Animal Legal Defense Fund

General

• Receive reports of animal cruelty and requests for case assistance from professional stakeholders, the Administrative Manager, and other sources.
• Provide initial responses and triage via phone or email.
• Exercise discretion in analyzing and recommending which cases CJP chooses to pursue, including communicating efficiently with complainants and advocates by phone and email; gathering relevant facts (through eyewitness accounts, media reports, and other sources as needed) for potential criminal cruelty cases; and identifying, after thorough independent analysis, those cases warranting further investigation and/or veterinary forensics.
• Generate and categorize cases, and work with Managing Attorneys to assign cases to CJP staff according to department protocols.
• Ensure that complete and accurate case information is relayed in a timely fashion to the appropriate team members.
• Input and access information using automated systems, make entries into automated record files, seek to maximize use of automated systems available to CJP to further efficiency and accuracy in case response and record keeping.
• Maintain and organize all case-related records and documentation in a timely, logical, and confidential manner.
• Ensure that electronic logs of all legal cases are accurate and current.
• Review case notes to maintain consistent and timely response in all cases.
• Conduct internet research on potential/active cases (i.e. Facebook, social media, news sources, and company websites).
• Provide basic assistance in research projects, special reports, and case information gathering.
• Prepare materials for meetings, court proceedings, and case discovery.
• Follow up with professional stakeholders on case outcomes/resolutions where possible.
• Create and maintain a system for tracking date and time of upcoming court proceedings related to CJP-assisted cases.
• Manage CJP grant processing for expert witnesses, forensic testing, and costs of care in criminal cases, coordinating with internal and external individuals as needed.
• Inform and assist law enforcement, animal control, veterinarians, and animal rescues on animal cruelty case investigations and case strategies, including reviewing and advising on interview tactics, department policies and procedures, veterinary exams and reports, protective custody foster care programs and related agreements, and large-scale animal rescue implementation.
• Participate in deployment to crime scenes and rescues as needed, exercising discretion in both the decision to travel on-site and the orchestration of such activities.
• Assist with hands-on scene processing for animal cruelty cases, including identifying, collecting and packaging evidence; assisting with logistics and operational expertise; and assisting with other aspects of search and seizure operations and animal rescue support.
• Provide support as requested to CJP Case Response Unit.
• Build strategic relationships with prosecutors, law enforcement, animal control, veterinarians, and animal rescues to facilitate agency assistance in forensics, crime scene processing, and veterinary medicine.
• Schedule and conduct outreach and training presentations for various disciplines, including but not limited to law enforcement agencies, veterinarians, prosecutors, animal shelters and rescues, and social service agencies.
• Proactively maintain intradepartmental relationships and act as a liaison to other programs.
• Create and maintain system for sharing information about CJP case work and outcomes across departments and facilitate the sharing of information approved for public-facing materials.
• Provide in-house expertise for staff on questions concerning Criminal Justice Program cases, animal cruelty cases in general, criminal investigation, veterinary forensics, animal rescue and sheltering.

Animal Cruelty Case Specialist

Attorney

• Assist prosecutors and courtroom animal advocates on animal cruelty cases at the trial level through factual and legal analysis of animal cruelty statutes, rules of criminal procedure, and other related laws; draft memoranda, pleadings, motions, and other documents as needed for trial preparation.
• Communicate directly with prosecutors and courtroom animal advocates regarding strategies for animal cruelty-specific issues.
• Assist law enforcement, animal control officers, and veterinarians with animal cruelty investigations, including reviewing affidavits, warrants, expert witness testimony, and veterinary reports.
• Identify and analyze the viability of potential animal cruelty charges in cases where criminal charges have not been filed, and draft correspondence to relevant law enforcement and prosecutors outlining the viability of a criminal cruelty case where appropriate.
• Communicate efficiently with complainants and advocates by phone and e-mail; gather relevant facts (through eyewitness accounts, media reports, and other sources as needed) for potential criminal cruelty cases; and identify, after thorough legal analysis, those cases warranting further investigation.
• Oversee drafting, editing, and submission of amicus curiae briefs on behalf of ALDF.
• Assist with the review, development, and advancement of new legislation relating to animal crimes in all 50 states and at the federal level.
• Coordinate and collaborate with Litigation Program staff on cases that have, or could have, both civil and criminal components; coordinate with Legislative Affairs Program on legislative matters with a criminal component.
• Work with Communications and other departments to answer questions on criminal legal issues and procedures.
• Field media requests from Communications as requested by the Criminal Justice Program Director.
• Create and conduct legal trainings on animal crimes for a range of audiences, including: criminal justice practitioners, courtroom animal advocates, law enforcement agents, animal control officers, judges, law students, and humane officers.
• Prepare and deliver presentations for other professional conferences, fundraising events, etc. as needed. Provide in-house expertise for staff on questions concerning Criminal Justice Program cases, animal cruelty cases in general and criminal procedures and legal strategy.
• Other criminal justice projects (e.g. intersection of animal law and criminal justice reform; effective sentencing models; emergent animal law/criminal law issues; etc.) as requested by Criminal Justice Program Managing Attorney.

Staff Attorney – Criminal Justice Program

• Publish diverse legal and advocacy-driven content on the ALDF website, including landing pages and action centers, utilizing multiple templates and complex taxonomy.
• Update webpages on a rolling basis, with information supplied by program departments.
• Maintain and organize image and video assets in our digital media library.
• Select, crop, and size photos for the website, following organizational photography standards.
• Serve as a final check before publishing, coordinating edits as needed.
• Perform daily maintenance, monitoring, and quality assurance of the website.
• Monitor and analyze website performance, functionality, use experience, and mobile responsiveness, and report on website metrics including traffic, downloads, and click rates, leveraging Google Analytics and Tag Manager.
• Provide insight and advice in team collaborations, with a focus on maximizing posts for use on the web and upholding content quality standards, emphasizing usability and UX, shareability, findability, style, and maintainability.
• Stay up to date on industry trends, technological developments, SEO, and UX strategies.
• Generate monthly performance reports.
• Create and implement strategies to recruit a wide demographic of supporters with an emphasis on conversation, including utilizing and managing the assigned online recruitment advertising budget — to include social media advertising (Meta, LinkedIn), Google Ads Words, retargeting ads, and banner ads.
• Conduct audience targeting, retargeting, and A/B testing.
• Develop ad copy, creative briefs, and campaign recommendations.
• Measure success of every digital advertising campaign, tracking campaign performance, including conversions and ROI.
• Manage and optimize the organization’s Google Grant.
• Collaborate with development, events, and program departments, to support direct marketing campaigns for fundraising, conferences, and key audience cultivation.
• Manage and code advertising expenses to corresponding restricted grants.
• Create Intranet posts as assigned, including uploading and embedding videos, news articles, staff announcements, staff directory updates, graphics, and other apps as needed.

Digital Media Specialist

Program Manager

• The Program Manager provides operational, administrative, research, and programmatic support to the Animal Law Education & Scholarship Program (ALESP) and the Transparency & Regulatory Affairs Program (TRAP).
• The role drives programs, events, grants, and educational initiatives; manages data, records, and program resources; conducts research and analysis; prepares reports and communications; and supports cross-functional projects that advance organizational goals.
• The position also supports transparency and regulatory oversight efforts by leading information-gathering initiatives, maintaining and analyzing complex datasets and records, and developing resources that inform the organization’s advocacy, legal, policy, communications, and educational work.

Content Marketing Manager

• Manage, enhance, and enforce ALDF’s brand, providing consistent organizational voice and messaging across all content
• Develop and execute a comprehensive editorial strategy that aligns with organizational priorities and campaigns and expands reach and impact
• Define content goals, voice, tone, and messaging guidelines
• Identify storytelling opportunities that elevate the organization’s impact and thought leadership
• Manage editorial calendar across digital, print, and multimedia platforms
• Develop message frameworks for large bodies of institutional work
• Uphold editorial standards, fact-checking, and ethical storytelling practices
• Oversee creation of digital and printed content including articles, reports, blog posts, newsletters, digital advertising, and social media copy, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in all content
• Craft primary messaging and storytelling pieces for the organization
• Oversee efficient production systems, including publishing workflows, timelines, and quality control processes
• Edit and approve content to ensure clarity, accuracy, and alignment with brand standards
• Translate complex policy, research, or programmatic work into engaging narratives
• Lead, mentor and manage a team of content writing, digital, and social media staff
• Provide editorial guidance, performance feedback, and professional development opportunities
• Collaborate cross-functionally with program, advocacy, fundraising, and marketing teams, ensuring relevant parties are engaged in strategy and review content for approval
• Manage the relationship with external contributors, design consultants, vendors, and agencies as needed
• Ensure all content is approved by program directors, communications director, and executive director, as needed
• Oversee CMS (e.g., WordPress), content distribution channels, and the design of user journey and experience through those channels
• Supervise and help optimize digital advertising strategy and execution
• Oversee work to optimize for AI, SEO, email, and social platforms
• Guide, and help optimize content performance (web traffic, engagement, conversions), using insights to refine strategy and improve impact
• Report on key metrics to leadership

Head of Content Strategy, Communications

Operations

• Supervise one Associate, providing day-to-day direction, coaching, quality oversight, career development and performance management across all functional areas — including gift processing, data entry, and supporter communications — and establishing the best practice standards that define excellence in each area
• Work with Advancement leadership to establish and track KPIs, SMART goals, and performance benchmarks that drive accountability and support team growth
• Develop, maintain, and regularly update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across data and systems operations and donor services, ensuring consistency, accountability, and service quality across both functions
• Serve as the primary escalation point for gift processing issues, data backlogs, and vendor concerns
• Proactively engage with departments across the organization, including Finance and Programs, to understand their data and reporting needs and develop Advancement Operations solutions that serve the full organization
• Provide backup coverage for Associate functions — including customer service and gift processing — during absences or otherwise as needed to maintain continuity without disruption to operations
• Develop and execute a data quality roadmap that optimizes people, processes, and technology to advance data maturity — making Advancement data more accurate, reliable, and actionable for decision-making and operational effectiveness
• Design data strategies that drive audience engagement and fundraising revenue, including list segmentation, qualified list generation, and highly customized acquisition, solicitation, and stewardship campaigns
• Build the data infrastructure to enable mid-level donor segmentation, moves management, and prospect research
• Identify and implement database automations and AI integration opportunities to improve efficiency and streamline workflows; proactively monitor industry trends to continuously elevate data practices
• Design and deliver data training for Advancement Team members, equipping staff to leverage data for decision-making and revenue growth within their respective areas
• Lead large-scale data projects under the direction of the Development Director, as needed
• Lead regular database clean-up projects, establishing and enforcing best practices in donor database health and data hygiene
• Develop and maintain reporting infrastructure, delivering complex CRM reports to Advancement and Finance stakeholders on a routine and ad hoc basis
• Develop, test, and validate data deliverables — including reports, segmented lists, and data projects — ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with organizational needs
• Lead the production and delivery of recurring revenue and donor performance reporting for Development leadership
• Proactively identify philanthropic opportunities through ongoing analysis of data trends, and surface and resolve advanced donation and data issues before they escalate
• Ensure team adherence to policies and procedures for data management, maintaining data quality, security, and compliance with CAN-SPAM, PCI, and internal policies governing the use, storage, and handling of confidential donor and financial information
• Manage the Advancement Team's use of the organization-wide CRM, including configuration, integrations with third-party fundraising tools and other platforms, and ensuring accurate tracking and timely reporting of deliverables
• Manage key Development Team vendor partnerships, such as the CRM and caging vendor, providing strategic oversight to ensure alignment with organizational goals, drive performance, resolve issues, and optimize systems for long-term efficiency and impact
• Serve as the Advancement Team lead for ALDF's migration from ROI to Salesforce.

Advancement Operations Manager

Chief Operating Officer

• Oversee the Human Resources, Technology, and Operations teams, managing the Directors of each of these departments and working with them to set department strategy, vision, and culture, as well as hiring, training, supervising, mentoring, and developing team members.
• Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction for ALDF operational activities in partnership with your department Directors and team members.
• Direct and implement business objectives to ensure optimal operations, maximize returns on investments, and increase inter-departmental collaboration and productivity.
• Identify opportunities to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of internal operations.
• Collaborate with ALDF’s Chief Financial Officer regarding shared services between the Human Resources and Finance departments, such as Payroll.
• Work with your team leaders, the Executive Director, and Senior Leadership Team to prepare reports for key stakeholders such as the Board of Directors.
• Direct the financial and budget activities for your teams, maximize outcomes, and increase efficiency.
• Work with the Senior Leadership Team and Directors to execute the annual budget planning process for your teams and monitor progress throughout the year.
• Confer with fellow leaders and staff members to discuss issues, coordinate activities, and resolve problems.
• Work with other members of the Senior Leadership Team to assess organizational risk and implement measures to ensure compliance and mitigate risk.
• Ensure that ALDF is operating in a manner that reflects sound controls, high mission impact, and manageable workloads for staff.
• In partnership with the Senior Leadership Team, drive a positive, productive, and inclusive work environment at ALDF.
• Oversee the development and implementation of practices that support a healthy culture across the organization, including strong internal communications and supporting the HR Director and other leaders in executing strategies that continuously improve ALDF’s culture.
• Cultivate a positive and collaborative working relationship with fellow Leadership members and Programs staff, and support the Human Resources, Technology and Operations Directors in building strong cross-functional internal relationships.
• Serve as an engaged and active member of the Senior Leadership Team and participate in and contribute to ALDF initiatives and processes.
• Advise the Executive Director and Board on questions of organizational sustainability and other matters.
• Oversee the development and implementation of programs and projects relating to infrastructure, Human Resources, Technology, and Operations and take the lead on internal change management for such initiatives.
• Oversee the implementation and compliance with relevant ALDF policies, including record retention, technology use, employment and labor, communications standards.
• Maintain a working knowledge of significant developments and trends in the fields of animal law.
• Performing other duties as assigned.