The Role

You are experienced leader, responsible for overseeing and optimising the global operational strategy across all five studio’s. This role is critical in ensuring that the company’s operational processes are streamlined and aligned globally while integrating newly acquired businesses and further optimising efficiencies. You will champion a cohesive and inclusive culture across the studios by enabling operational consistency, clear communication, and purpose-driven practice.

Your Responsibilities

1. Define and lead Koto’s global operational strategy, ensuring alignment with the company’s long-term goals, creative ambitions, and values.
2. Design and evolve best practice operational frameworks that support the company’s ambition to double in size over the next four years—ensuring scalability, agility, and long-term sustainability.
3. Act as a strategic partner to the COO and leadership team—translating business strategy into operational priorities and collaborating across functions (growth, marketing, finance, and people) to align execution with broader business objectives and provide insight-led recommendations.
4. Lead and mentor the Global Operations Manager and collaborate with Studio Management teams to foster excellence, consistency, and cohesion across the global operations function
5. Partner with the CFO and Group Financial Controller to assess operational performance, identify efficiencies, and support strategic investment decisions.
6. Co-own the evolution of compliance, governance, and risk frameworks—working with the COO to reduce exposure, enhance security, and achieve internationally recognised accreditations (e.g., ISO, SOC 2). On going management of the risk register.
7. Oversee the roadmap for business-critical platforms and tools—driving investment, optimisation, and innovation to support evolving business needs, including expansion into adjacent capabilities such as digital and campaign.
8. Lead the coordination of studio expansion plans across existing and future locations, while addressing day-to-day estate management needs as they arise.
9. Drive operational contributions to Koto’s ESG strategy and social impact goals—ensuring clear data visibility, operational alignment, and meaningful global engagement.
10. Collaborate with the M&A integration team to lead the operational onboarding of acquired companies, ensuring smooth transitions across systems, processes, teams, and cultures.

Our Responsibilities

1. We will ensure you have meaningful and regular access to your manager to support your personal development and career trajectory.
2. We will actively reward performance with promotions, pay increases and a discretionary annual bonus of up to 10% of salary to all employees.
3. We ensure Koto is an equal environment for all its employees regardless of race, gender, age, or sexual preference.
4. We will support you in taking family leave and offer significant paid maternity and paternity.
5. We will actively encourage you to take 25 days holiday yearly, in addition to UK bank holidays (on average eight), one additional holiday day per year (capped at 5 additional days), and a studio closure between Christmas and New Year.
6. We will contribute an additional 3% to anyone wanting to engage in the People’s Pension Scheme following their 3m probation.
7. We deploy a monthly ‘employee wellness’ benefits package via Juno of £75 per month.
8. We offer access to YCN and fund relevant training opportunities to any employee looking to develop themselves and career.
9. We reward five years of service with £5,000 and five days holiday. We reward ten years of service with £10,000 and four weeks holiday.
10. We will give you the opportunity to work from any of the four koto studios globally, with appropriate planning and application.

Our Culture

• At Koto we encourage our team to be ‘rationally optimistic’ about the potential of our work, our clients, their businesses, and the power of brand.
• We pursue the best briefs, want to inspire meaningful work, and for those interested provide an opportunity to make the work of their lives. We are actively cultivating leadership, culture and spaces to encourage this.
• We work in person with an optional WFH day on Friday, and an additional two weeks remote a year. We believe this produces the best work, mentoring opportunities, collective learning and culture.
• We encourage autonomy in each member of our team, allowing them to manage their own time, hours and personal commitments appropriately to complete work.