How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.  UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Purpose of consultancy:

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide specialized technical support to the implementation of the “Empowering Girls: Sustainable Menstrual Health Initiative in Mongolia.” The National Consultant will develop key tools, training materials, and standards in line with global evidence, norms, and best practices to improve the quality, inclusiveness, equity, and sustainability of Menstrual Health and Well-being (MHW), integrating it within the broader context of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and gender equality. The consultant will focus on technical design, analysis, and documentation. UNFPA staff and partners will manage field data collection, logistics, and stakeholder coordination.

Scope of work:

Background:

Menstruation is a natural biological process; however, women and girls in many low- and middle-income countries face persistent challenges stemming from stigma, limited access to quality and affordable menstrual hygiene products, and inadequate facilities. Poor MHW can lead to urinary and reproductive tract infections, skin irritation, severe allergic reactions, school absenteeism, and psychosocial harm.

In Mongolia, these issues are especially pronounced in school dormitories and remote areas. Limited product availability and affordability, inadequate facilities, and heightened vulnerabilities for girls especially those with disabilities remain pressing concerns. Despite growing attention to adolescent health, Mongolia lacks comprehensive standardized guidance on (i) the composition, quality, and safety of menstrual hygiene kits and (ii) minimum requirements for MHH-friendly spaces that ensure privacy, accessibility, and dignity.

Given the project’s aim to provide menstrual health and hygiene products and education  and  to  reach  vulnerable  populations including  girls  with disabilities the development of robust tools, training packages, and standards is essential to ensure quality, inclusion, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. These deliverables will also inform future policy development and scale-up.

Objective of the Consultancy

The National Consultant will provide specialized technical support by:

1. Developing an assessment protocol
   • Develop a simple, context-appropriate tool and methodology for UNFPA to collect data on MHH in dormitories and schools. The protocol should clearly outline objectives, scope, sampling, data collection procedures, and ethical considerations (informed consent, confidentiality, safeguarding of minors, data protection). Tools should include at minimum:
   • A questionnaire module for adolescents, parents and school teachers on MHH knowledge, attitudes, practices, product accessibility and affordability and perception of MHH friendly facilities.
   • A facility assessment checklist aligned with the UNICEF available standards or other relevant standards, covering privacy, accessibility (including for girls with disabilities), safety, hygiene/WASH facilities, product availability and disposal systems.
2. Conducting baseline analysis
   • Analyze the data collected by UNFPA partners and prepare a baseline study report summarizing key findings, gaps, and recommendations.
3. Orientation/Training on Data-Collection Methodology
   • Provide an orientation or training session for UNFPA, partners on the agreed data-collection methodology, tools, and ethical considerations to ensure consistent and high-quality data collection.
4. Developing a training curriculum with training packages
   • Develop two separate training packages in line with health education curriculum:
     • Package 1 (Peer educators): Short, user-friendly content and job aids enabling adolescent peer educators to deliver key MHH messages within a right-based framework integrating body literacy, puberty, and consent. The package should also equip peer educators to create safe spaces for dialogue and   refer peers to youth-friendly health services.
     • Package 2 (Adults): Full training package for form teachers, healthcare providers, dormitory staff, parents that goes beyond information-sharing to be gender-transformative, aiming to shift attitudes and norms and reduce stigma. The package should include a specific module for engaging men and boys to challenge stigma and foster supportive roles in menstrual health and wellbeing.
5. Developing two standards:
   • Menstrual hygiene kit standard: Review and, where feasible, adapt existing UNFPA or UNICEF menstrual hygiene kit  standards to the Mongolian context. In addition to defining the kit’s contents, develop recommendations for a sustainable supply chain and financing model to ensure long-term access, including quality assurance protocols for local procurement and guidance on environmentally responsible disposal. The standard should clearly specify minimum and recommended requirements for contents, materials, safety, packaging, durability, environmental impact, user guidance, and disability/cultural inclusion, together with procurement, monitoring, replenishment and quality-assurance considerations.
   • Girls’ toilet standard: Develop clear standards specially for girls ‘toilets in schools to ensure they are MHH-friendly. The standards should address key features  such as privacy, accessibility, safety, availability of menstrual products and counseling, safe disposal, and hygiene/WASH facilities. In addition, the standard must include a framework for operations and maintenance (O&M) with guidance on consumable replenishment (e.g. soap, pads, disposal bags), routine cleaning schedules, and potential financing mechanisms for schools to ensure ongoing maintenance and sustainability of the facilities.

Scope of work

1.Inception report

• Review project documents, existing materials, national policies, and relevant standards, and international best practices and guidelines.
• Hold initial consultations with UNFPA staff to confirm deliverables and timelines.
• Prepare an inception report detailing the agreed assessment protocol (including ethical considerations), plan for baseline analysis, the proposed approach for training packages and standards, timeline, stakeholder list, draft outlines.

2. Draft the baseline assessment tools and methodology

• Prepare an inception report that covers all objectives of the consultancy, detailing: Data-collection support and curriculum outline.
• Collect data on two selected schools in Ulaanbaatar.
• Provide an orientation/training session for the UNFPA team on the data-collection protocol to ensure consistent, high-quality, and ethical data collection.
• UNFPA will conduct the actual field data collection; the consultant will not directly collect data but will provide remote guidance as needed.
• Draft training curriculum outline/modules with input from UNFPA technical staff.

3. Support and remote guidance

• Support and remotely guide the UNFPA team collecting data selected two schools in Ulaanbaatar (UNFPA will manage fieldwork).
• Receive and clean the data collected by UNFPA partners.
• Analyze the data and prepare a baseline/assessment study report summarizing key findings, gaps, and recommendations for programme implementation and policy development.

4. Drafting standards

• Prepare first drafts of both standards (kit & Girl’s toilet), including definitions, minimum vs. optional features, technical specifications, inclusion, environmental and waste-disposal considerations, and M&E indicators.

5. Stakeholder feedback

• Develop the draft training curriculum along with training packages.
• Discuss the preliminary assessment report.

6. Finalization

• Finalize standards (including annexes such as procurement templates, checklists, user guidance, and visuals).
• Finalize training curriculum.
• Finalize the assessment report.

7. Presentation

• Present final deliverable to project team
• Handover all final documents.

Duration  and  working schedule:  The National Consultant is expected to work for 43 non-consecutive days within the period 1 November 2025 to 1 March 2026.

A place where services are to be delivered: UNFPA country office, Mongolia

Deliverables and Due Dates:

1. Inception report – 14 Nov 2025
2. Curriculum outline/Protocol and data collection tools - 28 Nov 2025
3. Drafting Standards (first drafts of kit & girls’ toilet standards) – 12 December 2025
4. Draft assessment report – 23 Jan 2026
5. Stakeholder feedback- 6 Feb 2026
6. Finalization of Standards, Training Curriculum and Assessment Report – 20 Feb 2026
7. Presentation of Final Deliverables and Handover of All Documents – 24 Feb 2026

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format, and deadline: 

The National Consultant will report directly to the UNFPA Programme Analyst (Adolescents & Youth) and work closely with the SRHR team and Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation (PMA) Analyst to ensure the quality and integrity of the assessment and analysis components. Reporting requirements, formats, and deadlines will be agreed upon during the initial briefing session. The reporting process will include weekly email updates highlighting progress against agreed deliverables.

The consultant will provide weekly written progress updates by email to the Programme Analyst, with copies to the SRHR team and PME Analyst. In addition to weekly email updates, the consultant will hold a bi-weekly coordination meeting with the UNFPA team.

Supervisory arrangements: Under the overall guidance of the Programme Analyst, Adolescents & Youth, the consultant will work closely with the Youth and SRHR teams.

Expected travel:  Yes

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

• Master’s degree in public health or Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRHR) is required.
• A master’s degree in a closely related fields such as Gender, WASH, Environmental Health or related field may be considered, provided the candidate has substantial, demonstrated experience in menstrual health programming and standards development.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated experience in at least two of the following areas:
• conducting research and baseline assessments in adolescent or menstrual health
• developing training curricula/manuals for health or education programmes;
• developing or adapting technical standards/guidelines for menstrual health, WASH, or SRHR.
• Proven ability to integrate gender and disability inclusion considerations in research and standards.
• Assessing WASH or school /dormitory infrastructure from a gender or disability inclusion perspective.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills.
• Excellent technical writing, ability to produce user‐friendly, actionable guidance.

Languages: 

• Fluency in English.

Schedule of Payments:

First instalment (20%) - Payable upon satisfactory submission and acceptance by UNFPA of the Inception Report.

Second Instalment (30%) – Payable upon satisfactory submission and acceptance by UNFPA of both the Curriculum Outline/Baseline Tools and Draft Standards.

Third Instalment (50%) – Payable upon satisfactory submission and acceptance by UNFPA of the following deliverables:

• Draft Assessment Report
• Stakeholder Feedback and Finalization of Standards
• Training Curriculum and Assessment Report
• Presentation of Final Deliverables and Handover of All Documents
   

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.