The posting
Role summary
As a Triage Specialist, you will be the first point of contact for members of the public seeking assistance at our Centres, email inbox and hotline calls. You will assess their needs, provide clear guidance and determine the appropriate scheme, service or referral pathway, within Pro Bono SG (“PBSG”) or across the wider legal aid and social service landscape.
Your work plays an important part in PBSG’s mission to improve access to justice by helping people understand their options and connect with the right support, often at an important point in their journey.
1. Triage and Intake
- Serve as the first point of contact for members of the public at our Centres, managing walk-ins and enquiries in a timely and orderly manner.
- Conduct triage assessments to understand each applicant's needs and determine the appropriate scheme, service or referral pathway.
- Gather relevant information, clarify circumstances, and explain intake and referral processes clearly and patiently.
- Register applicants, assist with form completion, and follow up on outstanding information or documents.
- Identify matters requiring further assessment or escalation, including urgent matters and safety or vulnerability concerns, and refer them promptly to the supervising officer or lawyer.
- Engage with applicants professionally and empathetically, while maintaining appropriate boundaries and not providing legal advice.
- Record interactions and triage outcomes accurately in our systems, and handle all personal data in line with confidentiality requirements and the PDPA.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of PBSG schemes, eligibility criteria and external referral options, including legal aid agencies and social service partners.
2. Consultation Session Coordination
- Support the coordination and administration of legal consultation sessions.
- Liaise with lawyers, interpreters and community partners on appointments, schedules and session arrangements.
- Ensure applicants and volunteers have the necessary case information and materials ahead of sessions, and communicate any changes to them promptly.*
- Provide on-the-ground support during consultation sessions, and assist with coordination across community and partner agencies where required.
- Support post-session follow-up, including recording outcomes, next steps and onward referrals.
- Contribute to data collection and reporting, and suggest improvements to intake and clinic processes.
3. Enquiries & Correspondence
- Respond to public enquiries received through email and digital channels, applying the same triage judgement used for in-person enquiries.
- Manage the enquiry inbox alongside a steady flow of walk-in enquiries, moving between channels throughout the day as priorities change.
- Draft clear, accurate and empathetic responses.
- Keep up to date with programme eligibility, policies and referral options.
- Follow up where further information or clarification is required.
4. Hotline Support
- Man PBSG's hotlines and respond to calls from members of the public, applying the same triage judgement used for in-person and written enquiries.
- Assess each caller's needs over the phone, provide clear guidance and direct them to the appropriate scheme, service or referral pathway.
- Capture call details and triage outcomes accurately, and follow up where further information or clarification is needed.
- Identify urgent, sensitive or distressed callers and escalate promptly to the supervising officer or lawyer.
- Oversee student volunteers supporting the hotline, including day-to-day guidance, allocation of tasks and on-the-job coaching.
- Serve as the first point of contact for volunteers during a session, answering questions as they arise and referring anything beyond their role to the supervising officer or lawyer.
5. Records & Reporting
- Maintain accurate and timely records of enquiries, triage outcomes and referrals.
- Contribute enquiry and triage data to operational and service-planning reports.
- Support the team in identifying recurring enquiry trends and opportunities to improve service processes.
What the role requires
This role is suited to someone who enjoys fast-paced, people-centred work and can remain calm, attentive and constructive throughout a busy day. You will:
- Exercise sound judgement when information may be incomplete or evolving.
- Manage a sustained volume of in-person and written enquiries, moving between channels and competing priorities while maintaining accuracy and service quality.
- Stay organised and focused when demand is continuous and priorities shift throughout the day.
- Communicate clearly and respectfully with people from diverse backgrounds and circumstances.
- Support people who may be uncertain, concerned or navigating unfamiliar processes, with empathy and appropriate professional boundaries.
- Adapt readily between different enquiries, tasks and service needs.
- Build a good working knowledge of PBSG’s programmes, services and referral pathways.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues, volunteer lawyers, interpreters and community partners.
- Demonstrate reliability, discretion and a strong service orientation.
A diploma or degree in any discipline is required. Prior frontline, social service, community or customer-facing experience is an advantage, but not essential. Paralegal or other legal-support experience is a particular advantage, given the triage nature of the role. Fresh graduates with the right attitude and aptitude are welcome.
Work arrangements
This is a fully on-site role, with rostered rotation across our various Centres. As the role involves direct, in-person service delivery, there is no work-from-home component. Your on-site presence enables us to provide accessible and timely support to members of the public, and to work closely with our colleagues, volunteers and community partners.
