Who We Are:  

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, gathering data about and advocating for effective regulation of animal exploitative industries, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law. 

Role Description:  

The Director of the Animal Law Education & Scholarship Program (ALESP) will develop, implement, and manage program goals that will expand the field of animal law and advocacy by supporting students and legal professionals, developing scholarly resources, and driving strategic content creation. The Director will be responsible for managing ALDF’s collaboration with law schools and other strategic partners, identifying additional collaborative opportunities with other universities and organizations, and managing the outreach of ALDF as a leading expert resource in the field of animal law. The Director will manage and lead the staff of the Animal Law Education & Scholarship Program and ensure the strategic objectives and tactical goals of the ALESP are achieved on schedule and within budget. The Director will work closely with the Chief Programs Officer, Executive Director, and other ALDF Program Directors as a member of the Leadership Team, to manage the day-to-day operations of ALDF within the defined strategic and financial targets established by the ALDF strategic plan, the ALDF business plan, and the ALDF budget. Finally, the Director will facilitate and develop relationships with key supporters of ALESP and ALDF. 

How You Will Make a Difference:  

Strategic Direction & Executing Mission

• Formulate strategies and tactics to expand the field of animal law through educational opportunities for students and advancing legal scholarship.
• Identify opportunities to foster and promote scholarly work in related fields that support legal advocacy efforts through writing, submissions, lectures, and teaching opportunities.
• Help cultivate the next generation of animal law advocates and leaders by providing comprehensive support, resources, and engagement opportunities for law students.
• Develop practical tools, guidance, and connections to help law graduates transition into careers in animal law or integrate animal law advocacy into other legal sectors, such as providing pro-bono work.
• Build the structure of ALDF’s Clerkship, Externship, and Student Volunteer Programs by working with ALDF’s substantive Programs to develop opportunities and recruit talented students for placement.
• Lead programs and initiatives with the approximately 200 ABA accredited law schools and oversee development of academic materials for advanced animal law courses.
• Provide support to the nationwide network of Student Animal Legal Defense Fund Chapters and advance initiatives to engage law students in advocacy work. 

Outreach & Relationships 

• Develop a comprehensive strategy for establishing additional collaborative relationships with law schools, public policy schools, and other academic programs to further ALDF’s mission and the cause of animal protection.
• Manage internal collaborative efforts with the Litigation Program, Criminal Justice Program, Legislative Affairs Program, Transparency and Regulatory Affairs Program, and Pro Bono Program.
• Oversee outreach efforts to law students that includes ALESP staff attending public interest career fairs, conferences in the field, and by building relationships with law school career services and externship offices.
• Facilitate networking opportunities for law students to engage with practitioners and other experts by creating and hosting symposia, educational Lunch & Learns, and informational interviews.
• Create, launch, and manage virtual education and outreach programs geared toward law students, legal professionals, and animal advocates.
• Develop a centralized website that houses all relevant resources—career tools, mentorship opportunities, job listings, and more—positioning ALDF as a trusted and accessible resource for new graduates.

Team Leadership

• Lead a team of department professionals by establishing and setting strategic goals and initiatives that support ALDF’s mission and strategic plan. 
• Set performance goals, conduct performance evaluations, provide coaching and ongoing career development opportunities. 
• Work with ALESP staff to develop, manage, and oversee the budget. 
• Provide appropriate progress and budget reports to the Chief Programs Officer and Executive Director. 
• Encourage the professional development of ALESP Team members. 

We Are Looking for Candidates With:  

• 5+ years of experience in a management role at a nonprofit organization with a track record of modeling inclusive leadership for high performing teams. Experience working in an academic setting preferred.
• J.D., Ph.D., or other doctoral-level degree preferred. 
• Familiarity with and comfort in academic settings and the ability to successfully engage with administrators and faculty to develop, manage, and administer one-time and multi-year collaborative relationships that further ALDF’s mission and the cause of animal protection.  
• Experience writing, producing, or supervising academic scholarship.
• Demonstrated competency in creating, leading, and managing programs and projects that span multiple disciplines, both internally and externally with third parties. 
• An understanding and demonstrated commitment to the mission of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. 
• A collaborative partnership and solutions-oriented collaborative mindset. 
• Exceptional leadership skills and experience expressing a vision for the organization and inspiring alignment to that vision. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including communicating with a variety of internal and external stakeholders. Strong listening and relationship building skills. 
• Excellent problem solving, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities. 
• Empathetic interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with others in a team-oriented environment and with external partners.  
• The ability to implement vision, think strategically, creatively problem solve, and exercise good judgment and self-control.  
• Commitment to working with integrity. 
• Experience with donor database systems and system implementation, as well as basic software applications, such as Microsoft Suite. 
• The ability to travel periodically for staff meetings and retreats (estimated 1-3 trips annually). Additionally, the ALESP Director must be available for periodic travel to conferences, training, meetings, and donor meetings as required. 

We Offer Competitive Compensation with Excellent Benefits, Including:  

• A starting annual salary of $153,094 for most geographic locations.    

- For candidates located within 25 miles of Washington D.C., Cotati, CA, and Los Angeles, the starting pay is $161,152.   

- For candidates located within 25 miles of New York City and San Francisco, the starting pay is $169,209. 

- To ensure salary equity, we do not negotiate salary outside of the published starting rates. Rates are determined by role, using set geographical factors.    

Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is a core value for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. We offer:

• Comprehensive health care, dental, life, and vision benefits (100% employer paid); Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA) are also available.  
• 192 hours of PTO. 
• 19 paid holidays. 
• 1-month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment.  
• 401k plan with a 5% employer contribution after one year of employment. 
• 16 weeks paid parental leave. 
• Alternative work schedules (at manager’s discretion). 

Additional information:   

This is a U.S. based position. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.   

The Animal Legal Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing an employment environment which is welcoming of persons from diverse backgrounds and free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, and in which all legal rights of our employees are recognized and protected. ALDLF conducts all internal and external operations, programs, and employment-related decision making (including hiring decisions) without regard to actual or perceived race, ancestry, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, political affiliation, disability or medical condition (including physical, intellectual, or psychiatric), sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, age, or other protected category, and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws.  

Consistent with the organization’s mission, our offices and events are free of animal products and byproducts.  

The application deadline for this position is December 12, 2025. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage applicants to apply early as we may make a decision before the deadline closes.