Under the leadership of the Chief of Party, the Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) will be a member of the project’s Senior Management Team and will work as part of a dynamic team to ensure the delivery of high-quality programming by managing, overseeing, and reporting on key programmatic and technical aspects of the McGovern-Dole program in compliance with USDA and Counterpart regulations, procedures, and guidelines. The incumbent will ensure positive and effective relationships with all partners and government stakeholders and improve the skills and qualifications of the project team. This position is based in Nouakchott.

The DCOP will support the COP in overall project management and will oversee the regional offices and staff to of the field-based teams in Brakna, Gorgol, and Tagant to ensure successful program administration and implementation of field activities. The DCOP will oversee the Advocacy, Communication and Outreach Officer and support compliant and effective external communications and relationship management with stakeholders, partners, and project participants. The position also oversees the Local and Regional Procurement (LRP) component, working closely with the LRP Technical Lead on the sourcing and procurement of local and regional commodities to distribute at local school levels. The DCOP will assume project oversight in the COP’s absence.

• Manage key components of social behavior change and communication, local and regional procurement, and the coordination of the three regional offices in Brakna, Gorgol, and Tagant.
• Ensure that the components meet or exceed USDA expectations in terms of timely and quality results, budget execution, and reporting. Contribute to ensuring coordination and compliance between program and operations.
• Effectively manage talent and directly supervise five staff (Advocacy, Communication & Outreach Officer, LRP Technical Lead, Tagant Head of Operations, Brakna Head of Operations, and Gorgol Office Coordinator). Manage team dynamics among direct reports and ensure staff well-being and professional development. Participate in the recruitment, training, and development of staff in coordination with Human Resources to ensure full orientation of new staff. Complete all aspects of the Counterpart Performance Management system for direct reports and provide timely coaching, feedback, mentoring and firmly addressing performance issues.
• Help ensure compliance with USDA Agreement, including financial tracking and oversight of budgets.
• Maintain relationships with key staff of consortium partner organizations in regard to their programmatic responsibilities.
• Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for professional development and partner staff and recommend trainings and technical assistance.
• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning and mentorship.
• Contribute to establishing a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies.
• Work closely with the COP and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning team and field teams to contribute to timely and quality produced semi-annual reports and annual workplans.

• Master's degree in International Development, International Relations or a relevant technical area(s).
• 8 years of progressively responsible experience managing school-feeding and/or other nutrition programs, with experience in one of more of the following areas: early childhood literacy, WASH, school feeding/nutrition, commodities management, procurement management, agricultural development, resilient livelihoods, and food security.
• 3 years of experience managing external donor, including USDA funds, required. Strong knowledge and experience in budget management.
• Recognized leader in sector as demonstrated by prior positions, peer reviewed publications, conference presentations, etc.
• Experience working on programs pertaining to commodities management, proven track record working with a range of government and community actors and managing teams in multiple offices and locations. Experience in the management of USDA school feeding programs desired, or similar USG programming.
• Minimum of 3 years of staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment. Experience in coaching management staff.
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Visio), web conferencing applications, and information and budget management systems.
• An understanding of Mauritania context desired.
• Fluency in French and English-speaking proficiency and writing skills.
• Ability to travel within Mauritania up to 40% of time, with occasional international travel.
• Excellent relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally and provide mentorship and capacity strengthening.
• Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams.
• Counterpart is eagerly seeking professionals with regional or technical experience in West Africa.