About Onja
Onja trains underprivileged youth into world-class software developers. Our organisation is unified by a common mission: give life-changing work through sustainable social enterprise.
We are recognised for our innovative model that finds exceptional talent where opportunity is scarce, invests in its development, and connects it directly to the global tech economy. Through an intensive two-and-a-half-year program, we co-create pathways to long-term social and economic stability that prioritise self-reliance.
We operate as one integrated organisation, where education, hiring, and partner collaboration work together to deliver high-performing tech talent with lasting social impact. Onja developers invest in their own futures and in their nation’s development, while ensuring Onja remains self-funding and scalable, paying forward opportunities to the next generation.
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
The Special Projects Manager will oversee the research, ideation, business planning, and project management of new ventures spun off from Onja, including existing projects like Hirety.io and Neuralverse.ai as well as future opportunities. This includes conducting market research to validate new ideas, developing business plans, and laying the operational and legal foundations for new entities, then managing execution as projects move from concept to reality. The role requires switching between early stage ideation and hands-on execution across 2-3 projects at once, working closely with the Enterprise Manager, Founder and other project team members already involved with each project, and building the judgment to identify which ideas are worth pursuing and which aren't.Your responsibilities will include:
- Take ownership of Hirety, Onja's structured interview evaluation platform, driving its ongoing growth and development
- Research, validate, and build business plans for new spin-off ventures, such as Neuralverse and future project ideas as they emerge
- Lay the operational, business and legal foundations required to launch new ventures from the ground up
- Manage execution of projects from concept through launch, prioritising effort across projects at different stages of maturity
- Work closely with the Enterprise Manager and founder to align on strategy, direction, and priorities for each project
- Identify which project ideas are worth pursuing further and which should be deprioritised or shelved
- Track progress, milestones, and outcomes across projects, reporting regularly on status and key decisions
- Build and manage relationships with any external partners, clients, or stakeholders relevant to each project
Requirements:
- Strong research skills, able to independently investigate a market, competitors, or business model and turn it into a clear recommendation
- Strong leadership ability and management potential.
- Strong business thinking
- Strong written and verbal English communication, able to represent Onja's projects credibly to external stakeholders
- Comfortable working across multiple projects at different stages at once, some early idea stage, some already running
- Willing to relocate to Toamasina, Madagascar for a minimum 12 month commitment
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
- You’ll join our tight-knit, committed team in Toamasina, Madagascar.
- We know it’s a big move so we will look after you and make sure you are secure and settled.
- We’ll provide secure, comfortable, beachfront accommodation and food.
- 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, for when you are keen to get some city vibes in Madagascar.
- We’ll provide optional weekly Malagasy lessons to bring you up to speed with the language.
- Your visa will be sponsored.
- 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: https://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.
We want our recruitment process to be fair and inclusive, so please do let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make. For example, if you identify as neurodivergent, we can accommodate and discuss modifications to our hiring process with you.
