Zero Waste Campaign Associate

PIRG is hiring a Campaign Associate to help drive our campaigns to Break the Waste Cycle and move us towards a “circular” or “zero waste” economy in which less is consumed and all materials are reused, recycled and composted. 

Our country has a waste problem. Natural resources are continually extracted to produce goods that are used – often just once – before they are thrown into landfills, incinerators or the natural environment. This system of consumption and disposal results in the waste of precious resources and in pollution that threatens our health, environment and the global climate.

To protect public health and the environment, conserve natural resources and landscapes, and address the mounting crisis of climate change, America needs to move toward an economic system characterized by zero waste. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Build powerful coalitions: Reach out to a broad range of organizations and affected constituency groups across the political spectrum to 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. Recruit organizations and members of the public to attend and participate.
• 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 to raise money to support our campaigns, build our organization and membership, and help build critical and timely grassroots support to win key campaigns while honing your organizing and management skills. You may be assigned to a different office location for the summer and should be flexible to move.

Qualifications

We are seeking a Campaign Associate who will spearhead this campaign and work with our experienced team of advocates, researchers, and digital and communications experts. 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.

Compensation and Benefits

The target annual compensation for this position is $37,000 in the first year. PIRG offers a competitive benefits package. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents, paid time off, a commuter benefit program, 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

Portland, OR

We’re also hiring campaign associates to work on other campaigns in locations across the country. We accept applications on a rolling basis for immediate or summer 2025 start.

Why work with PIRG? Check out 10 reasons on our website.

About PIRG

PIRG is an advocate for the public interest. We speak out for the public and stand up to special interests on problems that affect the public's health, safety and wellbeing.

How is it possible that, in the richest country the world has ever seen, dissatisfaction is rising and life expectancy is dropping? Is it just inequality? Or could it be that, in the name of producing and consuming more "stuff," we’ve lost sight, as a society, of what really matters -- including health, wellbeing, community, and a clean environment? 

PIRG’s mission is to spotlight these problems and find new solutions. Let's make more stuff reusable, repairable and recyclable, instead of single-use and designed for obsolescence. Let's choose conservation and renewable energy over fossil fuels. Let's value clean air and water over short-term profits and lower costs. Let's grow food that nurtures us as well as the land, with fewer pesticides, antibiotics and other quick fixes. 

Getting governments and corporations to make these choices is hard, and steps in the right direction are almost always small. But we have a 50-year track record of training and putting even our newest staff in a position to overcome powerful interests and win real results for the public interest.

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 our website for things you should know about our network when you apply.

PIRG is an equal opportunity employer.

COVID-19: We take COVID-19 safety very seriously. Employees must follow our COVID safety protocols and be fully vaccinated and boosted. Accommodations are provided to the extent required by law.