance reporting, and coordination of training and workforce readiness programs that support project labor requirements throughout execution.

Functional job responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive workforce development strategy to support project construction, commissioning, startup, and operational staffing requirements, aligning talent needs with project growth and business objectives.
• Establish and manage partnerships with universities, community colleges, technical schools, apprenticeship programs, and workforce development organizations to create talent pipelines for skilled trades, technical, engineering, manufacturing, and operational roles.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with local community organizations, economic development agencies, workforce boards, non-profit organizations, chambers of commerce, and public-sector partners to support project objectives and community engagement goals.
• Coordinate initiatives that promote local workforce participation, workforce readiness, internships, apprenticeships, co-op programs, and targeted recruitment efforts designed to meet project staffing demands and maximize local economic benefits.
• Monitor labor market conditions, workforce availability, demographic trends, training capacity, and competitive hiring risks.
• Provide workforce forecasts and recommendations to project leadership to support resource planning and workforce sustainability.
• Develop and manage community outreach initiatives, educational programs, workforce awareness campaigns, STEM engagement activities, and community investment programs that strengthen the project's reputation and long-term community impact.
• Support workforce diversity objectives by collaborating with educational institutions, professional organizations, community groups, and recruitment partners to expand access to employment and training opportunities for underrepresented populations.
• Coordinate workforce readiness activities that support the transition from construction to operations, including training coordination, onboarding support, skills development initiatives, and workforce mobilization programs.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and reporting mechanisms to track workforce development outcomes, recruitment effectiveness, local hiring participation, community engagement activities, partnership performance, and workforce readiness metrics.

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Human Resources, Communications, Political Science, Public Relations, Community Development, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in community relations, government affairs, public engagement, external affairs, corporate communications, or stakeholder management.
• Demonstrated experience supporting large capital projects exceeding $500 million in total installed cost.
• Strong understanding of government processes, public engagement practices, and stakeholder management principles.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholder groups, including elected officials, community leaders, regulatory agencies, and business organizations.
• Experience managing complex public issues and stakeholder concerns in highly visible project environments.
• Strong organizational, planning, and project management capabilities.
• Familiarity with EPC/EPCM project delivery models and large construction programs.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

• Experience supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, or other GMP-regulated facilities.
• Prior experience in an Owner’s Representative or PMC role for major capital projects in excess of $1B TIC.
• Economic development, workforce development, and community investment initiatives.
• Public consultation programs, permitting support, and regulatory stakeholder engagement.
• Experience working with EPC/EPCM project delivery organizations and owner-led capital programs.

KBR Benefits

We offer a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule.

Our Culture

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR. At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

KBR - Delivering Solutions, Changing the World.

KBR brings together the best and brightest to deliver science, technology and engineering solutions that help governments and companies around the world accomplish their most critical missions and objectives. In everything we do, we are guided by our ONE KBR Values:

• We Value Our People - We create diverse, inclusive environments in which each person can feel safe, respected and valued, and where everyone has opportunities to grow and reach their full potential.
• We Deliver - We are uncompromising in our commitment to deliver innovative, high-quality, technology-led solutions for our customers and exceptional, sustainable value for all our stakeholders.
• We Are People of Integrity - We value honesty, trust, courage, fairness, prudence and tenacity. We believe doing what’s right for the planet, the communities where we work, and our people is good for business.
• We Empower - We empower our people with a shared purpose, the right tools and the supportive culture they need to be proactive decision-makers, to be adaptive to change, and to succeed.
• We Are a Team of Teams - We have a will to succeed, but we value the achievements of our team of teams over individual accomplishments. Our collective focus makes us a better, stronger, more effective company.
• We have also embedded environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles inside every business operation and corporate function. Not only are we committed to operating safely, sustainably and equitably, but we are also committed to using our capabilities and expertise to help our customers accomplish their sustainability goals.

Worldwide, KBR employs a diverse workforce approximately 29,000 people strong, with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries.