Strengthening Capacities and Standards of Social Protection Reporting Lead Expert Terms of Reference

Project background and objectives

The past decade has witnessed multiple enhancement efforts in the field of social protection in Jordan, across government institutions as well as civil society organizations. The launch of the National Social Protection strategy (2019-2025) was the biggest milestone of those efforts. Jordan’s social protection strategy is critical to promoting equitable access to resources, reducing poverty, and safeguarding marginalized populations. However, effective public understanding and advocacy are essential for the successful implementation of these policies. Journalists, government media staff, and spokespersons often require a deeper understanding of social protection and specialized protection issues & reporting, in addition to enhanced skills to cover these topics responsibly and accurately. Building their capacity to report adequately on social protection issues can foster informed public discourse and support advocacy efforts aligned with UNICEF’s as well as JMI’s missions.

This project proposal by Jordan Media Institute (JMI) aims to review the current policies and practices in the field of social protection, and upon finalizing the assessments, the project activities will target

strengthening the media’s role in elevating the role of the national social protection strategy in Jordan by strengthening the capacity of government officials to elevate their proactivity in tackling issues in the social protection sector, as well as equipping media professionals, and university students to effectively and ethically cover social protection issues. It will focus on equipping participants with the skills needed to produce informed, impactful media content through practical training, while fostering sustainability by producing standardized guidelines that can act as reference to social protection media coverage in the future.

2.Project Objectives:

The following objectives are meant to be met by the end of the project:

Gap analysis of current social protection practices and policies in Jordan identified Conduct a comprehensive review of existing media coverage policies, guidelines and practices on social protection amongst government and media organizations to pinpoint challenges and areas for improvement, providing actionable recommendations to enhance reporting quality.
Capacities of Media Professionals' and government officials on social protection coverage-built Reference to the needs assessment conducted, training materials will be tailored regarding best practices and standards for effective communication on social protection. Building the capacity of 40 media and government professionals.

3-Social Protection reporting guidelines Standardized

Elevate media professionals' social protection reporting through the development and

implementation of a specialized and standardized toolkit, incorporating key concepts, ethical guidelines, and best practices for social protection reporting.

The Jordan Media Institute (JMI) is implementing a project that seeks to strengthen the role of the media in advancing the objectives of the National Social Protection Strategy in Jordan. The project will begin with a thorough review of existing social protection policies and media practices. It will then focus on enhancing the capacity of government officials, media professionals, and university students to report on social protection issues in an informed, ethical, and impactful manner.

To support this effort, JMI is recruiting a Lead Expert to guide the technical and strategic direction of the project, oversee the assessment process, and ensure the delivery of high-quality content, training manual, and Toolkit on social protection communication produced.

2.. Objectives of the Assignment

The assignment will extend over a period of three months (September 2025 – November 2025), and the work plan, timeline, and level of effort required from the expert will be agreed upon after the contract is signed.

The Lead Expert will cover the below tasks:

Guide the comprehensive process of Media Landscape Review and Needs Assessment of current policies and media practices related to social protection.
Oversee and contribute to the gap analysis of current policies, practices, and media coverage of social protection.
Provide strategic oversight and technical direction across all project components.
Lead the development process of standardized guidelines for media coverage of social protection.
Provide technical guidance and ensure that training materials incorporating key concepts, ethical guidelines, and best practices for social protection reporting, social protection policy, and

inclusive / effective communication.

Ensure that training materials are grounded in international best practices, ethical standards, and context-specific insights.
Lead the drafting process of the standardized media toolkit on social protection reporting
Review and validate all project deliverables and outputs.
Work closely with the JMI team to ensure alignment with project goals and timelines.

Participate in monitoring and evaluation activities and contribute to final project reporting.

3.. Qualifications and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree (or higher) in Social Protection or social sciences, Journalism and Media Studies, Social Development Studies, Communications, Sociology, or Political Science.

Experience:

Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in one or more of the following areas: social protection, information and journalism, media development, strategic communication, or public policy.
Proven experience in the areas of social protection, Journalism and Media and related policy reform areas at national level.
Demonstrable technical knowledge of social protection and Journalism and Media framework.
Proven track record of providing policy and programming advise in areas related to Social Protection, Journalism and Media.
Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering social protection / information and journalism / media development capacity-building programs.
Prior work experience in Jordan or the MENA region is highly desirable.

Skills and Competencies:

Strong understanding of social protection systems and the Journalism and media landscape in Jordan.
Excellent research, analytical, and reporting skills.
Experience in developing guidelines, training manuals, toolkits, or policy documents.
Strong facilitation and communication skills in Arabic and English.
Ability to engage diverse stakeholders including government, media, Journalists, academia, and civil society.

Language Skills: