Associate Regional Director

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913 to protect the Jewish people, ADL works to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. In the face of rising antisemitism and extremism, we protect, advocate, and educate, through a mix of programs and services using the latest innovations and technology, and seek to create a world without hate. More at www.adl.org. 

The Associate Regional Director develops and implements legislative advocacy strategies that engage policy makers volunteer leaders, and key stakeholders to build, manage, and grow coalitions to support ADL’s mission and issue priorities in the Midwest. The Associate Regional Director partners to develop, track, and analyze policy proposals, legislative activities, and stakeholder relationships in support of ADL issue priorities, and designs volunteer and stakeholder activation strategies to grow ADL’s reach and influence in the policy-making process.

• Demonstrate authoritative knowledge of ADL’s policies and positions and relevant local, national, and world events to respond to inquiries and proactively identify opportunities to promote ADL’s work and position the organization and senior staff as thought leaders among policymakers, civil rights, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Collaborate with ADL’s regional, divisional, and national team members to plan and execute state-based legislation and local government initiatives.
• Develop and manage community outreach and coalition-building initiatives to elevate ADL’s work and strengthen ties between the organization and a diverse group of cross-cultural and interfaith organizations and leaders in collaboration with other outreach team members.
• Recruit and maintain relationships with allies at the state, regional, and local levels to assist with and contribute to ADL’s policy and advocacy initiatives.
• Lead and manage ADL volunteer participation in advocacy activities, such as provide staff support to the Midwest Advocacy Committee, plan and execute state level advocacy day(s) and other engagement opportunities, and partner with national and divisional policy colleagues to train ADL constituents and supporters on effective advocacy skills.
• Serve as a visible, assertive internal and external leader on advocacy and policy matters, taking initiative to drive projects forward, set priorities and mobilize colleagues, volunteers and stakeholders toward shared goals.
• Function as the primary two-way conduit between the regional office and the national/divisional teams, ensuring that priorities, updates, concerns and opportunities are communicated clearly, consistently and in a timely manner in both directions.

• Work with national and divisional partners to monitor and track relevant legislation in the relevant states, providing regular reports to regional and divisional teams.
• Assist in state legislative research and create issue background materials to be used during advocacy activities.
• Represent ADL Midwest on coalitions and task forces in the Midwest.
• Build and maintain partnerships with ADL Midwest colleagues and act as a liaison on all policy and advocacy-related issues.
• Participate in building a Culture of Philanthropy by working with the Midwest Development Team to identify and create fundraising opportunities and initiatives that support the Midwest’s policy, advocacy and volunteer engagement priorities.
• Proactively identify, monitor and respond to emerging legislative and community developments relevant to ADL's priorities, bringing forward opportunities and risks to regional and divisional leadership.
• Prepare and disseminate timely written summaries and follow-up reports after key stakeholder meetings, legislative briefings, coalition convenings and advocacy events, ensuring relevant colleagues are informed and actionable next steps are documented and tracked.
• Develop and execute a strategic stakeholder engagement calendar, including regular touchpoints with elected officials, legislative and government staff, and community organizations ensuring ADL maintains a consistent and credible presence in the region's policy ecosystem.

This job description provides a general overview of the role and its key responsibilities. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, and ADL reserves the right to assign additional tasks as needed. 

• Knowledge of the state and federal legislative processes.
• Experience working and organizing advocacy campaigns, including a proven track record of driving initiatives and projects to completion.
• Experience working with a diverse set of stakeholders and maintaining relationships.
• Ability to translate dense and complicated information for a broader audience.
• Demonstrated ability to lead from the front, including taking decisive action, setting the tone on advocacy priorities and inspiring confidence among internal teams and external partners alike.
• Proven ability to serve as an effective organizational liaison, with a track record of managing cross-functional communication and ensuring alignment between multiple internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Excellent communications skills - including verbal and written.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Self-directed and proactive, with a demonstrated ability to anticipate needs, take initiative in the absence of explicit guidance and consistently move work forward.

• The ideal candidate has several years’ experience in issue-based campaigns and coalition building with a demonstrable increase in skill and responsibility.
• Demonstrated history of independently cultivating and sustaining a high volume of relationships with elected officials, government staff and community stakeholders, with measurable outcomes tied to those relationships.
• Previous experience advocating and working with elected officials is required.

• Bachelor’s degree plus additional related college courses or professional training required.

• ADL is a hybrid environment; this role will require 3 days/week in the office.