Job description
U.S. PIRG seeks a Make It Toxic Free Advocate to protect people from harmful chemicals in everyday products. The Make It Toxic Free Advocate will run our campaign to call on three of the largest personal care and home cleaning care companies, L’Oreal, P&G and Unilever to go toxic-free, and convince decision-makers to replace these dangers in common products with favor of safer alternatives.
We should be able to trust that the products we put on our bodies are safe. But the reality is that companies like Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal and Unilever are allowed to use nearly any chemical they want as an ingredient in the personal care products they make, and the government doesn’t test those chemicals for safety or require any pre-market approval. So, when we shampoo our hair, wash our hands, protect our skin from the sun, or get ready for a night on the town, we’re often unknowingly exposing ourselves to dozens of toxic chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer.
Behind our campaign is U.S. PIRG’s 40-plus year track record of protecting people from toxic threats. We’ve helped to eliminate toxic chemicals from art supplies, advocated for cleanup of toxic waste sites, and fought and won toxics right-to-know laws from California, to New Jersey and Massachusetts. We speak out for a healthier, safer world. The problems we address aren’t progressive or conservative — they’re just problems that our country shouldn’t tolerate in an age of great abundance and technological progress. And these problems affect us all, whether we live in a blue state, red state or purple state. We are working to find common ground around commonsense ideas.
Representative Responsibilities
Communications: Serve as the spokesperson for our campaigns through media events, press releases and opinion writing. Find and research harmful chemicals of concern. Raise the profile of dangerous toxic threats in the media and to our members through reports and consumer guides.
Coalition Building: Build relationships, coordinate and mobilize support with key constituencies, including legal allies, consumers, business owners and others. Advocate for policies that will protect and empower consumers.
Campaign Strategy & Advocacy: Develop plans to win our campaigns using research, advocacy, coalition-building, media attention, and grassroots mobilization; assess opportunities for building political support for our agenda. Build relationships with players in key regulatory agencies, statehouses, in Congress, and other forums where relevant decisions are being made.
Fundraising: Write grant proposals, build relationships with foundations, and meet with major donors to bring more resources to our campaigns. Work with our citizen outreach staff to build and deepen our membership base.
Staff Recruitment and Development: Recruit new staff and volunteers. Oversee other staff working on our consumer program team. Coordinate with our state staff and provide training and leadership development.
Qualifications
Candidates must have at least 3 years of relevant professional experience, excellent judgement and discretion, and the ability to oversee significant projects. Qualified candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to public interest or consumer issues and to citizen-based social change, as well as a track record of leadership. We’re looking for people who are goal-driven and results-oriented, who have excellent verbal, written and analytical skills, the ability to speak persuasively in a charged atmosphere, and driven to make positive policy change.
Compensation & Benefits
Compensation for this position is commensurate with the candidate’s relevant professional experience. U.S. PIRG offers a competitive benefits package.
Location
Chicago, IL; Philadelphia, PA; or Washington, D.C. For the foreseeable future, all of our staff are working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Application
Please apply online by clicking here. Please address your cover letter to Kate Canada, hiring director.
Things to Know When You Apply
U.S. 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 core values page for things you should know about our network when you apply.
U.S. PIRG is an equal opportunity employer.