Stakeholder Management, Permits & Communications Director - Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

About the role

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.

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 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.
• 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.

Qualifications

• Willingness to travel and maintain significant on-site engagement as required.

Skills

• Stakeholder management
• Regulatory affairs
• Communications strategy
• Permitting coordination
• Community engagement
• Public-facing project initiatives
• Structured governance and reporting
• Executive communication
• Project management
• Stakeholder relationship management
• Complex stakeholder engagement
• Public involvement
• High-profile stakeholder issues
• Crisis communications
• Transparency and accountability
• Stakeholder engagement best practices
• Lessons learned implementation

Benefits

AtkinsRéalis offers a full-time position with a competitive compensation package including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 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
• Voluntary benefits

Pay

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

Schedule

Full-time position.