Health Care Advocate

PIRG seeks an Advocate to lead our effort to lower health care prices and improve the quality of patient care across the United States. Our complex health care system is riddled with perverse incentives that jack up prices of healthcare with little to show for improvement in the quality of care we receive.

Key Responsibilities

Our High Value Healthcare Advocate will be responsible for campaigns to lower prescription drugs costs, address runaway prices in hospitals and fight for stronger patient protections from unfair medical bills. PIRG’s advocates evaluate policy reform, gain media coverage and organize coalition partners to build strong grassroots campaigns to push for high value health care solutions. This position requires exercising discretion, independent judgment and ability to oversee fast-moving projects. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Program Development: Help develop programs and campaigns, including researching the issue, identifying viable policy solutions, and proposing smart political strategy and messaging.
• Advocacy: Make the best case for our policies directly to decision-makers. Build relationships with players in regulatory agencies, state houses across the country, or in Congress.
• Campaign Strategy: Work with the Campaign’s Senior Director to develop plans to win on our campaigns; assess opportunities for building political support through grassroots organizing, media coverage, endorsements and message development.
• Coalition Building: Meet with other groups who are concerned about this issue. Work together in order to maximize our influence.
• Fundraising: Write grant proposals, build relationships with foundation staff, and meet with major donors.
• Media Outreach: Serve as the spokesperson for our campaigns through media events, press releases and opinion writing. Keep abreast of important health care issues and raise the profile of high value health care issues in the media.
• Staff Recruitment and Development: Recruit new staff, interns and volunteers and provide training and leadership development opportunities. Potential to oversee campaign associates.

Qualifications

Candidates must have at least 3-8 years of relevant professional experience. Qualified candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to public interest or consumer issues and to citizen-based social change. 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 want to make positive policy change. Experience with health policy is a must.

Compensation and Benefits

The starting annual compensation range for this position for someone with 3-8 years of experience is $39,750-$55,000. Candidates on the lower end of directly relevant experience should expect to be on the lower end of this range. 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

Washington, DC

Apply

Apply online here.

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

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.

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/ to learn more before 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.