Senior Fellow

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.

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 gatherings 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. Virginia Salary Range$140,600 - $232,500 USD