Vital Document Counsel & Pro Bono Coordinator

Report to: Executive Director

Location: Virtual - Work from home in the United States with travel

Status: Full Time, Exempt

Salary: $75,000 - $85,000

Benefits: paid leave, health care, and 401K

Direct Reports: 0

Published: August 24, 2026

Applications Due: September 18, 2026

HOW TO APPLY: Submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to jobs@nn4youth.org by September 18, 2026. The cover letter should describe your interest in NN4Y's mission, relevant experience coordinating legal or pro bono services, and experience working with young people or communities experiencing homelessness or other systemic barriers.

The National Network for Youth (NN4Y) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and ending youth, young adult, and young parent family homelessness in the United States.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Vital Document Counsel & Pro Bono Coordinator will lead the day-to-day coordination and strategic growth of NN4Y and Baker McKenzie’s I AM HERE Vital Document Legal Hotline for Youth, a free national resource connecting young people and their advocates with pro bono legal professionals who provide state-specific guidance and support to obtain vital documents.

The position will help expand the Hotline from one to three days per week, grow NN4Y's national pro bono attorney network, develop clear and sustainable referral pathways for complex cases, coordinate community partnerships, and strengthen program data and evaluation. The position will work closely with Baker McKenzie, the American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, the NN4Y team, pro bono attorneys, youth-serving organizations, and young people with lived experience of homelessness.

The position will serve as a key legal and programmatic resource within NN4Y, helping ensure that the Hotline operates with strong legal protocols, high-quality service delivery, appropriate referral practices, and a youth-centered approach. The position will also identify systemic barriers to obtaining vital documents and translate Hotline experience and data into recommendations for policy, practice, and systems change.

This position will coordinate access to legal assistance and resources rather than provide direct legal representation to Hotline callers. The position will develop expertise in Hotline intake, protocols, and referral procedures and take Hotline calls as needed to ensure continuity of service, understand caller experiences, and inform ongoing program improvement. The position will not provide legal advice to callers unless separately authorized to do so through an appropriate attorney-client relationship and within the scope of applicable licensure.

NN4Y is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people with lived experience of homelessness and candidates from communities historically excluded from leadership and decision-making.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Hotline Operations & Program Management (60%)

• Lead day-to-day operations of the I AM HERE Vital Document Legal Hotline, including attorney scheduling, call routing, chat platform administration, case tracking, follow-up, and documentation.
• Support the expansion of Hotline operations from one staffed day per week to three staffed days per week and coordinate the transition of management and administrative responsibilities from Baker McKenzie to NN4Y.
• Recruit, onboard, train, schedule, and support pro bono attorneys and legal partners, including law firms, corporate partners, legal aid organizations, and bar associations to build and maintain a strong national volunteer network.
• Develop and maintain systems for complex-case identification, escalation, and referral, coordinating with the American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness and Poverty and other legal partners to strengthen the national referral network.
• Develop, document, and continuously improve Hotline policies, procedures, intake protocols, escalation processes, quality-assurance practices, attorney guidance, and service standards to promote timely responses, appropriate referrals, strong documentation, and positive experiences for young people and their advocates.
• Monitor Hotline volume, response times, case status, referrals, operational risks, and capacity needs and recommend improvements to NN4Y leadership and legal partners.
• Ensure appropriate attention to confidentiality, informed consent, conflicts, attorney-client relationship considerations, and other legal and ethical issues in coordination with qualified legal partners.
• Coordinate community partnerships and outreach with shelters, schools, outreach programs, workforce development programs, McKinney-Vento liaisons, and other youth-serving organizations, working with NN4Y communications staff to increase use of the Hotline.
• Support in-person legal clinics and targeted activities in priority communities, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New Orleans.
• Ensure youth feedback and lived expertise inform Hotline design, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.

Vital Document Research & Technical Resources (15%)

• Maintain and regularly update NN4Y’s state-by-state vital document database and related resources, including information on birth certificates, state identification cards, Social Security cards, and other vital documents.
• Monitor changes in state and local requirements and coordinate with legal partners to ensure Hotline information is current, accurate, and responsive to young people and their advocates.
• Identify and elevate recurring legal, administrative, and financial barriers to obtaining vital documents and translate emerging issues into internal guidance, tools, protocols, technical assistance, and recommendations for NN4Y leadership.
• Serve as a resource for NN4Y staff, members, partners, pro bono attorneys, and youth-serving organizations and contribute to trainings and technical assistance.

Data, Evaluation & Youth Engagement (15%)

• Maintain accurate program data and systems tracking Hotline inquiries, services, referrals, document acquisition, outcomes, response times, and other key measures.
• Analyze Hotline activity and emerging trends to identify gaps, barriers, and opportunities for program and systems improvement.
• Coordinate follow-up surveys, interviews, and other feedback mechanisms with young people and service providers, including coordination with NN4Y’s National Youth Advisory Council (NYAC) and youth leaders participating in data collection.
• Work with NN4Y research and evaluation partners to document outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations and contribute data and narrative information to grant reports, funder updates, presentations, and funding proposals.

Partnership Development, Fundraising, and Grant Management (10%)

• Represent NN4Y and the Hotline at meetings, conferences, trainings, webinars, legal forums, and other events.
• Cultivate relationships with legal, nonprofit, philanthropic, corporate, and community partners to strengthen and expand the Hotline, pro bono network, and related legal assistance efforts.
• Support fundraising and grant management, including concept notes, proposals, reports, data summaries, presentations, funder communications, and strategies to sustain and scale the Hotline and related systems-change work.
• Support other NN4Y program and organizational priorities as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• J.D. required; licensure preferred but not required.
• Experience in youth homelessness, legal aid, public interest law, social services, or a related field strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating volunteers, managing multi-stakeholder programs, and building professional and community partnerships.
• Strong project management, organizational, data tracking, documentation, and reporting skills; grant compliance experience a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, facilitation, public speaking, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with legal, nonprofit, community, and youth audiences.
• Strong judgment, problem-solving skills, discretion, and professionalism, including the ability to navigate complex legal, operational, and interpersonal issues.
• Commitment to youth-centered, trauma-informed, equitable, and inclusive practices and the ability to work respectfully and effectively with young people experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
• Experience developing trainings, technical assistance, resources, or other capacity-building activities preferred.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace, virtual collaboration tools, databases, and project management systems.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, manage competing priorities, and maintain strong attention to detail.
• Willingness to travel and work occasional evenings and weekends as needed.
• Ability and willingness to take Hotline calls as needed and develop a high level of familiarity with Hotline intake, documentation, referral, and escalation procedures.

Preferred 

• Active bar admission and/or experience practicing law.
• Experience with public interest or civil legal services and/or recruiting or coordinating pro bono attorneys.
• Experience with vital documents, identification, housing, employment, public benefits, or related legal issues.
• Experience working with youth or young adults experiencing homelessness.
• Experience developing legal referral networks, legal clinics, legal hotlines, legal navigation programs, or other programs connecting individuals with civil legal assistance.
• Experience with program data, evaluation, or qualitative data collection.
• Experience working with young people with lived experience in leadership or decision-making roles.
• Familiarity with youth homelessness systems.
• Experience with privacy, confidentiality, conflicts screening, legal ethics, and attorney-client relationship considerations.
• Experience translating complex legal or policy information into accessible resources, trainings, or technical assistance.
• Lived experience relevant to NN4Y’s work.