National Volunteer Program Manager

Chicago, IL
Full Time
Manager/Supervisor

The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights invites applications for the full-time position of National Volunteer Program Manager (NVPM) to be based in one of the Young Center’s nine physical office locations. The Young Center’s Child Advocate Program operates through a volunteer-based model, engaging and training bilingual, bicultural volunteers who staff supervise to serve as Volunteer Child Advocates. The NVPM is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the Child Advocate Program’s national volunteer program. This role also includes supervising a team of National Volunteer Support Associates and providing strategic leadership to centralize and streamline key functions of the Volunteer Coordinator role, thereby enhancing program efficiency and consistency across all sites. 

ABOUT THE YOUNG CENTER 

The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights is a national organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights and best interests—safety and well-being—of immigrant children in the United States. The Young Center’s Child Advocate Program (CAP) serves as the federally-appointed best interests representative for unaccompanied and separated immigrant children in federal custody. Through CAP’s state initiative, we also serve and are appointed by the Superior Courts of New Jersey as independent Child Advocates to children released from federal custody into the New Jersey community. Child Advocates meet with children and learn their stories in order to identify and advocate for their best interests through an interdisciplinary, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive lens. The Young Center’s Policy Program fights for wholesale reform of the immigration system while pursuing immediate changes in policy and practice that center children’s rights and best interests in all decisions. The Technical Assistance Program, the Young Center’s newest program, offers intersectional expertise and critical resources to advocates and service providers working with immigrant children involved in child welfare and other state court systems. 

The Young Center has offices in Houston, San Antonio, and Harlingen, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York; Washington, D.C.; Phoenix, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; and Grand Rapids, Michigan. We also serve children through our programs in New Jersey. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES  

Manage National Volunteer Program: 

  • Develop, evaluate, and support implementation of best practices, handbooks, and tools for national volunteer recruitment, ongoing education, supervision, retention, and database improvements to measure effectiveness.  

  • In partnership with mangers,provide guidance and tools to Volunteer Coordinators (VCs) to strengthen a skilled volunteer corps capable of handling complex cases and supporting specific sub-populations of unaccompanied children 

  • Collaborate with National Volunteer Support Associates (NVSAs) to lead national volunteer trainings, education, and engagement events  

  • Collaborate with Deputy Program Directors (DPDs) and Program Directors (PDs) to collect data supporting program metrics and strategic planning for the national volunteer program 

  • Speak with interested national volunteers or community partners 

Supervise National Volunteer Support Associates: 

  • Hire, onboard, and supervise a team of NVSAs, overseeing their performance, workflow, and development  

  • Coordinate with DPDs to assign NVSAs to sites needing coverage during VC outages or vacancies, following best practices for national support 

  • Collaborate with NVSAs on national projects to strengthen volunteer programming, including continuing education resources, tools for VCs, expert networks, and volunteer expectation refreshers 

  • Collaborate with NVSAs to centralize VC functions and improve nationwide systems efficiency 

Enhance Programmatic Systems: 

  • In collaboration with NVSAs, Talent & Culture Coordinator, and Director of HR & Operations, oversee the volunteer clearance system, including regular audits with VCs to ensure all volunteers have current background checks 

  • In collaboration with the NVSAs, oversee the national volunteer database tracking all aspects of volunteer involvement; work with the Knowledge, Management, and Learning team on data system enhancement   

  • Maintain and enhance a digital resource library for volunteers across all Young Center offices 

  • Attend regular Child Advocate Program leadership and manager cohort meetings to engage in program discussions and exchange feedback on volunteer programming 

  • Analyze national data, including satisfaction surveys and trainings evaluations, to identify areas for improving volunteer programming 

  • Maintain and update standardized forms for volunteer screening, training, and onboarding as needed 

Provide Training, Coordination, and Consultation:  

  • In collaboration with site managers, participate in the hiring and onboarding of VCs  

  • Conduct onboarding orientations for new Child Advocate Program staff and provide ongoing training on the volunteer model, recruitment, training, support, retention, and management of best practices for volunteers 

  • Facilitate peer learning among VCs by organizing regular cohort meetings and engaging in site training planning 

  • Consult with program staff to troubleshoot complex issues that arise with volunteers  

  • Travel, as needed to support new VCs in their first training for new volunteers 

  • Other duties as assigned 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS 

  • An undergraduate college degree, or at least four years of equivalent post-high school experience that may include a combination of employment, community organizing, internships, student leadership and/ or volunteer experience   

  • At least three years of volunteer management and engagement experience, either at the Young Center or a similar role in another organization 

  • Project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects while prioritizing and meeting deadlines   

  • Strong time-management and organizational skills 

  • Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills 

  • Ability to work independently, take initiative, and problem solve proactively to address gaps and programmatic needs 

  • Highly collaborative and willing to work creatively as part of an interdisciplinary environment 

  • Ability to collect, analyze, and present large amounts of data 

  • Professionalism and ability to liaise across organizational departments 

  • Enthusiasm for a volunteer-based service model  

  • Commitment to comprehensive culture of feedback, including seeking and providing positive and constructive feedback 

  • Desire to learn, both as an individual and as part of an organization, and apply diversity, equity, inclusion, and/or anti-racism principles 

  • Ability to effectively engage across different cultures, identities, and ethnicities 

  • Proficient in Microsoft Office products, Zoom, Adobe Acrobat, and willingness to learn new technology and/or platforms 

  • Fluent in English and Spanish (oral and written) 


PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

  • Experience—lived, volunteer, or professional—with immigration matters and child welfare 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

Physical demands include regular attendance, keyboarding, sitting for long periods (at least 5 hours a day), driving. Ability to use computer, telephone, and copy machine. Ability to travel by plane, car and other conveyances within U.S. Occasional lifting for event setup/preparation. 

APPLICATION DETAILS 

The Young Center is an "at-will" and equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in and affirmatively factors diversity into its hiring practices. Young Center encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, ancestry, marital or parental status, pregnancy, citizenship, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, genetic information, or veterans’ status. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process; no applicant will be penalized for requesting an accommodation. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application. 

$84,630 to $95,894is the standard new hire range for this position ($93,093-$105,483 for those residing in the Los Angeles and DC metropolitan areas; $97,324-$110,278.08 for those residing in the NYC metropolitan area). Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to location and experience. The Young Center does not ask for prior pay history from our candidates, and our offer-making process is negotiation-free for salaries and benefits. We offer our best possible salary based on relevant experience. The range listed is just one component of the Young Center’s total compensation package for employees. The Young Center provides excellent benefits, including health/dental/vision insurance (employee & dependents) at no cost to the employee, paid vacation, sick time, and a 401(k) plan with employer match. 

A criminal background check will be conducted.  

Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please apply on the Young Center website with a cover letter, resume, professional or scholarly writing sample and three references. Only complete applications will be considered.  

To learn more about the Young Center’s work, please visit www.TheYoungCenter.org. 

Share

Apply for this position

Required*
Apply with Indeed
We've received your resume. Click here to update it.
Attach resume or Paste resume
Attach resume as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, or .rtf (limit 5MB) or Paste resume

Paste your resume here or Attach resume file

To comply with government Equal Employment Opportunity and/or Affirmative Action reporting regulations, we are requesting (but NOT requiring) that you enter this personal data. This information will not be used in connection with any employment decisions, and will be used solely as permitted by state and federal law. Your voluntary cooperation would be appreciated. Learn more.
Invitation for Job Applicants to Self-Identify as a U.S. Veteran
  • A “disabled veteran” is one of the following:
    • a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or
    • a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
  • A “recently separated veteran” means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.
  • An “active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran” means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.
  • An “Armed forces service medal veteran” means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.
Veteran status


Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability
Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Please check one of the boxes below:

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

You must enter your name and date
Human Check*