Recruitment Officer

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 in Toamasina, a lively city with beautiful beaches, nice restaurants, and 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 Recruitment Team is dedicated to selecting new Onja students who will embark on a 2 to 3-year training program in English and Software Development. In this role, you will support the team in enhancing and implementing the recruitment process, systems, and tools while actively participating in recruitment trips.

We believe in hiring based on skills, attitude and cultural fit rather than specific qualifications.

Your responsibilities will include: 

• Developing and improving the content of the process, tools for recruitment, including interviews, exams and camp
• In accordance with the recruitment manager and recruitment lead, developing different approaches and strategies to tackle the students' recruitment
• Participate actively in each stage of the recruitment process (students' contact and phone interview, house visit, exams and interview, camp, etc) 
• Reaching out, negotiating and collaborating with the DREN, CISCO and school headmasters in preparation for the aptitude exam when needed 
• Helping with the logistics before and during each stage of the recruitment process 
• Administering the aptitude exam & interview and leading the camp activities & selection 
• Organizing the correction of the tests and the analysis of the interview answers and observations made during the camp in collaboration with the analyst (in the most secure and confidential way possible) 
• Supporting the Hiring Team in hiring the other recruitment team members (Troubleshooter, Recruitment Assistant and Cook, Consultant Psychologist if needed)
• Ensuring the efficiency of data collection and data management

Candidates can anticipate that reference checks will be conducted as part of our thorough evaluation process. 

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 everyday.  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 heads” 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. 

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 hiring 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 are neurodivergent, we can accommodate and discuss modifications to our hiring process with you.