DEPUTY CHIEF OF PARTY, COMMODITY AND SCHOOL FEEDING, MALAWI

CARE seeks a Deputy Chief of Party, Commodity and School Feeding (DCOP) for the anticipated USDA-funded five-year, $28 million McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) project in Malawi. The principal objectives of the McGovern-Dole Program are to carry out: 1) preschool and school food for education programs to improve food security, reduce the incidence of hunger, and improve literacy and primary education, particularly with respect to girls; and 2) maternal, infant, and child nutrition programs for pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, and children who are five years of age or younger.

By providing school meals, teacher training, government capacity-building, and related education and nutrition support, McGovern-Dole helps boost school enrollment, increase attendance, and improve reading outcomes and literacy results. McGovern-Dole also provides support to Maternal and Child Nutrition (MCN). To improve health, nutrition, and dietary practices, McGovern-Dole encourages the inclusion of health- and nutrition-sensitive activities such as the use of micronutrient-fortified products; take-home rations; treatments for deworming and diarrhea; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); school gardens; and curriculum-based nutrition education.

The DCOP will oversee a robust school feeding and commodity management program with a beneficiary accountability system. The DCOP will lead on commodity management and logistics and will be responsible for direct oversight of project implementation, the warehouse, security, and compliance. This position will oversee the completion of all technical requirements, including project results and deliverables in accordance with approved project work plans.

In coordination with the COP, the DCOP will coordinate with key project partners, stakeholders, other USG implementing partners, and the government of Malawi, particularly at the sub-national level. They will supervise program staff, providing technical oversight and support to achieve project results and ensure quality implementation of proven high-impact interventions. The successful candidate will possess significant experience with commodity-focused development programming.

This is a Key Personnel position, subject to USDA approval. It is also subject to project award and funding. National and international candidates are encouraged to apply. This position will be based in Lilongwe.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, March 24, 2024.

Responsibilities:

• Support the Chief of Party (COP) in day-to-day program management and ensure that the program meets all CARE, USDA and host country regulations and requirements related to commodities within the country.
• Manage the preparation and finalization of semiannual and annual project activity reports, leading on specific inputs related to school feeding, commodity management and related issues, verification of MEL reports, and all annual reporting against targets and McGovern Dole indicators.
• Supervise a team of program management, M&E and logistics staff.
• Build and maintain partnerships among national- and community-level stakeholders and engage actively with consortium representatives particularly in creating standards for excellence.
• Support the COP to manage the annual project cycle in accordance with USDA’s annual planning cycles. Ensure documentation and dissemination of findings, impact, innovations, and lessons learned, and utilize a collaborative and adaptive learning approach to the project cycle.

Qualifications:

• University degree in international development, business administration, or a related field is required.
• Minimum of 5-7 years’ senior-level technical leadership experience managing USG commodity-focused programming preferably with Food for Education or Title II commodities.
• Knowledge of USDA regulations and compliance requirements.
• Experience with, and excellent abilities related to, commodity management, logistics, coordination and compliance in low-resource settings.
• Demonstrated, exceptional leadership in the design, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of similar-sized international donor-supported programs, with skills in strategic planning and thinking, management, supervision, and budgeting, and experience managing complex activities involving coordination with multiple program partner institutions.
• Skills building and maintaining relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, and local organizations.
• Fluency in English required (spoken and written).
• Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated intercultural, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to PSHEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Harassment, and Abuse).
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Inclusion (DEBI).