Sociologist at CDM Smith , Tanzania

CDM Smith prides itself on developing and retaining high-quality staff. We are currently searching for a part time consultant to work as a Sociologist on CDM Smith’s Irrigation and Rural Roads Infrastructure Project (IRRIP) in Tanzania, a USAID-funded project.

Under IRRIP, CDM Smith is tasked with providing the Government of Tanzania (GoT) with the necessary technical support to allow the GoT to realize their objectives of improving agricultural productivity in the rice sector, particularly in the Kilombero Valley. These objectives align with those of USAID’s Feed the Future (FTF) initiative, which aims to make targeted investments across a broad spectrum of interventions to help ensure the sustainability of poverty reduction and nutrition goals. 

GoT and USAID/Tanzania have identified four specific areas in the Kilombero District of the Morogoro Region for investment in irrigation infrastructure:  Udagaji, Mgugwe, Kisegese, and Mpanga-Ngalimila, falling within a gross area of approximately 44,000 ha.  In order to advance the development of the four schemes, comprehensive Feasibility Studies will be completed to determine the requirements for a sustainable project given multi-disciplinary considerations (i.e., engineering, environmental, social, institutional, operational, economic, etc.). As part of the Feasibility Studies, a sociological study must be undertaken to determine potential social impacts to communities related to irrigation scheme development, and recommend mitigation measures. The sociologist will assist in determining irrigation scheme feasibility from a sociological perspective.

Responsibilities:

The specific tasks to be undertaken include the following:

• Set up socio-economic surveys to be administered by a local social survey firm.
• Oversee the survey work.
• Determine potential social impacts to communities related to irrigation scheme development, and recommend mitigation measures.
• Assist in determining irrigation scheme feasibility from a sociological perspective.

Timing:

The overall Level of Effort for this position is 75 days over a 1+ year period with 2-3 short trips to expected to Tanzania.

An initial input for the Sociologist is required during the Inception Phase to define the scope of work and develop programming consistent with the overall study timeline. Further inputs, at home and in Tanzania, are to be determined and programmed during the initial Inception Phase.

Desired Skills and Experience

Requirements:

• At least 10 years of experience in related activities.
• Demonstrated understanding of land tenure systems in rural, agricultural settings
• Prior experience conducting socio-economic field surveys in sub-Saharan Africa, preferably Tanzania.  
• High level of competency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Excellent report/technical writing skills (English proficiency)
• Master’s degree in sociology, anthropology, or an applicable field.
• Prior experience on a development project (USAID, MCC, EIB, World Bank, etc.)
• Prior experience in sub-Saharan Africa.

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