Policy Fellow (USPIRG)

U.S. Public Interest Research Group; Washington, Boston (District of Columbia, MA); On-site; USD 28,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. PIRG is hiring fellows for a one-year program designed to develop future leaders in public interest advocacy. Fellows will recruit new groups to join coalitions, organize events, and run a grassroots campaign office to win key campaigns on health, environment, and consumer protection.

The role emphasizes leadership, teamwork, and hands-on campaign work. Compensation in the first year is about $28,000–$30,000, with a competitive benefits package, robust training, and clear opportunities for

Job description

In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, we want to assure you that U.S. PIRG is actively hiring for this position, and we welcome your applications.

Our mission is to advocate for the public interest—to speak out for a healthier, safer world in which we're freer to pursue our own individual well-being and the common good.

Whether it’s working to stop the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture, addressing our country’s plastic waste crisis, or alerting people to threats in the marketplace, the problems we work on aren’t progressive or conservative. They’re just problems that our country shouldn’t tolerate any longer.

We have a 45-year track record of winning laws and policies that make a real difference in people's lives. Take clean air for example. Deaths from air pollution dropped nearly in half between 1990 and 2010. The laws and policies that we won to limit pollution from power plants, cars and other sources helped save tens of thousands of lives.

If you are ready to roll up your sleeves and win more results for the public, we’d love to hear from you.

What It Means to Be a Fellow

You won’t just sit behind a desk. You’ll be out in the real world, working to protect consumers and enable citizens to lead healthier, safer, more secure lives. You’ll be recruiting new groups to join a coalition, speaking in a church basement or town hall to win a new endorsement, organizing a news event or rally, meeting with an editorial board, or doing whatever else it takes to get results. You’ll run a grassroots campaign office each summer during your fellowship where you’ll hire and manage a staff of 20 canvassers to raise money, build our organization and membership, and help win one of our key campaigns.

This is a one-year program, expressly designed to prepare future leaders with U.S. PIRG. We look for smarts, leadership experience, top-notch written and verbal skills, and an eagerness to learn. We value organizing experience, including building campus groups.

The target annual compensation for this position is $28,000- $30,000 in the first year. U.S. PIRG offers a competitive benefits package. We also offer an excellent training program and opportunities for advancement.

Locations & Start Dates

We’re currently hiring for positions in Boston, MA and Washington, DC. If you’re flexible, you can apply for multiple locations. We accept applications on a rolling basis. Positions start in August 2020.

One of our partners is hiring short term campaign staff to help register and get out the vote on Election Day. The Student PIRGs is hiring Organizers in over 16 states to help get out the youth vote. Learn more here at www.StudentPIRGs.org .

U.S. PIRG is part of The Public Interest Network, which operates and supports organizations committed to a shared vision of a better world and a strategic approach to getting things done. Visit https://jobs.uspirg.org/core-values.html to learn more.

Right now, U.S PIRG is working to ensure that everyone who needs a COVID-19 test gets one. The pandemic has affected thousands of Americans, and killed dozens already, but doctors still can’t get tests for those that need it. Please take action by calling on the new testing chief to adopt a plan that will help ensure that everyone who needs a test gets a test: https://uspirg.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=37037 .

U.S. PIRG is an equal opportunity employer.

Los Angeles-based positions: U.S. PIRG will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.