Stakeholder Management, Permits & Communications Director

About the role

We are seeking a Stakeholder Management, Permits & Communications Director to join our team 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.

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.
• Cook up and manage 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.
• Cook up and manage 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.
• Cook up and manage 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.
• Cook up and manage 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.

Requirements

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 executive leadership through structured governance, reporting, and decision-making frameworks. Experience supporting community engagement and public-facing project initiatives. Experience navigating highly visible projects operating under significant public, political, or regulatory scrutiny. Strong understanding of permitting processes across federal, state, and local jurisdictions. Proven ability to develop and execute comprehensive stakeholder engagement and communications strategies. Strong understanding of project development, design, construction, commissioning, startup, and operational readiness processes. Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and executive communication skills. Demonstrated ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships with competing priorities and interests. Proven ability to influence across large matrixed organizations without direct authority. Strong analytical, organizational, risk management, and problem-solving capabilities. Ability to develop trusting relationships with executive stakeholders, government officials, and regulatory agencies. Demonstrated success operating within fast-paced, high-profile client environments. Willingness to travel and maintain significant on-site engagement as required.

Qualifications

Qualifications will be determined based on the specific needs of the role and may include:

• Experience in pharmaceutical, semiconductor, energy, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, or large-scale construction projects.
• Strong understanding of permitting processes across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
• Proven ability to develop and execute comprehensive stakeholder engagement and communications strategies.
• Strong understanding of project development, design, construction, commissioning, startup, and operational readiness processes.
• Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and executive communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships with competing priorities and interests.
• Proven ability to influence across large matrixed organizations without direct authority.
• Strong analytical, organizational, risk management, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to develop trusting relationships with executive stakeholders, government officials, and regulatory agencies.
• Successful experience operating within fast-paced, high-profile client environments.
• Willingness to travel and maintain significant on-site engagement as required.

Skills

Skills will be determined based on the specific needs of the role and may include:

• Stakeholder management
• Regulatory affairs
• Communications strategy
• Permitting coordination
• Engagement with public agencies and community stakeholders
• Structured communications plans and governance processes
• Executive-level communications
• Community engagement and public-facing project initiatives
• Navigating highly visible projects under significant public, political, or regulatory scrutiny
• Understanding permitting processes across federal, state, and local jurisdictions
• Project development, design, construction, commissioning, startup, and operational readiness processes
• Written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and executive communication skills
• Managing complex stakeholder relationships with competing priorities and interests
• Influencing across large matrixed organizations without direct authority
• Analytical, organizational, risk management, and problem-solving capabilities
• Developing and executing comprehensive stakeholder engagement and communications strategies
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with government officials, community leaders, agency representatives, and executive stakeholders
• Supporting crisis communications and escalation management
• Promoting transparency, accountability, and accurate information sharing across all stakeholder groups
• Driving implementation of stakeholder engagement best practices and lessons learned

Benefits

AtkinsRéalis offers a full-time position with a competitive compensation package including a range of rewards and benefits such as 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 absence options, flexible work options, recognition and employee satisfaction programs, employee assistance program, and voluntary benefits.

Pay

$170,000 - $200,000+ annually depending on skills, experience, and geographical location.

Schedule

Full-time position.