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

Your mission as our CFO is to lead and be in charge of Onja’s finances. You will assume responsibility for managing Onja’s financial functions, including building out and overseeing the financial team. This will include:

• Improving our accounting systems & processes
• Financial planning and analysis, including budgeting and forecasting
• Monthly management reporting and quarterly financial reporting
• Annual reporting (New Zealand and Madagascar)
• Tax compliance (New Zealand and Madagascar)
• Responsible for and coordinating activities of external auditors, responsible for preparation of financial statements to be audited.
• Managing cash flows between global accounts
• Managing direct reports
• Report directly to Onja’s CEO
• Evaluating accounting and internal control systems
• Reviewing work from direct reports as required, which would likely include the following tasks:
  • Payroll
  • Client invoicing
  • Supplier payments / employee reimbursements
  • Cash expenses
  • Review of information within accounting software (Xero)

Requirements

• Twelve month commitment (this ensures sufficient time to make a truly meaningful impact) with potential to renew/extend.
• Excellent English communication skills
• Degree in Accounting or similar
• Experience in Accounting or similar

Why work for 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.

Role logistics and benefits

• This is a part-time remote position
• We are able to offer a good local (Malagasy) salary.
• We offer unlimited annual leave.

How Onja Works

Onja is a social enterprise with a 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. Meet a developer here.
3. Graduates earn (and continue learning) at our outsourcing enterprise.
4. All profits are used to train the next wave of students and the cycle begins again.