Permit & Communications Lead

JOB-10047652

Anticipated Start Date

October 12, 2026

Location

Richmond, VA

Type of Employment

Contract Hire

Employer Info

Our client is a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program life cycle within the Government Services and Hydrocarbons sectors.  Construction Quality Manager

Job Summary

We are seeking a Permit & Communications Lead to lead permitting, communications, and stakeholder engagement for a multi-billion-dollar GMP manufacturing program in the Greater Richmond, VA area. This role oversees regulatory approvals, permit compliance, stakeholder engagement, contractor performance, and external communications while advising PMC leadership on regulatory and stakeholder risks, project readiness, and mitigation strategies.

Job Description

• Lead the development and execution of permitting, regulatory engagement, stakeholder management, and communications strategies to support all phases of project delivery.
• Serve as the primary interface between the Client, regulatory agencies, local authorities, community organizations, utility providers, and other external stakeholders.
• Oversee the identification, tracking, submission, and approval of all required permits, licenses, environmental authorizations, and regulatory approvals necessary for project execution.
• Establish and maintain permitting governance processes, schedules, and reporting systems to ensure timely approvals and compliance with project milestones.
• Coordinate closely with engineering, environmental, construction, commissioning, and operations teams to ensure permitting requirements are integrated into project planning and execution.
• Direct public relations, community outreach, and stakeholder engagement initiatives to foster positive relationships and maintain the project's social license to operate.
• Manage communications consultants, permitting contractors, and external advisors to ensure consistent, effective, and compliant execution of project objectives.
• Monitor regulatory developments, policy changes, and external factors that may impact project execution, and develop mitigation strategies to address emerging risks.
• Lead the preparation and delivery of executive-level communications, presentations, stakeholder briefings, and regulatory submissions.
• Develop and maintain stakeholder engagement plans, communications matrices, and issue management processes to ensure proactive and transparent communications.
• Identify, assess, and manage permitting, regulatory, and stakeholder risks, implementing mitigation and recovery plans to minimize project impacts.
• Support project leadership in development and execution of incident communications, issue management, and crisis communication strategies.
• Collaborate with project controls and project management teams to ensure permitting activities, approvals, and stakeholder commitments are incorporated into the overall project schedule and execution strategy.
• Coordinate permitting activities associated with GMP manufacturing facilities, laboratories, utilities, warehousing, and support infrastructure.
• Support project readiness activities related to regulatory inspections and occupancy approvals.
• Coordinate with Quality, Validation, and Operations teams regarding regulatory commitments.
• Oversee environmental permitting and compliance activities including air permits, stormwater permits, wastewater permits, hazardous materials requirements, and agency reporting obligations.
• Ensure permit conditions and environmental commitments are incorporated into project execution plans and contractor requirements.
• Provide regular performance reporting and strategic recommendations to PMC and Client leadership regarding permitting status, regulatory compliance, stakeholder concerns, and communications effectiveness.
• Promote a culture of safety, compliance, transparency, and accountability in all interactions with regulatory agencies, stakeholders, and project teams.

Skills Required

• Minimum 10 years of experience supporting permitting, stakeholder engagement, environmental compliance, communications, or project management on major capital projects, including projects exceeding $500 million TIC.
• Experience managing permitting, regulatory affairs, environmental compliance, stakeholder engagement, communications, or infrastructure delivery teams on major capital projects Strong knowledge of engineering governance, design management, and project delivery processes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical decision-making and stakeholder alignment.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Experience directing and evaluating performance of permitting consultants, communications consultants, stakeholder engagement firms, and regulatory support contractors, including review and approval of deliverables.
• Experience supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or other GMP-regulated facilities preferred.
• Prior experience in an Owner’s Representative or PMC role for major capital projects in excess of $1B TIC preferred.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license and/or PMP certification preferred.
• Experience supporting FDA inspections, commissioning, startup, and operational readiness activities preferred.

Education/Training/Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Public Policy, Communications, Planning, Construction Management, or related discipline.