The Ed Mierzwinski Fellowship

PIRG is hiring aspiring advocates to advance consumer protections grounded in fairness, transparency, and accountability—and carry forward the legacy of lifelong influential consumer advocate Ed Mierzwinski. As U.S. PIRG’s longtime Federal Consumer Program Senior Director, Ed led successful efforts to curb abusive financial practices and worked tirelessly to make the marketplace safer and fairer for everyone.

Key Responsibilities

Ed Mierzwinski Consumer Fellows will work alongside experienced consumer advocates at PIRG on a national campaign or work with one of our state organizations on state campaigns. This position requires exercising discretion and independent judgment in making decisions in matters of significance. Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Research, analysis, and writing: Collect and analyze data and write reports and other materials to illuminate consumer problems, advance solutions for consumers, and provide resources and tip-guides for consumers navigating an ever-changing marketplace.
Work with coalitions: Reach out to a broad range of organizations and affected constituency groups across the political spectrum to demonstrate support for our campaign goals.
Organize support, hold events, and work with volunteers: Build broad public support for your campaign and recruit organizations and members of the public to be involved. Organize webinars, community events and public meetings to educate, persuade, and motivate.
Earn traditional media and social media attention: Organize media events and write opinion pieces. Build a following on social media for your campaign.
Lobby elected officials: Coordinate strategy with champions in Congress or in State Houses. Make a convincing case to legislators who are undecided on a particular vote. When a critical vote is happening on your campaign, work to demonstrate the support you’ve been building on the ground to help line up the votes needed to win.
Recruit new people to your team: Help build your team by recruiting volunteers, interns and full-time staff.
Run a grassroots campaign office each summer: Run a campaign office for the summer, knocking on doors to raise money to support our campaigns, build our organization and membership, and help build critical and timely grassroots support to win key campaigns. Your responsibilities will include meeting your own fundraising goals and managing a team of paid staff. You may be assigned to a different office location for the summer and should be flexible to move.

Qualifications

Entry-level candidates are encouraged to apply. Though we expect you to take on real responsibility and run with it, we provide training on advocacy and organizing skills, as well as oversight by an experienced advocate. Ideal candidates will have leadership experience, top-notch writing and public speaking skills, an eagerness to learn, and be ready for a challenge. We value organizing experience, including building campus or community groups.

Details

Compensation and Benefits

The target annual compensation for this entry-level position is $38,250-$39,500. PIRG offers an excellent benefits package. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents, time off, a commuter benefit program, a 401(k) plan with employer match, parental leave, long term disability insurance, and may include needs-based student loan assistance. We also offer an excellent training program and opportunities for advancement.

Location: This position could be based in Chicago, IL; Washington, DC; or Boston, MA.

We are accepting applications on a rolling basis for a summer 2026 start.

Why work with PIRG? Check out 10 reasons: https://pirg.org/why-work-with-us/

Our Mission and Values

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 https://pirg.org/core-values/ for things you should know about our network when you apply.

Please do not use AI to help draft your cover letter or responses to our application questions. We want to know how you think and write.

PIRG is an equal opportunity employer.

About PIRG

PIRG is an advocate for consumers, advancing solutions to problems that affect our health, our safety and our well-being.

Being a consumer advocate means being a champion for a marketplace that is not only honest and transparent, but also wastes less because it reduces, reuses and recycles more; prevents toxic threats to our health and safety; and considers the impact of new products and technologies on the next generation, not just the next quarterly earnings report.

The true North Star of a successful marketplace should not be the quantity of “stuff” we consume. It should be the quality of our lives.

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Ed Mierzwinski Fellowship