We’ve brought together some of Madagascar’s most talented and inspiring students who couldn’t afford to continue their education and whose talent would have been wasted in low paying, unfulfilling jobs. Click here to meet a student.

With your help they will have amazing futures – they’ll become professional software developers and begin exciting careers that will open them up to a whole new world of opportunities. They’ll be able to support themselves, their families and pay-forward the opportunity to more students (see ‘How Onja Works’ below).

In January 2019 our first class began studying English. Despite starting with little exposure to the language they (amazingly) reached professional working proficiency within a year! This year, students have followed an intensive front end web development course and are already becoming proficient web developers. 

From January next year students will begin graduating from the training programme and will be excited for the most anticipated step in their journey: beginning careers as front end web developers.

Your mission, as the Tech Lead/Engineering Manager, is to lead graduates to career success helping them take their first steps into professional work. They’ll need you to guide them on the technical aspects of their work, coach them on communication and help them navigate the day to day challenges they will face. 

This is a very important role for our organisation. You will be setting the foundations not just for this first class but the waves of students that will follow in future years.

Onja’s campus is located in Mahanoro, a peaceful beach town on Madagascar’s East Coast. The school has the feel of a nature retreat: a little out of town, on the beach, and surrounded by beautiful forest. You will be relieved to know that despite the serenity the school has a decent internet connection. 

We hope this statement, from Kirsten who volunteered with us for eight months, gives you an idea of what it may be like to join our team: “Working as a volunteer at Onja was an experience of a lifetime. Teaching such talented and highly motivated students was a pleasure and very rewarding. I felt very much at home at Onja and it was an honour to be part of such a beautiful initiative, which I am sure will create life changing opportunities for new Malagasy students in the years to come”.

Requirements

• A twelve month commitment would be most preferable however we can consider shorter durations. 
• Experience with the following languages/technologies is important: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React.js (or other JS frameworks) as well as some CSS preprocessors and frameworks.
• As the Tech Lead/Engineering Manager you’ll need a real interest in leadership and guiding people to be the best they can be.

 Benefits

• You’ll join our tight-knit, committed team in Mahanoro, 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 walking distance from the center. 
• We are able to offer a good monthly stipend – enough to live comfortably and have plenty left over for weekend trips!
• You will enjoy a truly Malagasy experience. Mahanoro is far from the tourist trail and our team is predominantly Malagasy. We’ll provide optional weekly lessons to bring you up to speed with the language.
• Your visa will be sponsored.
• Sponsored flights depending on commitment duration. 

Start date

We are aiming to have you with us by January 2021. Note that the visa process usually takes two months to complete.

How Onja Works

Onja is a non-profit social-enterprise with a three-step sustainable model:

1. Search for brilliant minds who would otherwise be limited to low-paid, unfulfilling careers.
2. Students receive two years of English and software development instruction.
3. 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.  

How to apply

To apply, or learn more about the position, please send a message to Sam at team@onja.org. If you use LinkedIn, please include a link to your profile.

Website: onja.org | Facebook: OnjaAfrica