Job description
About Onja
Onja is a social enterprise training underprivileged youth into world-class software developers.
We find the brightest students in Madagascar who can’t afford to continue their education, and train them in English language and software development. After just two-and-a-half years they are ready to work as remote front-end software developers in international tech teams.
Once in a job, our developers earn a good salary that helps them support their families and pay forward the opportunity to a new wave of students. They unlock exciting careers that fulfil their potential, and accelerate the development of their nation (see ‘How Onja Works’ below).
Our first cohort, ‘Wave 1’, consists of nineteen talented and committed graduates who are now working remotely for our partner companies in Europe and the US. With this immensely successful first cohort, and a proven social model, our goal is now to scale our impact: we aim to take on 360 new students over the next four years.
Our fast-growing team is very united, committed to the mission, and hardworking, but we also maintain a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere that you’ll find everywhere in Madagascar.
Onja is located in Toamasina, a lively city with beautiful beaches, nice restaurants, and with plenty to do and see. Toamasina is Madagascar’s second largest city (population 300,000) yet is surrounded by plenty of natural beauty, and even has a national park nearby.
About the role
Onja has had great success with our first cohort in Madagascar. Now it’s time to expand our model and support talented, underprivileged students in other places.
We are in the process of establishing Onja as an International Non-Government Organisation in Rwanda, as a hub to train students from across other countries in the East Africa Community.
We are currently exploring Uganda as the first country to recruit our first wave of students from.
This role will oversee Onja’s expansion into East Africa, managing relationships and logistics to support our registration as an INGO, creating partnerships, recruiting students, and establishing a campus for Onja in Rwanda.
Responsibilities:
- Managing the process of Onja’s expansion into East Africa – Establishing connections and build relationships with key stakeholders in Rwanda and target recruitment countries
- Meeting with Education Ministries in the EAC to scope new partnerships for recruitment
- Establishing infrastructure needed to support expansion, e.g. entity registration, opening bank accounts, etc
- Scouting, developing and managing a team in East Africa to support Onja’s expansion
Requirements:
- Great interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to create and maintain strong partnerships and stakeholder relationships
- Strong knowledge of Rwandan government systems and personnel
- Strong English language ability
- Great initiative and problem solving skills
- Desirable: connections within the Rwandan Ministry of ICT and Innovation, TVET, or Rwandan Governance Board.
This is currently a full-time position but we may consider part time for the right candidate.
Why work with us
- Do impactful work: Working with Onja gives you the ability to make a real tangible difference with your work, and have a deep sense of purpose in your every-day. Our mission is to nurture talented, underprivileged youth to lead impactful careers in tech, unlock opportunities for others and accelerate Madagascar’s development.
- Grow your skills fast: As a young fast-growing startup we are all in “over our head” and this is a great place to grow. You will be challenged but you’ll also be part of a very supportive team and caring environment. Our social model is innovative with exciting potential to scale, so there is a great opportunity for you to grow your career along with us.
- Work with very talented individuals who are very socially inclined: At Onja you’ll join a community of talented and passionate people from around Madagascar and the world.
What you can expect
- We cover your accommodation
- We are able to offer a good local salary – enough to live comfortably and have plenty left over for holidays travels.
- Unlimited annual leave. We recommend between 30 and 35 days as a guide to give you time to explore the wonders of Madagascar
- We also offer 25% remote work
- Sponsored flights
How Onja Works
Onja is a social enterprise with a sustainable model:
- Search for brilliant minds who would otherwise be limited to low-paid, unfulfilling careers.
- Students receive two years of English and software development instruction. Meet a developer here: onja.org/blog
- Graduates earn (and continue learning) at our outsourcing enterprise.
- All profits are used to train the next wave of students and the cycle begins again.