It’s not just a job. It’s a mission.

At The Public Interest Network, you can find a group of people who are passionate about the biggest challenges facing humanity. Our staff share a commitment to the hard work of social change, including a strategic approach to getting things done. If you share our passion for change and our approach makes sense to you, we hope you’ll apply.

Environment America 100% Renewable Energy Senior Director Johanna Neumann stands on a warehouse rooftop covered in solar panels holding a sign that reads
Tim O'Connor | TPIN
Johanna Neumann releasing a report on the clean energy potential of solar on warehouses.

Why take a position with The Public Interest Network? Here are 10 reasons:

1. You share our mission: Public Interest Network staff protect the environment, stand up for the public interest, and build organizations that leverage people power for social change.

2. You want your own work to make a difference: Through PIRG, Environment America and other groups and teams in our network, we offer each of our staff and supporters a viable platform to build and sustain efforts to win positive social change. If the goal is clear, and the strategy sound, then it’s up to you to take the ball and run it downfield.

3. You want your work to connect to the bigger picture: We focus on what we call the “problems of abundance” – the negative byproducts of the relentless pursuit of endless economic growth. To solve the multiple crises affecting our environment, our health and our collective well-being, we must educate the public and motivate our leaders to move beyond a 20th-century mindset and meet the challenges of the 21st century head-on.

A modern city street. Cyclists ride in a protected bike lane past commuters boarding a bus at a well-marked stop.
We're advocating for a transportation system that better meets the needs of the 21st century — including funding for biking, walking and transit.

4. You sense that, increasingly, the fight between the Left and the Right is getting us nowhere: Our kind of politics is neither progressive nor conservative. It’s neither left nor right but forward. It’s not about pitting one group against another (though powerful interests are often found standing in the way of change). It’s about breaking free from a past that no longer serves the nation in order to build a better future for all.

5. You’re pragmatic: Our vision is bold, but we are relentlessly pragmatic. If you prioritize making a difference in people’s lives over just making a statement, we’re for you.

6. You want results: We take a business-like approach to making a difference, setting clear goals, benchmarks and systems to measure our progress.

7. You’re excited to work with everybody: We don’t preach to the choir. We don’t cancel people. If someone agrees with us on an issue, we’ll work with them on it even if they disagree with us on every other issue. If they don’t agree with us on an issue, we’ll try to persuade them — and be open to their persuading us.

Marc-Olivier LeBlanc | TPIN
Environment America staff building grassroots support to save bees

8. You are nimble: Getting results means finding a way to win. If Congress is gridlocked, we can work at the state or local levels, or even in the courts or in shareholder meetings.

9. You know that change doesn’t happen overnight: In everything we do, we seek to make a positive difference in people’s lives and build organizations that can continue to make a difference for years to come. We have a 50-year track record of winning thousands of victories for the environment and the public interest. We’re also building a durable, self-sustaining foundation for the next 50 years.

10. You like hard work: Making our long-term vision a reality requires dedication and hard work. We see this work as a mission, not just a job, and are eager to do what it takes to make change happen, keeping our pay modest, working late, or working on the weekend.

Ready to apply?

Learn more about our network
The Public Interest Network operates and supports more than a dozen organizations committed to a shared vision of a better world and a strategic approach to social change.

Throughout The Public Interest Network, we believe that a clear vision, commonsense ideas, a fact-driven case for action, and the power of bringing people together are the necessary ingredients to any successful effort to solve society’s problems. Read more about things you should know about our network when you apply.