Chief Advancement Officer

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 Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) is a member of the ALDF Senior Leadership Team and oversees the engagement strategies that build support for ALDF’s mission. This role is responsible for strengthening the strategies, systems, and infrastructure necessary to support ALDF’s fundraising, donor engagement, marketing/direct response, communications, and advancement operations. This role will ensure effective execution of advancement efforts, grow revenue streams, increase organizational visibility, and help the organization achieve its strategic goals.

In the first year, the CAO will focus on implementing the new advancement structure aligned with organizational priorities, including supporting and leading a new CRM migration, and leading thoughtful, effective change management.

The CAO will supervise and coach a team of advancement leaders and professionals, foster collaboration and accountability, and help cultivate a positive, supportive, and growth-oriented culture.

The ideal candidate is an experienced nonprofit leader with strong sector knowledge, a passion for the mission, and a demonstrated ability to lead teams through periods of growth, change, and development with clarity, empathy, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

How You Will Make a Difference:

• Oversee the Communications and Development teams, managing Advancement Directors and partnering with them to set strategy, vision, and priorities, while leading, coaching, and developing team members.
• Drive a multi-year Advancement vision that grows support for ALDF and aligns with the organization’s mission and strategic plan.
• Ensure fundraising, engagement strategies, and communications are informed by organizational strategy and priorities, data insights, and reflect a clear, consistent brand voice.
• Lead the design and implementation of advancement structures, systems, and processes, including serving as a senior leader sponsor of a CRM migration and strengthening data health, reporting, and insights.
• Ensure smooth and effective advancement operations, including goal setting, and performance indicators.
• Provide strategic guidance and serve as a thought partner to Advancement Directors, supporting decision-making, navigating challenges, and fostering a transparent, growth-oriented culture of continuous improvement.
• Work with the Senior Leadership Team and Advancement Directors to execute the annual budget planning process for your teams and monitor progress throughout the year.
• Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, representing Advancement while contributing to overall organizational strategy, culture, and decision-making.
• Partner with the Executive Director, Leadership, and Board of Directors as needed to drive Advancement initiatives and solve challenges.
• Provide consistent and clear reporting to the Senior Leadership and Board on the efforts of the Communications and Development teams and their progress toward goals.
• Build and steward high-value external relationships that inform strategy, expand partnerships, and increase ALDF’s visibility and impact.

We Are Looking for Candidates With:

• Strong leadership experience in a non-profit setting, with 10+ years of progressive experience in strategic development and/or communications in a leadership role.
• At least 5+ years in a formal people leadership or executive role with a track record of modeling inclusive leadership for high performing teams.
• A Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, or related field, or equivalent experience. Preference for advanced study in comparable areas (e.g., MBA, MA, or JD).
• An understanding and demonstrated commitment to the mission of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• 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 partnership
• 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 Chief Advancement Officer must be available for periodic travel to conferences, training, Board meetings, and donor meetings as required.

Please note, this job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position, which are subject to change in order to best advance ALDF’s strategic objectives and mission.

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.

ALDF 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. ALDF 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 events are free of animal products and byproducts.

The application deadline for this position is August 1, 2026. 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.