Designed to Last Campaign Associate

We think tech should be designed to last. Join our Designed to Last campaign as an associate in our New York City office advocating for sustainable and longer-lasting technology. Our campaign pushed Google to make longer-lasting Chromebooks and Microsoft to provide extended support for Windows with coverage in the Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and LA Times. 

When we buy something, we should expect it to last, but far too often what we buy is disposable. That’s because companies are selling us stuff that doesn’t hold up, can’t be fixed, can’t be upgraded, or relies on updates that stop too quickly. 

We’re calling out companies that feed the cycle of disposability by making products that can’t be upgraded or stop software support too soon and passing laws so we can choose products designed to last. Join our effort to end the cycle of buy, use, toss because we deserve better than a world where nothing’s built to last.

Representative Responsibilities:

• Build powerful coalitions: Reach out to like-minded organizations and affected constituency groups 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 the campaign.
• Lobby elected officials: Meet with decision makers – from city council members to state legislators – to make the case for our campaign goals. When a critical vote is happening on your campaign, work to demonstrate the support you’ve been building on the ground to help line up the votes needed to win. 
• Research and write reports and web content: Catalog and analyze data relevant to the issue and our policy proposals to help influence public debate and earn media attention for our cause. Write weekly web content following search engine optimization best practices.
• Identify and cultivate donors: Reach out to foundations and major donors and ask them to fund your campaign.
• 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 one of our campaigns and work with our experienced team of advocates, researchers, and digital and communications experts.

Entry-level candidates are encouraged to apply; we provide training on advocacy and organizing skills, as well as oversight and on-the-ground training by an experienced advocate. Previous experience with technology is appreciated but not required. 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 entry level position is $33,400. PIRG offers an excellent benefits package. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents, paid time off, our 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

Preferred: Hybrid with three days a week working in our New York City office.

Some travel required. You may be asked to relocate for the summer campaign.

Start time:

Preference is for candidates to begin with paid training in September 2024.

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

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

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.