Senior Socioeconomics and Impact Manager at Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS)

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.