Senior Fellow

Fellowships & Summer Associates; Scottsdale (AZ); On-site; USD 141,000 - 233,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% medical and dental insurance

Dependent care reimbursement

Paid disability

Long-term care insurance

Life insurance

401(k) plan with 4% match

Paid time off

12 paid holidays

Job summary

Alliance Defending Freedom seeks a Senior Fellow to join the Research & Innovation team, shaping legal and cultural strategy through scholarship, litigation support, and public engagement. You will lead horizon-scanning, author policy papers and op-eds, and collaborate with legal, legislative, and communications teams to advance ADF’s mission across issue areas.

Reporting to senior leadership, you will develop your portfolio, engage policymakers, and help organize events that translate complex

Qualifications

• Terminal degree (J.D., Ph.D., M.D., D.Min., or equivalent) strongly preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of ascending experience in law, policy, academia, journalism, theology, ministry, or related field.
• Demonstrated range across multiple fields with a record of advancing solutions.

Responsibilities

• Identify and analyze threats to religious liberty and related freedoms using research methods.
• Produce original written work for diverse audiences, with aiming placements in leading journals.
• Build a public voice and develop external relationships for ADF.
• Develop practical litigation and regulatory proposals with internal teams.
• Collaborate on case strategy, amicus briefs, and public messaging.
• Represent ADF before policymakers and allied organizations.
• Organize colloquia and gatherings to generate high-quality intelligence and thought leadership.
• Mentor junior staff and contribute to knowledge management projects.
• Prepare testimony, position papers, and public commentary.

Skills

Legal research

Policy analysis

Public speaking

Education

J.D., Ph.D., M.D., D.Min., or equivalent

Job description

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 Statement of Faith to ensure we’re a fit for you.

Location: Lansdowne, VA, Scottsdale, AZ, Washington D.C

Team Overview

As a Senior Fellow, you are a vital part of ADF’s Research & Innovation team. The R&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.

In this role, you will report to the Senior Counsel and Vice President for Strategic Research & 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.

Key Responsibilities

Thought Leadership & Scholarship

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Policy, Litigation & Movement Support

• 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.
• Collaborate with ADF’s Legal, Legislative and Policy, and Communications teams on case strategy, amicus briefs, model bills, testimony, and public messaging.
• Contribute to ADF’s internal position papers and knowledge management project.
• Represent ADF before policymakers, regulatory agencies, and allied organizations.

External Engagement & Alliance Building

• Represent ADF through speaking engagements, media appearances, podcasts, and symposia, communicating complex ideas with clarity and conviction to diverse audiences.
• 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.
• Organize and lead colloquia, symposia, pop‑up salons, and strategic gathering that generate high‑quality intelligence, publishable thought leadership, and movement‑building opportunities.

Team & Organizational Contribution

• Contribute to ADF’s broader programmatic events, including conferences, panel discussions, and public lectures.
• Support the professional development of Research Specialists and early‑career attorneys through substantive feedback, mentorship, and intellectual formation.
• Assist in developing materials — including testimony, position papers, and public commentary — that advance ADF’s mission across all issue areas.

Minimum Qualifications

• A terminal degree — J.D., Ph.D., M.D., D.Min., or equivalent — is strongly preferred.
• A minimum of 10 years of ascending experience in law, policy, academia, journalism, theology, ministry, or a closely related field.
• 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.

Pay & Benefits

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.

Want to Know More About ADF?

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.

Virginia Salary Range

$140,600—$232,500 USD