Vice President, State and Local Advocacy

About the Organization

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism, and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.

Primary Function

This position is an integral member of the National Affairs team. The Vice President, State and Local Policy (Vice President) is the national staff person charged with overseeing the development and execution of state and local policy campaigns that further ADL’s policy objectives.

These campaigns focus primarily on state and municipal legislative, executive, and administrative actions, leveraging staff, volunteers, and local coalitions in relevant ADL regional offices. The Vice President works across the organization to coordinate and leverage the expertise, experience, and output of other departments, divisions, and regions, involving them as appropriate in state and local campaigns and initiatives.

The Vice President coordinates with Regional and Divisional colleagues to ensure ADL representation and advocacy before state and municipal legislatures and executive officers. This role requires a government relations leader with strong political acumen, innate political instincts, and deep legislative and regulatory procedural experience, who can build strong relationships with diverse constituencies to advance ADL’s mission.

Responsibilities

Primary

• Oversee State and Local Advocacy Strategy and Initiatives:
  • Lead the development and pursuit of national policy priorities and strategies for ADL at state and local levels.
  • Develop goals, milestones, metrics, and tracking/reporting mechanisms targeting state legislatures, state executives, attorneys general, and municipal governments.
• Team Leadership:
  • Manage ADL’s CSC state and local policy team.
  • Hire and manage professional staff, including goal-setting, work plans, and performance management.
• Policy Development:
  • Develop and coordinate ADL’s state policy agenda and proposals.
  • Work with the policy counsel team to develop model state executive actions and legislation.
• Strategic Collaboration:
  • Guide divisional and regional teams in building relationships with state and municipal elected officials and staff.
  • Coordinate with other departments (e.g., CTS, COE, CAR, CCAE, Law Enforcement, Education) to integrate the state policy agenda.
• Relationship Building:
  • Establish relationships with public policy experts, coalition partners, and other stakeholders.
  • Represent ADL at major conferences and gatherings pertinent to state and local advocacy work.

Secondary

• Partner with the Growth team to identify and maximize donor opportunities.
• Collaborate with the Leadership team to develop thematic, program, and speaker ideas for major events like the National Leadership Summit and Never-Is-Now conference.

Qualifications

Skills and Attributes

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including legislative drafting.
• Significant leadership and management experience with a record of building and motivating high-performing teams.
• Proven ability to manage diverse activities across complex organizations.
• Experience in developing and executing multi-state advocacy campaigns.
• Commitment to ADL’s mission and Equity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Diversity values.
• Creative problem solver with an entrepreneurial spirit and results-oriented mindset.

Work Experience

• Significant experience leading state and local advocacy campaigns and engaging volunteers.
• Preferred: Experience working for state or local governments on legislative or executive policy agendas.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required.

Work Environment

• Flexibility to work extended hours or weekends as needed.
• Occasional travel for meetings, events, and conferences.
• ADL is a hybrid environment; this role may require three days in the office or be performed remotely.

Compensation

• Salary range: Up to $205,000 (based in New York, NY). Actual salaries are commensurate with experience and reflect location-based compensation. For more details, visit ADL Careers.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ADL values a diverse workplace and encourages individuals from all backgrounds to apply. ADL ensures that recruitment, hiring, and employment practices comply with all applicable laws, and provides reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities during the hiring process.

Legal Disclaimer

This job description outlines general expectations and responsibilities. It is not intended as a comprehensive inventory of all duties or a contract for employment.

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