Stakeholder Management, Permits & Communications Director - Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

AtkinsRéalis•Hudson, WI

1d•$170,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

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.

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.
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.

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 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.