State Program Director

PIRG; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 41,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid sick time

Vacation time

Commuter benefit

401(k) plan with employer match

Parental leave

Long-term disability insurance

Student loan assistance

Training program

Advancement opportunities

Job summary

PIRG, the Public Interest Research Group, seeks a State Director in Austin, TX to lead health, environment and consumer-protection campaigns. You will shape priorities, build coalitions, organize events, and advocate to decision-makers.

You will recruit volunteers, organize media outreach, and drive fundraising while growing a dedicated team focused on measurable public-interest outcomes. This role offers a strong benefits package and opportunities for impact.

Qualifications

• Passionate about public interest and grassroots advocacy.
• Campaign advocate or grassroots organizer with at least 2 years of advocacy or organizing experience.
• Excellent writing and public speaking; media exposure is a plus.
• Creative problem-solver and strategic thinker with ability to seize opportunities.
• People-focused with strong listening skills and ability to work with diverse viewpoints.
• Well-organized and capable of handling multiple legislative and administrative proposals.

Responsibilities

• Shape program priorities: participate in policy development, research and messaging to determine state priorities.
• Build coalitions: reach out to diverse organizations and constituencies to demonstrate support.
• Organize events and recruit volunteers: webinars, community events and public meetings; recruit organizations and members.
• Earn traditional and social media attention: organize media events and write opinion pieces; build a following.
• Advocate: present compelling cases to decision-makers through lobbying, hearings, and written materials.
• Fundraise: write grant proposals and cultivate foundation support; resource development.
• Grow our team: identify strong candidates and manage interns to maximize impact.

Skills

Advocacy

Public speaking

Writing

Organizing

Education

Advanced degree encouraged

Job description

PIRG, the Public Interest Research Group, is a national network with a 50-year track record of being an advocate for consumers.

We believe America's most profound problems are ones that affect our health, our environment and the quality of our lives. Far too much stuff in our lives is single-use and designed for obsolescence, so PIRG's Right to Repair campaign is making more of our things reusable, repairable and recyclable. We pay too much and get too little value out of our health care system today, so our High Value Healthcare campaign is focused on cutting wasteful spending and absurd price tags. PFAs and other toxic chemicals are contaminating crops and drinking water, so we're calling for solutions to keep our water safe.

We need passionate, compelling, tenacious advocates to spotlight solutions and organize support behind them.

Key Responsibilities

PIRG State Directors are the face of our campaigns, and the voice for solutions. The position requires exercising discretion and independent judgment in making decisions in matters of significance. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Help shape program priorities: Participate in policy development, research and messaging to determine our priorities in your state.
• Build powerful coalitions: Reach out to a broad range of organizations and affected constituency groups across the political spectrum to demonstrate support, including unlikely allies who might agree with us on one issue, even if we disagree on other issues.
• Organize events and recruit volunteers: Organize webinars, community events and public meetings. Recruit organizations and members of the public to attend and participate.
• Earn traditional media and social media attention: Organize media events and write opinion pieces. Build a following on social media for your campaign.
• Advocate: Present a compelling case for strong action on the environment to decision-makers through lobbying, testifying at hearings, and producing powerful written materials. Build relationships with key players in the state, the region and at the federal level.
• Fundraise: Write grant proposals, build relationships with foundation staff, and raise money from individual donors, to bring more resources to our campaigns.
• Grow our team: Identify and recruit strong candidates to join our staff and manage interns to maximize the impact of your campaigns. Potential to oversee staff.

Qualifications

You are:

• Passionate about our public interest mission and using the power of grassroots organizing to win campaigns.
• A campaign advocate or grassroots organizer with at least 2 years of advocacy or organizing experience. Advanced degrees may count toward experience.
• An effective communicator with excellent writing and public speaking skills. Experience getting traditional and digital media coverage in previous work is a plus.
• Creative and effective at solving complex problems; a strategic thinker who can take advantage of new opportunities.
• A people person and good listener with a track record of successful access-building; willing and interested in working with people who think differently than you.
• Well-organized and able to work on multiple legislative and administrative proposals at once.

Additional helpful experience:

• Experience in the state legislature or other government office, or with an environmental or public health advocacy organization is a plus but not required.
• Fundraising experience, particularly in grant-seeking from charitable foundations.

Compensation and Benefits

The starting target annual compensation range for someone with 3-8 years of relevant experience is $40,500-$55,000. Candidates on the lower end of directly relevant experience should expect to be on the lower end of this range; candidates on the higher end of relevant experience are likely to be on the higher end of this range. PIRG offers an excellent benefits package.

• 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
• may include needs-based student loan assistance
• excellent training program
• opportunities for advancement

Locations

Existing PIRGs: Madison, WI; Seattle, WA; Baltimore, MD; Austin, TX; Raleigh, NC; Philadelphia or Harrisburg, PA; Ann Arbor, MI

New states: Chattanooga or Nashville, TN; Cheyenne, WY; Boise, ID

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 better world and a strategic approach to social 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.