We’re hiring practical idealists.
Throughout our network of environmental and public interest organizations, you’ll find passionate people who are tackling big challenges, from clean energy to plastic pollution. Our staff share a commitment to the hard work of positive change, including a strategic approach to getting things done.
If you share a passion for making change on these important issues, and our approach makes sense to you, we hope you’ll apply.
Why take a position with The Public Interest Network? Here are 10 reasons:
1. You’re ready to take on profound challenges. It could mean organizing the transition to renewable energy, saving ancient forests or endangered wildlife from extinction, or stopping the surge of plastic entering our environment, to name just a few examples.
2. You’re ready for a new vision of our collective future. Each organization in our network has a mission that offers a cause worth fighting for on its own terms. Yet our staff also understand that each problem we tackle is part of an even larger problem: the pursuit of endless economic growth on a finite planet. To solve the problems of the 21st century, we need to move beyond a 20th century mindset. We need to organize a paradigm shift.
3. You’re a pragmatic idealist. Our staff propose practical solutions to concrete problems, organize broad-based and often bipartisan coalitions, and are willing to compromise if it means improving people’s lives or the environment. Yet we also work to open hearts and minds to new ways of thinking about social problems and how to solve them – to shift from prioritizing the consumption of greater quantities of “stuff” to elevating the quality of our lives and the natural world.
4. You want to make a difference. Through PIRG, Environment America and other groups and teams in our network, we are focused on building and sustaining efforts to win positive social change. Our staff see themselves on the field, not on the sidelines. If the goal is clear, and the strategy sound, then it’s up to you to take the ball and run it downfield.
5. 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 not about pitting one group against another (though powerful interests are often found standing in the way of change). We work on problems that affect everyone, and we work to find common ground to move forward.
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.
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, and a passion that drives you. We see this work as a mission, not just a job, and are eager to do what it takes to make change happen. Read more about our organizational core values here.
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.