Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.

Mines to Markets (M2M) – Pact’s Mines to Markets Signature Initiative assists mineral-dependent communities to gain lasting benefits from the more sustainable use of the natural resources around them. Pact takes an integrated approach to its work in the mining sector: we link mining to livelihoods, governance, health, environment, and the strengthening of local, regional and national institutions. The M2M program is currently active in eleven countries, working with all scales of mining from large scale industrial operations (LSMs) to individual Artisanal and Small-scale Miners (ASMs) and their communities, in remote areas. For more information on current and some past projects at www.pactworld.org/mining.

Pact is the prime recipient of a three-year project funded by the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM), which is designed to demonstrate the business case for responsible artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Mauritania. In Mauritania, the ASGM sector currently remains nascent and largely informal, with mineral processing reliant on mercury use. With Project partners Magma Group (a locally based geo-technical services company) and Aurum Monaco (a European-based boutique gold refinery), Pact’s project is designed to support gold miners to adopt improved methods for gold processing, with reduced environmental and health impacts. Additionally, government and regional stakeholders will be strengthened to improve capacity for supply chain due diligence and supported in achieving adherence to the new EU Conflict Minerals Regulation. Further, by supporting the establishment of a formal gold trading and export company the Project intends to demonstrate a more transparent and responsible supply chain from Mauritania’s gold mines, to project partners based in Europe.

 

Pact is seeking a Mauritania-based National Project Coordinator, to report to the Project Director based in Canada. The Project is seeking an individual that can take initiative and work independently while maintaining regular communication with an international team. The Coordinator should possess an understanding of the mining sector in Mauritania, and be positioned to establish and maintain a well-informed network with local partners and gold sector stakeholders, including with various Mauritanian Government agencies. The coordinator will fulfill a coordination role with oversight of project implementation activities in Mauritania through supporting a s wide variety of in-country administrative functions of the Project, with major focus on communications, including for in-person meetings with stakeholders.

The Coordinator will be brought on for a trial period after which long-term employment will be assessed.

Please apply with cover letter and CV. Application to not exceed four pages.

Responsibilities will include administrative, technical, and financial reporting to ensure that project activities run smoothly, and outputs are delivered in a timely fashion. Specific responsibilities will include:

• Weekly coordination with the Project Director and Project Manager regarding status of project workplans and responding to ad hoc requests for inputs and management actions/prioritization.
• Regular communication and networking with key stakeholders including MAADEN, Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Environment, mining federations, and other active stakeholders in the sector such as GIZ, mining companies and CSOs.
• Learning and adapting Pact’s online resources and administrative tools, to ensure smooth project implementation, with support from Pact’s other (international) program operations personnel.
• Coordination between Pact and/or project partners in country to provide support and follow-up communications needed to ensure progress for the Project’s integrated workplan.
• Coordination regarding the Projects monitoring and evaluation (MEL) tasks.
• Monitoring of the mining policy landscape in Mauritania including relevant changes in business, security and/or opportunity context.
• Support to the Pact team in drafting and submission of the Project’s biannual progress reports for EPRM, the project donor.
• Coordination of logistics for Pact staff travel when visiting Mauritania; for example, acquiring authorizations for project travel, accommodations, workshops, and other logistical arrangements, including vehicle and venue rentals.
• Documentation and submission of in-country Project expenses and filing expense reports.
• Developing project communications materials including blog posts, success stories, and social media platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn.

• Master’s degree or bachelor’s degree with at least two years (2+) relevant work experience
• Ability to travel within Mauritania, especially to Inchiri and possibly to Zouerate.
• Proven interpersonal and communicative skills (references to be consulted).
• Proven ability to foster and maintain professional relationships with both government and non-government institutions in government (ideally in mining sector, but similar experience will qualify).
• Demonstrated familiarity or eagerness to learn from gold sector development literature such as the OECD Due Diligence Guidance (for responsible minerals); CRAFT Code; UNEP’s Practical Guide to Reducing Mercury Use in ASGM; The ASM Formalization Handbook (from UNITAR), etc. A reading list will be provided after the successful candidate is selected.
• Basic knowledge regarding mining policy, gold mining, mineral processing and mercury usage, as well as the concept of supply chains, value chains (e.g. “mine to market”).
• Proficiency in French and Arabic (in speaking and writing)
• Mauritanian citizen, resident in Mauritania.

• (Minimum) Masters degree in field of social science, public policy, business management, international development, or related field;
• At least two years of work experience engaging with the mining sector, or a related sector, in Mauritania, including experience with government and non-governmental institutions, and/or communities.
• Proficiency in English