Job Title: Field Organizer
Organization: U.S. PIRG
Location: LA; DC; Atlanta; New Orleans; Louisiana; Des Moines; Phoenix
Salary: $23,000-$27,000
FT Regular

Job Description:
Background
As one of the nation's most powerful public interest advocacy organizations, the state PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups) uncover and fight threats to the environment, public health, consumer well-being, and democratic government. With approximately 500 staff nationwide, 300,000 members, and over 100 chapters based on college campuses across the country, the State PIRGs have been advocating and organizing for public interest issues for over 30 years. We employ the time-tested tools of investigative research, media attention, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation to deliver consistent, results-oriented public interest activism and to achieve concrete and lasting political change.
The United States Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) is the national lobbying arm of the State PIRGs. Our organization's roots at the state level gives U.S. PIRG a unique outside the beltway perspective on the issues. Our state staff also provide the grassroots power necessary to influence the national policy debate and enact change at the federal level.
Among our recent victories:
* Working with a coalition of environmental, religious, labor, and recreational groups, U.S. PIRG led a successful campaign to stop efforts to open the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling.
* With more than half of all Americans living in areas where the air is literally unsafe to breathe because of air pollution, U.S. PIRG conducted a nationwide media campaign to alert the public to the dangers of President Bush's proposal to dramatically weaken the Clean Air Act, the so-called "Clear Skies Initiative."
* U.S. PIRG distributed over 1 million Congressional Scorecards to constituents last year, alerting voters in 282 Congressional districts to how their representatives voted on 19 key public interest issues.
Job Description
The Regional Field Organizer will be working to build support for U.S. PIRG issues in their designated areas of the country. Specifically, the Regional Field Organizer will:
* Build a political network: Build coalitions with local, state, and national environmental and consumer organizations, identify and mobilize concerned citizens, and reach out to new constituencies to build our base of support in the state.
* Generate media attention and build public awareness: Organize at least one major news conference per month, meet with editorial boards and reporters throughout the region, conduct TV and radio interviews, and generate opinion editorials and letters to the editor.
* Lobby decision-makers: Expand our political base in each congressional district in their states. Demonstrate broad public support for our positions through letter writing drives, e-mail activism, and district meetings with Members of Congress and other decision-makers.
* Build the organization: Work with and build our membership locally, recruit and manage staff, and raise the funds needed to forward our agenda.
This position involves one to two weeks traveling per month.
Qualifications
Qualified applicants have a strong commitment to public interest issues, excellent verbal, writing and analytical skills, the ability to debate and speak persuasively in a charged atmosphere, and enthusiasm for the work. Candidates for this position could include recent college graduates or people with up to five years of relevant professional experience, post college. Relevant experience includes (but is not limited to) working in political, policy, legal, journalistic, or government settings. Advanced degrees, including a JD or masters in related fields, may count toward a candidate's professional experience.

How to Apply:
Application
Send a compelling cover letter and resume to: Steven Biel at sbiel@pirg.org. Please specify which position you are applying for in the subject line of the e-mail, and be sure to mention where you saw our job advertised.
U.S. PIRG and all PIRG-affiliated organizations are equal opportunity employers and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, age, handicap, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Organization Web Site: www.uspirg.org

Email replies to: sbiel@pirg.org