Campaign Associate

PIRG; Illinois; On-site; USD 40,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid sick time

Vacation days

Commuter benefits

401(k) with match

Parental leave

Long-term disability

Student loan assistance

Training program

Job summary

PIRG is hiring campaign associates to advocate for consumers and advance solutions addressing health, safety, and well-being. You will educate the public, mobilize support, and work on national or state campaigns across the country.

The role involves organizing events, engaging volunteers, and lobbying officials to promote reform. Training is provided, with opportunities to travel and participate in regional and national trainings as needed.

Qualifications

• Ideal candidates will have leadership experience, top-notch writing and public speaking skills, an eagerness to learn.
• Candidates must be able to travel regularly and be motivated to work evenings and weekends.

Responsibilities

• Educate and mobilize public support through online and in-person outreach.
• Build coalitions by engaging a broad range of organizations and groups across the political spectrum.
• Earn traditional and social media attention through events and op-eds, and grow a campaign following online.
• Organize webinars, community events, and public meetings with volunteers and partners.
• Lobby decision makers from local to state levels to advocate for campaign goals.
• Research and write reports by cataloging data to influence public debate and policy proposals.
• Recruit volunteers, interns, and paid staff to grow the team.
• Run a grassroots campaign office during the summer, meet fundraising goals, and manage a team.

Skills

Leadership experience

Public speaking

Writing

Eagerness to learn

Job description

PIRG is hiring campaign associates across the country to advocate for consumers, advancing solutions to problems that affect our health, our safety and our well-being.

We’re working to educate, organize, and build support across the political spectrum for solutions that address the unique problems of our modern age, including pollution of our waterways with toxic forever chemicals, excessive fashion waste, consumer scams and electronics that are designed to end up in the landfill.

Representative Responsibilities

Campaign Associates will work on one of PIRG’s national campaigns or with one of our state organizations on state-based campaigns that help us build support for reforms that overcome powerful special interests and put our health and safety first. This position requires exercising discretion and independent judgment in making decisions in matters of significance. Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Educate and mobilize public support: Conduct online and in-person outreach to educate the public on our issues and ways to get involved.
• Build powerful coalitions: Reach out to a broad range of organizations and affected constituency groups across the political spectrum to build and demonstrate support for our campaign goals.
• Earn traditional media and social media attention: Organize news conferences and write opinion pieces. Build a following on social media for your campaign.
• Organize events and work with volunteers: Organize webinars, community events and public meetings, including events like electric vehicle tours, repair clinics, clothing swaps, and plastic pellet clean-ups. Recruit organizations and members of the public to attend and participate.
• Lobby elected officials: Meet with decision makers - from city council members to state legislators to regulatory staff - to make the case for and demonstrate support for our campaign goals.
• Research and write reports: Catalog and analyze data relevant to the issue and our policy proposals to help influence public debate and earn media attention for our cause.
• Recruit new people to your team: Help build your team by recruiting volunteers, interns and full-time staff.
• Run a grassroots campaign office each summer: Run a campaign office for the summer, knocking on doors to raise money to support our campaigns, build our organization and membership, and help build critical and timely grassroots support to win key campaigns. Your responsibilities will include meeting your own fundraising goals and managing a team of paid staff. You may be assigned to a different office location for the summer and should be flexible to move.
• Take part in organizational projects and trainings: Beyond your own campaign, you may be called on to help other teams on priority campaigns and tactics, ranging from clean energy to clean water to right to repair. You may travel and participate in regional and national trainings and other in-person or virtual projects as needed. This is not a standard “9-5” or “clock in, clock out” position.

Qualifications

Entry-level candidates are encouraged to apply. Though we expect you to take your campaign and run with it, we provide training on advocacy and organizing skills, as well as oversight by an experienced advocate. Ideal candidates will have leadership experience, top-notch writing and public speaking skills, an eagerness to learn, and be ready for a challenge. We value organizing experience, including building campus or community groups. Candidates must be able to travel regularly and be motivated to work when needed, which may sometimes be in the evenings and on weekends.

Compensation and Benefits

The target annual compensation for this entry-level position is $40,000 (but compensation may range between $40,000 and $44,450 depending on location). PIRG offers an excellent benefits package. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents, paid sick time (60-72 hours/year depending on location), vacation time (accruing 10 days over year 1, 15 days over year 2, and 20 days over year 3 and thereafter), a commuter benefit program, a 401(k) plan with employer match, parental leave, long term disability insurance, and may include needs-based student loan assistance. We also offer an excellent training program and opportunities for advancement.

Location

PIRG has offices across the country with larger offices in Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Los Angeles, CA; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR; and Washington, D.C. We are also hiring associates to work in Madison, WI; Sacramento, CA; and Seattle, WA. Please state your location interests on our application form.

Why work with PIRG?

Check out 10 reasons: https://pirg.org/why-work-with-us/

About PIRG

PIRG is an advocate for consumers, advancing solutions to problems that affect our health, our safety and our well-being.

Being a consumer advocate means being a champion for a marketplace that is not only honest and transparent, but also wastes less because it reduces, reuses and recycles more; prevents toxic threats to our health and safety; and considers the impact of new products and technologies on the next generation, not just the next quarterly earnings report.

The true North Star of a successful marketplace should not be the quantity of “stuff” we consume. It should be the quality of our lives.

Our Mission and Values

PIRG is part of The Public Interest Network, which operates and supports organizations committed to a shared vision of a new future and a strategic approach to change. Visit https://pirg.org/core-values/ for things you should know about our network when you apply.

Please do not use AI to help draft your cover letter or responses to our application questions. We want to know how you think and write.

PIRG is an equal opportunity employer and will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.