21st Century Transportation Campaign Director
U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S.PIRG)
October 9, 2014
Professional Area:
Participation and Empowerment
Experience:
5-7 years
Contact person:
Andre Delattre, Executive Director of U.S. PIRG
Email:
andre@pirg.org
Location:
Boston or potentially D.C. or Chicago,
U.S. policies have long favored automobiles over other forms of travel. As a result, Americans are overly dependent on driving and pollute too much. Instead, we need to convince our leaders to stop building unnecessary highways and to provide better opportunities to travel by rail, bus, bicycle and walking.
PIRG stands for the Public Interest Research Group. We're looking for people who agree that America has more problems than we should tolerate, but who also understand that there are plenty of solutions to these problems that we should be putting to use.
We're hiring a Transportation Campaign Director to lead our national transportation campaign to advocate against spending so many public dollars on unnecessary highway expansion and to advocate for better public transit, biking and walking infrastructure, and repairing the roads we already have. Led by Millennials, Americans are driving less than they used to, but government policies haven’t caught up with the times. We aim to change that.
Americans want more transportation choices. Our challenge is to convince our public leaders to listen to the public and follow solutions that make sense for the long term. The special interests have their lobbyists. We're looking to hire people like you to become advocates for the public interest.
What Campaign Directors Do:
Campaign Directors at U.S. PIRG take on some of the biggest problems facing our country, and run campaigns that will get concrete results, while building our organization for the long term.
As a Transportation Campaign Director with U.S. PIRG you’ll tackle transportation problems by helping to develop policy solutions and implementing a variety of campaign strategies to mobilize the public and influence insiders. You’ll make use of leading transportation research that we’ve already developed. You’ll also work to shine a spotlight on the issue in the media, make our case directly to decision-makers, and organize the grassroots support it will take to win. And as you’re working to implement concrete transportation solutions, you’re raising the funds, making the connections and developing the member support that will build our organization for the long term.
On a day-to-day basis, the Campaign Director will be responsible for:
Program development: Help develop programs and campaigns, including researching the issue, creating viable policy solutions, and proposing the right political strategy and messaging.
Advocacy: Make the best case for our policies directly to key decision-makers. Build relationships with players in the statehouse, Departments of Transportation, in Congress or wherever important decisions are being made.
Campaign Strategy: Develop plans to win on our campaigns; assess opportunities for building political support for our agenda through coalition-building, grassroots organizing, media coverage, endorsements and message development.
Media Outreach: Serve as the spokesperson for our campaigns through tactics like media events, press releases and editorial board meetings, with a goal of building awareness for the organization, educating the public and building and demonstrating support for our positions.
Fundraising: Write grant proposals, build relationships with foundation staff, and meet with major donors, all to bring more resources to our campaigns. Work with our citizen outreach staff to build and develop our membership base.
Staff recruitment and development: Recruit new staff and volunteers to increase our impact and build our power. Oversee program staff to develop and implement work plans, provide training and leadership development opportunities.
Qualifications:
Candidates must have at least 5 years of relevant professional experience. Advanced degrees like a JD, or a Masters in Public Policy or Urban Planning are preferred, but not required. Qualified candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to public or consumer issues and to citizen-based social change, as well as a track record of leadership. We're looking for someone who is goal-driven and results-oriented, who has excellent verbal, writing and analytical skills, the ability to speak persuasively in a charged atmosphere, and enthusiasm for the work.
The ideal candidate will have experience in political advocacy and organizing, the ability to work on complex policy issues, a proven ability to recruit, train and develop staff, the ability to raise money, and demonstrated success in building relationships with the full spectrum of political stakeholders.
Salary & Benefits:
Salary for this position is commensurate with the relevant professional experience and/or advanced degrees that a candidate has. U.S. PIRG offers a competitive benefits package. Eligible staff receive paid holidays, sick days, and vacation days; and the opportunity to enroll in our group health care, college loan assistance, and 401(k) programs. We also offer an excellent training program and opportunities for advancement.
Application:
Please apply using our online application by November 15th @ jobs.uspirg.org/page/usr/experienced-applicants. Direct your application to Andre Delattre, Executive Director of U.S. PIRG at andre@pirg.org .
U.S. PIRG is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, sex, handicap, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or veteran status.