Overview
Title: Director, State and Local Policy
Reports to: VP, Advocacy
SUPERVISION EXERCISED: Management of staff focused on state and local policy
LOCATION: Anywhere ADL has an Office
Grade/Class: Grade H, Exempt, PSA-Eligible
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 Director State and Local Policy (Director) 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 will focus primarily on state and municipal legislative, executive and administrative campaigns, and will leverage staff, volunteers and local coalitions in the relevant ADL regional offices. The Director will work across the organization to leverage the expertise, experience, relationships on the ground and output of other departments, divisions and regions, and to involve them, as appropriate, in state and local campaigns and initiatives.
Responsibilities
Primary:
- Manage ADL’s State and Local advocacy team to affect change at all levels of state and local government
- Lead the development and pursuit of national policy priorities and strategies for ADL at the state and local levels. Develop goals, milestone, metrics, and track/report. Targets may include state legislatures, state executives and agencies, attorneys general, and municipal government leaders and agencies.
- Develop and implement strategies for advancing ADL’s agenda with state legislatures, statewide elected and appointed officials, and local governments.
- Advance ADL’s policy priorities through measures at the state and local level that will ensure trust in communities on combatting antisemitism, change the narrative on antisemitism and hate, and disrupting extremism.
- Manage coordination with Divisional Policy Directors and Regional policy point people. Collaborate on drafting of ADL policy statements and legislation, and supervise drafting of testimony, letters to and other lobbying of state and municipal officials.Guide and assist with building strategic relationships with state and local elected officials and key staff.
- Provide guidance to ADL’s VP of Advocacy and other staff and leadership (national staff, regional directors, policy counsels, regional board members) on important developments and trends in government policy relevant to ADL’s work.
- Build strategic relationships with public policy experts, civil rights and other coalition partners, as well as with other key stakeholders critical to ADL’s policy goals.
- Create a grassroots network that allows ADL to become the go-to resource for when they develop legislation on issues key to ADL’s mission.
- Serve as leader of the state and local policy team to ensure integration of the state policy and political agenda into other departments (g., CTS, COE, CAR, Law Enforcement), as appropriate.
Secondary:
- Partner with the Growth team to identify and maximize potential donor opportunities.
- Collaborate with the Leadership team to develop thematic, program and speaker ideas for the annual Summit and other events, as requested.
Qualifications
Skills:
- Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
- A demonstrated interest in ADL’s mission and policy priorities.
- Significant knowledge of the inner workings of state and local governments throughout the country.
- Experience in grassroots and grasstops campaigns.
- Committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion values.
- Able to develop project/work plans and execute on them with minimal supervision.
- Creative problem solver with entrepreneurial spirit and self-starting nature.
- Results-oriented with a sense of urgency. Willing to make tough decisions in a timely manner.
- Team player with willingness to play multiple positions as needed.
- High tolerance for ambiguity.
Work Experience:
- The ideal candidate has significant experience in government relations, public policy or similar field and can demonstrate an increase in skills, responsibility and leadership in organizations leading state and local advocacy, and volunteer activation.
- Successful development and execution of multi-state advocacy campaigns required.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required.
Work Environment:
- Flexibility is required to work extended hours or on weekends as may be needed.
- Ability to spend long hours upon occasion at workstation/computer.
- Occasional travel is required to attend meetings, events and conferences.
- ADL is a hybrid environment; this role may require 3 days in the office.
Compensation:
- This position has a salary range of $90,000 to $130,000. This salary range is reflective of a position based in New York, New York. Please note that actual salaries are commensurate with experience and reflect the budget for a given position, and since ADL has a location-based compensation structure, there may be a different range for candidates in other locations. For an overview of our total rewards package, please visit https://www.adl.org/about/careers.
ADL values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of underrepresented ethnic groups, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. ADL is an equal opportunity employer. Recruitment, hiring, promotions and other terms, conditions and privileges of employment shall be maintained in a manner which does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, marital status, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or military status, or in violation of any applicable Federal, state or local laws.
ADL will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation to support the interview process, please contact Talent & Knowledge at talentacquisition@adl.org.
ADL will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other applicable State, Local, and Federal laws.
The information in this job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, or be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job, nor is it to be interpreted as a contract for employment.
