Public Health Campaign Associate

PIRG Public Health Campaigns Associate

Chicago, IL

PIRG is hiring an Associate to work on our public health campaigns - to tackle some of the greatest health threats we face and call on our decision makers to value our health and well-being over the demands of unlimited economic growth.

As a Campaign Associate you will advocate for policy changes that include protecting lifesaving medications, working to shift our food system towards one that promotes health and wellbeing, and giving consumers information that empowers and informs them about the products we consume. While working with people across the political spectrum to build support for these campaigns, you will work for solutions to specific threats like antibiotic resistance, ultraprocessed foods, and other public health priorities.

Representative Responsibilities:

• Work with coalitions: Reach out to a broad range of organizations and affected constituency groups across the political spectrum to demonstrate support for our campaign goals.
• Organize support, hold events, and work with volunteers: Build broad public support for your campaign and recruit organizations and members of the public to be involved. Organize webinars, community events and public meetings to educate, persuade, and motivate.
• Earn traditional media and social media attention: Organize media events and write opinion pieces. Build a following on social media for your campaign.
• Lobby elected officials: Coordinate strategy with champions in Congress or in State Houses. Make a convincing case to legislators who are undecided on a particular vote. 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.
• 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.

This position requires exercising discretion and independent judgment in making decisions in matters of significance.

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.

Compensation and Benefits

The target annual compensation for this position is $38,250-$39,500 in the first year. PIRG offers a competitive benefits package. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents, 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

Chicago, IL

We are accepting applications on a rolling basis for a Summer 2026 start timeline.

Apply

Fill out our online application.

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.

PIRG is an equal opportunity employer.