Legal 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 companies.

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 the 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

Are you passionate about creating a positive change in your community? Would you like to be part of the pioneering team of a fast-growing social enterprise and experience an English-speaking, multicultural work environment? Are you proactive and like getting things done?

At Onja, we believe in the potential people have regardless of their background. We upskill underprivileged youth to work as software developers and allow Malagasy youth to accelerate Madagascar's development.

As a legal Officer at Onja, your mission is to provide legal support in order to ensure our innovative initiative operates within a robust legal framework. Your work will help us maintain compliance, mitigate risks, and uphold high ethical standards, ensuring that our program has a lasting, positive impact on the communities we serve.

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

Responsibilities

• Conduct legal research on relevant laws, regulations and legal precedents affecting or that could affect Onja operations.
• Assist in drafting, reviewing, updating and managing contracts and other legal documents.
• Support the Operations team in ensuring Onja complies with all national and international laws and regulations.
• Assist in identifying and mitigating legal risks associated with Onja activities and projects.
• Collaborate with the People & Culture Lead in developing and updating internal policies and procedures to ensure legal compliance and best practices
• Support the protection of Onja intellectual property, including copyrights, trademarks and software licences,
• Provide administrative support to the Legal team, including maintaining legal files and records, and assist with additional tasks as your skills and capacity allow.

• Smart and diligent,
• Attention to detail

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: https://onja.org/blog
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.