Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS) - We are an organisation dedicated to transforming the lives of smallholder farmers across Nigeria. Building on the strong legacy of the Syngenta Foundation Nigeria, FSSS is now a locally governed and staffed entity committed to scaling impactful agricultural innovations, empowering farmers, and fostering sustainable development.
Position Summary
- The Senior Socioeconomics and Impact Manager will provide strategic leadership for socioeconomic research, impact assessment, learning, adoption studies, and evidence generation across all FSSS programs and projects.
- The position is responsible for ensuring that project investments translate into measurable outcomes, sustainable livelihoods, increased resilience, and scalable impact for smallholder farmers and rural communities.
- The role will lead the design and implementation of impact measurement systems, socioeconomic studies, adoption assessments, cost-benefit analyses, and commercialization research while ensuring that evidence generated informs project design, implementation, donor reporting, policy engagement, and scale-up strategies.
- As a senior management position, the role will provide technical oversight to the MEAL function and serve as the organization's focal point for impact evaluation, learning, and evidence-based decision-making.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Program Development:
- Lead the development and implementation of FSSS's socioeconomic research, impact measurement, and learning agenda.
- Provide strategic guidance on project design, theories of change, results frameworks, and impact pathways.
- Support the integration of socioeconomic and impact considerations into all organizational programs and projects.
- Contribute to organizational strategy, resource mobilization, and partnership development
Socioeconomic Research and Analysis;
- Design and oversee:
- Baseline, midline, and endline studies
- Household and livelihood surveys
- Adoption and diffusion studies
- Market and value chain assessments
- Gender and social inclusion studies
- Farmer segmentation and behavioral research
- Ensure methodological rigor in research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
- Lead quantitative and qualitative research activities to generate evidence on project effectiveness and impact.
Impact Assessment and Learning:
- Develop and manage organizational impact measurement systems.
- Lead impact evaluations across agricultural, livelihoods, climate resilience, and enterprise development programs.
- Establish learning frameworks and mechanisms to capture lessons learned and best practices.
- Promote adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making across project teams.
- Produce impact reports, learning briefs, and knowledge products for internal and external stakeholders.
Adoption, Commercialization, and Scaling Studies:
- Lead studies assessing farmer adoption of technologies, innovations, and agricultural practices.
- Identify barriers and drivers of adoption and scale.
- Conduct commercialization assessments for agricultural products and technologies.
- Support product advancement initiatives by generating evidence on farmer preference, performance, and market potential.
- Develop scaling strategies for proven innovations and interventions.
Economic and Financial Analysis:
- Lead cost-benefit and return-on-investment analyses for project interventions.
- Conduct socioeconomic impact assessments and economic feasibility studies.
- Assess profitability, enterprise viability, and livelihood outcomes among beneficiary populations.
- Generate evidence to support investment decisions and donor engagement.
MEAL Oversight and Data Quality Assurance;
- Provide technical supervision and strategic direction to the MEAL Manager.
- Ensure alignment between monitoring systems and organizational impact objectives.
- Strengthen data quality assurance systems and reporting processes.
- Promote the use of digital tools and analytics for impact measurement and reporting.
Knowledge Management and Publications:
- Lead the development of technical reports, policy briefs, publications, and research papers.
- Coordinate dissemination of project findings to donors, government agencies, research institutions, and development partners.
- Support publication of scientific and technical outputs in peer-reviewed journals and knowledge platforms.
- Represent FSSS at conferences, technical meetings, and stakeholder engagements.
Donor Reporting and Stakeholder Engagement:
- Support the preparation of high-quality donor reports and impact narratives.
- Engage with donors, research institutions, government agencies, and development partners on impact and learning-related matters.
- Provide technical input into proposal development, project design, and fundraising initiatives.
- Represent FSSS in national and international technical forums.
Key Deliverables
- Baseline, Midline, and Endline Reports
- Socioeconomic Assessment Reports
- Impact Evaluation Reports
- Adoption and Commercialization Studies
- Cost-Benefit and Economic Analysis Reports
- Learning and Knowledge Products
- Policy Briefs and Technical Publications
- Donor Impact Reports
- Scaling and Commercialization Frameworks
Required Qualifications
Education:
- Master's degree in:
- Agricultural Economics
- Development Economics
- Rural Development
- Agricultural Extension
- Development Studies
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Statistics
- Social Sciences or related field
Preferred:
- PhD in Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Impact Evaluation, Rural Development, or related discipline.
Professional Experience;
- 8–12 years of progressively responsible experience in socioeconomic research, impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation, agricultural development, or related fields.
- Demonstrated experience managing donor-funded projects.
- Experience working with international organizations, development agencies, research institutions, or NGOs.
- Strong understanding of agricultural systems, livelihoods, and rural development.
- Strong understanding of agricultural systems, livelihoods, and rural development.
Technical Competencies:
- Impact Evaluation
- Socioeconomic Research
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Adoption and Scaling Studies
- Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods
- Statistical Analysis (SPSS, STATA, R)
- Data Visualization and Reporting
- Results-Based Management
- Knowledge Management
- Proposal Development
Core Competencies:
- Strategic Thinking
- Leadership and Team Management
- Analytical and Critical Thinking
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Communication and Report Writing
- Problem Solving
- Innovation and Learning
- Results Orientation
Expected Contribution to FSSS:
- The Senior Socioeconomics and Impact Manager will play a critical role in positioning FSSS as a leading evidence-driven organization by ensuring that project interventions are rigorously evaluated, lessons are captured, and impact is clearly demonstrated.
- The role will strengthen FSSS's ability to attract donor funding, influence policy, support commercialization efforts, and scale innovations that improve the livelihoods and resilience of smallholder farmers across Nigeria.