Project Manager

Project Manager

tl;dr: We are an early-stage on a mission to equalise access to online education. This means there are lots of moving parts, priorities are always changing and the team has to relentlessly prioritise and automate or outsource non-specialised duties.

We are looking for an experienced Project Manager who is highly organised, a good communicator and excels at supporting teams to achieve their goals. Details about us, the role, and interview process below. ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿพ

Who we are

FoondaMate helps students access quality study material and knowledge quickly and affordably using AI on WhatsApp.

We build chatbots that bring quality study material and curated internet search to messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Our goal is to help the 300M+ students currently unable to use the internet to study, or struggling to find useful information, access the information they need to succeed.

Over 1 million students use FoondaMate as a WhatsApp/Messenger contact (study buddy) to help them with homework and prepare for tests.

We're on a mission to equip students in the emerging markets and beyond with the tools they need to succeed.

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Our suite of conversational AI applications, include a WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger chatbot that bring curated internet search + quality study material to students โ€” using the hardware and software they already have access to. You can try out the existing product here: https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=27600703213&text=hello

This has been working. Since our launch 2 years ago we have been used by +1Million students from +150 countries across the globe. Our focus to date has been on the African market, but we are now expanding to more regions.

Also, we are kind of TikTok famous ๐Ÿ™ˆ๐Ÿ˜

๐Ÿš€ We're currently working on expanding our reach and launching into new markets.

Role overview

FoondaMate.com is looking for a highly organised and proactive Project Manager to join our team and help us excel at our specialised duties by managing schedules, coordinating meetings and events, sending reminders about upcoming deadlines, and keeping our team organised and on track.

Beyond the day to day aspects of the role, this role will be a good fit if:

  • You have a strong work ethic and a willingness to jump through hoops to deliver results.
  • You are able to communicate simply and clearly
  • You are ambitious and understand the demands of building for emerging markets.
  • You care about changing the way education is made accessible online.

About You

None of these are requirements, but do describe the kinds of people that we think would be most effective for this role at FoondaMate right now.

  • You have excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
  • You have strong communication and interpersonal skills
  • You are proficient with office software and tools (e.g. Microsoft Office, Google Suite)
  • You are able to multitask and handle multiple priorities effectively
  • You have worked remotely and are able to manage time strategically and have self discipline
  • You have worked or are interested in working at fast paced start-up

Responsibilities

  • Help the team stay organised and on track by managing schedules, sending reminders about upcoming deadlines, and helping to unblock any obstacles that may arise.
  • Take meeting minutes and ensure that all action items are documented and assigned to the appropriate team member.
  • Manage company docs and ensure they are always up to date.
  • Assist team members with tasks as needed, such as responding to inbound email, scheduling meetings, or conducting research.
  • Keep our team organised and on track to ensure all projects are delivered on time.

Benefits

  • Salary Range: $1500.00 - $2,400.00 (USD) per month โ€” open to negotiation if you have more experience

  • NB: We are legally obliged to pay you in your local currency โ€” you cannot be paid in USD unless if USD is legal tender in your country. You will be employed by a local legal entity in your country and paid in the legal currency in your country. See local Rates for countries we are actively looking to hire from for this role:
    • South Africa: R25 000 - R40 000 monthly
    • Nigeria: โ‚ฆ 675,000.00 - โ‚ฆ 1,050,000.00 monthly
    • Kayna: Ksh 185,500.00 - Ksh 295,000.00 monthly

  • MacBook as work laptop
  • Flexible remote work policy
  • 15 days paid leave each year (in addition to official Local Public holidays)
  • An opportunity to do exciting, fulfilling work with great teammates

Why you might be excited about us

  1. We're working to solve a massive global problem and equalise access to online tools so students in developing countries can study better. There are +345 million students in the developing world who need FoondaMate.
  2. We're small, so you'll be able to contribute efficiently and without bureaucracy. You'll quickly have responsibility over big areas of our product.
  3. We don't have a lot of meetings. As in, most days, engineers have zero. We believe in slow thought, and if we can effectively solve a problem asynchronously, we do. When we do meet synchronously, you'll always have the opportunity to contribute.
  4. We donโ€™t measure input. We only measure output. You will never be asked to record your time or send in your timesheets. Instead, you will be asked to push your work in progress everyday, and keep your drafts on Notion for research/documentation work so your progress/productivity can be monitored.
  5. We utilise and maintain a Career Progression Framework that enables our team at Foondamate to track and record their personal career progress through regular check-ins against the skills required for their role, with their managers. Weโ€™re seeking to empower our team to grow, and demonstrate clearly where they are vs current expectations and the next step too - so we can support them in making that step.
  6. We are transparent about salary across the entire organisation. As in, you will know what salary bands your team members are in. Weโ€™re not about offering a low salary to someone based on their current salary or expectations. Additionally, our team know how much they can expect to earn now and later, once theyโ€™ve got that well-deserved promotion.
  7. You'll be able to work remotely.
  8. We will mould your role to shape a career you're excited about. We care a lot about your satisfaction and job happiness, and will help prep you for whatever you're looking for in the future.
  9. We work hard and also highly value balanced work/life. We care about family and your own personal development.

Why you might not be excited about us

  1. Everything under โ€œWhy you might be excited about usโ€ above.
  2. We're small (~10 people in the company now), so if you like more established companies, it's not (yet) the right time. You'll help build our company's culture.
  3. Since we're an early stage startup, projects and priorities may shift.
  4. Weโ€™re a fast-paced company
  5. Our users love us, and there's a lot we can improve. It's a great place to be, but means there's some junk. (Nothing too scary! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ)
  6. Since you'll have a lot of responsibility and creativity over projects, they may not be defined perfectly initially, you'll be expected to bring your own experience and perspective to help us do the right things - and raise flags if you think we should do things differently.

What we are currently struggling with

  • Maximising the amount of time team members have to work on specialised duties
  • Managing reminders, leave days and other internal calendars.
  • Managing internal documentation

How to apply

If this role sounds interesting to you, get started by emailing your CV to work@foondamate.com with 300 words or less describing why youโ€™re a good fit for this role.

Deadline: 20, March, 2023 at 23:59.

You can learn more about what we're up to:

  1. Some posts about us around the web (TechCrunch, Business Insider South Africa, TechCabal)
  2. Our Instagram to learn more about the space we're working in, where we post about our products and education.