Senior Fellow at Alliance Defending Freedom

<p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Make a difference with us! At Alliance Defending Freedom, we believe God has brought you here for His purpose—to stand for truth and defend the God-given right to live and speak it. Together, we protect religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and parental rights. Review our <a href="https://adflegal.org/about-us/careers/statement-of-faith/" target="_blank">Statement of Faith</a> to ensure we’re a fit for you.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; color: rgb(35, 111, 161);"><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 48, 87);">Location:</span> </strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Lansdowne, VA, Scottsdale, AZ, Washington D.C</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; color: rgb(0, 48, 87);"><strong>Team Overview</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">As a Senior Fellow, you are a vital part of ADF’s Research &amp; Innovation team. The R&amp;I team exists to meet our civilizational moment — anticipating legal and cultural threats, generating consequential scholarship, and translating ideas across the full spectrum of ADF’s work: litigation, legislation, communications, and movement-building. ADF wins at the Supreme Court, in legislatures, and in the public square. Fellows here develop ideas and strategies that shape law and culture.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">In this role, you will report to the Senior Counsel and Vice President for Strategic Research &amp; Policy Innovation and, through that office, to the Senior Vice President. You will carry a dedicated research portfolio within one or more of the team’s strategic focus areas, producing original work and carrying it into the public square through writing, speaking, testimony, and media.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; color: rgb(0, 48, 87);"><strong>Key Responsibilities</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><strong>Thought Leadership &amp; Scholarship</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Identify and analyze emerging threats to religious liberty, freedom of speech, parental rights, life, and related freedoms — including threats from disruptive technologies and government action at the local, state, federal, and international levels — using AI-assisted horizon-scanning tools and traditional research methods.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Produce original written work in popular and academic formats, including long-form essays, policy papers, white papers, op-eds, and articles for Christian and general audiences, with the goal of placement in leading legal, Christian, and conservative journals and publications.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Build a recognized public voice in your strategic focus area, developing the platform and external relationships that establish you and ADF as an indispensable source on those issues.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><strong>Policy, Litigation &amp; Movement Support</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Working with ADF’s internal teams, develop practical, action-oriented proposals for litigation strategy, model legislation, regulatory comments, and executive policy that advance ADF’s strategic goals and objectives.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Collaborate with ADF’s Legal, Legislative and Policy, and Communications teams on case strategy, amicus briefs, model bills, testimony, and public messaging.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Contribute to ADF’s internal position papers and knowledge management project.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Represent ADF before policymakers, regulatory agencies, and allied organizations.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><strong>External Engagement &amp; Alliance Building</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Represent ADF through speaking engagements, media appearances, podcasts, and symposia, communicating complex ideas with clarity and conviction to diverse audiences.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Build and maintain strategic relationships with leaders in the conservative movement, the Church, academia, and policy institutions — bringing existing networks to the role and expanding them in service of ADF’s mission.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Organize and lead colloquia, symposia, pop-up salons, and strategic gatherings that generate high-quality intelligence, publishable thought leadership, and movement-building opportunities.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><strong>Team &amp; Organizational Contribution</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Contribute to ADF’s broader programmatic events, including conferences, panel discussions, and public lectures.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Support the professional development of Research Specialists and early-career attorneys through substantive feedback, mentorship, and intellectual formation.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Assist in developing materials — including testimony, position papers, and public commentary — that advance ADF’s mission across all issue areas.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; color: rgb(52, 73, 94);"><strong>Minimum Qualifications</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">J.D., Ph.D., M.D., D.Min., or equivalent — is strongly preferred.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">10+ years of ascending experience in law, policy, academia, journalism, theology, ministry, or a closely related field.</span></li> <li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Demonstrated range: the strongest candidates will have experience across more than one of these fields and a record of work that has advanced solutions, not merely documented problems.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; color: rgb(52, 73, 94);"><strong>Pay &amp; Benefits</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">At Alliance Defending Freedom, we offer a competitive compensation and benefits package to support your well-being and growth. While we do not disclose specific salary ranges, our compensation is competitive with top non-profit law firms. Our benefits include 100% covered medical and dental insurance, medical and dependent care reimbursement, paid disability, long-term care, life insurance, and a 401(k) plan with a 4% company match. We prioritize work-life balance with paid time off and 12 paid holidays each year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; color: rgb(52, 73, 94);"><strong>Want to Know More About ADF?</strong></span></p> <p><strong><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TEUAsJ0jDCw" width="560" height="315"></iframe></strong></p><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p><span data-teams="true"><em>This salary range is reflective of a position based in Lansdowne, VA. This range is a good-faith estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the candidate’s experience, skills, qualifications, and office location.</em></span></p></div><div class="title">Virginia Salary Range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$140,600</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$232,500 USD</span></div></div></div>