Technical support to the Ministry of Education for the coordination of the menstrual hygiene management taskforce Consultancy, Amman, Jordan, JCO (30 working days)

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling. UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package. The primary aim of this consultancy is to provide technical and coordination support for the operationalization of the National MHH Coordination Taskforce, ensuring alignment with the endorsed roadmap and integration of MHH into national systems, policies, and monitoring frameworks  . The consultant will report to UNICEF JCO WASH section, in close collaboration with Gender team and the Ministry of Education, ender and Strategic Partnerships Division.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Hope! 

Since 2024, , UNICEF, under the lead of the Ministry of Education, and in close collaboration with other UN Agencies such as UNESCO, UNFPA, Government of Jordan stakeholders and CSO partners, has supported the assessment of existing capacities and structures for the coordination and implementation of Menstrual Hygiene Health (MHH) in Jordan, including the establishment of a MHH taskforce within the overall coordination of the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) coordination mechanism – led by the Higher Population Council (HPC).

As part of this work, UNICEF has provided technical and financial support to develop a coordination MHH roadmap, Terms of Reference for a MHH Taskforce, and a Workplan endorsed through multi-stakeholder consultation, including Ministry of Education, through the Gender and Strategic Partnerships Division, and Ministry of Health, through the Department of School Health.

The roadmap emphasizes institutionalizing MHH within national policies, education sector plans, and health frameworks, while strengthening systems for monitoring, capacity building, and sustainable financing. The Taskforce will serve as the central platform for guiding and coordinating MHH efforts across sectors.

To operationalize the implementation of the coordination mechanism and the indicated roadmap, UNICEF will provide support to the Ministry of Education, as per its lead role in the coordination of the MHH Taskforce, in the form of an individual consultant, who can work in support of the Department of Gender and Strategic Division, in its co-lead role, with the Ministry of Education, and under the auspices of the SRH Coordination structure.

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The primary aim of this consultancy is to provide technical and coordination support for the operationalization of the National MHH Coordination Taskforce, ensuring alignment with the endorsed roadmap and integration of MHH into national systems, policies, and monitoring frameworks  .

The consultant will report to UNICEF JCO WASH section, in close collaboration with Gender team and the Ministry of Education, ender and Strategic Partnerships Division.

Objectives:

The consultant will support Ministry of Education to strengthen the governance and functionality of the national MHH Coordination Taskforce, ensure the Taskforce is operational, functional, well-structured, and able to effectively lead national MHH coordination and decision-making.

1. Provide technical and coordination support to the MHH National Taskforce Co-Leads (MOE, MOH) to establish and strengthen structured coordination and communication mechanisms between Taskforce members including HPC, and development partners, ensuring effective participation and alignment. 
2. Under the above support to operationalize the National MHH Coordination Taskforce, to facilitate regular Taskforce meetings and to develop operational tools and processes to enable effective, routine coordination and decision-making for the MHH National task force.
3. Support the MHH national task force in the identification of priority actions in the MHH Roadmap, focusing on short-term milestones and the collective implementation across partners and stakeholders operational in the MHH space in Jordan.
4. Provide technical inputs for policy integration, advocacy, and capacity-building initiatives.

Scope of Work

In close collaboration with Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and key stakeholders such as HPC, UNESCO, UNFPA, among others the consultant will implement the following activities:

• Organize and facilitate two quarterly coordination meetings of the MHH taskforce through the consultancy period, including agenda, materials, liaison with key participants, and preparation of minutes of meetings.
• Draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the National MHH Taskforce meetings and decision-making-aligned to the SRH coordination procedures-to t be reviewed and approved in the first coordination meeting.
• Support the mapping of MHH specific activities across partners, and their alignment with the MHH roadmap, and update the prepare a one-year detailed MHH workplan (for at least 12 months). Some specific areas include the following pending validation of the MHH taskforce:

1. Support the identification of specific needs and preparation of advocacy briefs for integration of MHH into Education and Health Strategic / Sector Plans and SRHR strategy.
2. Identify specific needs and areas for capacity-building on MHH among Education and Health staff, including school counselors, gender focal points, and liaison officers, and opportunities for rollout of training activities.
3. Identify data and monitoring needs for MHH, aligned to Education, Health and other relevant sector monitoring frameworks.
4. Document lessons learned and recommendations for sustainability in the operationalization of the MHH taskforce and implementation of the roadmap and workplan.

Deliverable 1 – Inception & First Taskforce Preparation

Timeline: 15 February 2026
Scope of Work:

• Draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for coordination of the MHH Taskforce.
• Lead stakeholder engagement and preparatory processes for the First MHH Taskforce Coordination Meeting, including:
• Identification of key stakeholders and liaison with focal points for participation and inputs.
• Coordination with the Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Health (MoH), and other key stakeholders to ensure high-level engagement.
• Preparation of draft agenda and supporting meeting materials for stakeholder review and endorsement.

Deliverables/Outputs:

• Consultancy inception report, including:
• Draft SOPs for MHH Taskforce coordination (for approval/endorsement).
• Facilitation package for the First MHH Taskforce Coordination Meeting.

Deliverable 2 – First Taskforce Meeting & Workplan Development

Timeline: 15 March 2026
Scope of Work:

• Facilitation of the First MHH Taskforce Coordination Meeting, including:
• Drafting meeting proceedings/minutes and follow-up actions for participant endorsement.
• Mapping of MHH-specific activities.
• Development of a draft MHH Taskforce workplan aligned with:
• Existing MHH roadmap
• Education Sector Plan (ESP)
• SRHR Strategy
• School Health Strategy
• Identification of data and monitoring needs for MHH, aligned with education, health, and relevant sector monitoring frameworks.

Deliverables/Outputs:

• Report on the First MHH Taskforce Coordination Meeting.
• Draft MHH Taskforce workplan.

Deliverable 3 – Workplan Endorsement & Monitoring Needs

Timeline: 15 April 2026
Scope of Work:

• Preparation of documentation within MoE and MoH for internal approval/endorsement of the MHH Taskforce workplan.
• Stakeholder consultations on MHH monitoring needs.
• Integration of MHH monitoring requirements into existing MoE, MoH, and SRHR monitoring frameworks.

Deliverables/Outputs:

• MHH Taskforce workplan endorsed by MoE and MoH.
• Draft document outlining MHH Taskforce monitoring needs/framework.

Deliverable 4 – Second Taskforce Meeting & Monitoring Framework

Timeline: 15 May 2026
Scope of Work:

• Stakeholder engagement and preparatory processes for the Second MHH Taskforce Coordination Meeting, including:
• Invitations, agenda development, participant liaison, and preparation of draft materials.
• Development of the MHH monitoring framework for presentation and validation at the Taskforce meeting.

Deliverables/Outputs:

• Facilitation package for the Second MHH Taskforce Coordination Meeting.
• MHH monitoring framework endorsed by MHH Taskforce members.

Deliverable 5 – Final Endorsement, Advocacy & Sustainability

Timeline: 15 June 2026
Scope of Work:

• Preparation of documentation within MoE and MoH for internal approval/endorsement of the MHH monitoring framework.
• Identification of advocacy brief needs for integration of MHH into:
• Education strategic/sector plans
• Health strategic plans
• SRHR strategy
• Documentation of lessons learned to support sustainability of:
• MHH Taskforce operationalization
• Implementation of the roadmap and workplan

Deliverables/Outputs:

• MHH monitoring framework endorsed by MoE and MoH.
• Final consultancy report, including:
• Identified advocacy needs
• Lessons learned
• Recommendations for sustainability of the MHH Taskforce.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• Education: Advanced degree in Public Health, Education, Gender Studies, or related field.
• Work Experience: 
  • Minimum 7  years of experience in coordination, policy development, and program implementation in health/education sectors. Sound technical expertise in related field to menstrual health and hygiene (WASH, adolescent health/ adolescent girl health, reproductive health).
  • Proven expertise in gender and MHH programming and advocacy
  • Strong facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
  • Experience working on system strengthening and national coordination on gender in Jordan.
  • Strong experience working with Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health in Jordan
  • Familiarity with Jordan’s education and health systems, including policies and procedures within the Ministry of Education and / or Ministry of Health.
• Language Requirements:  Fluency in both, Arabic and English language is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

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Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.