The Role

You’re a motion designer refining your craft — curious, ambitious, and full of ideas. You bring brands to life through movement, crafting stories that feel as intentional as they are expressive. You understand that great motion isn’t just decoration — it’s a vital part of how brands think, feel, and behave.

At Koto, you’ll explore how animation, rhythm, and systems-thinking can turn strategy into emotion and design into experience. You’ll collaborate across disciplines, learn from talented peers, and help shape brand worlds that truly move.

Your Responsibilities

1. Create brand-defining motion.
You craft high-quality motion work — from motion graphics and character animation to complete motion systems — with clarity, originality, and purpose. You think in principles and behaviours, translating strategy and design into motion that feels alive and distinctly Koto.

2. Collaborate across disciplines.
You work closely with designers, strategists, and creative directors to bring motion thinking into the process early and often. You can take direction and action feedback thoughtfully, support junior teammates, and keep the energy of collaboration strong.

3. Present with confidence.
You help build and present motion work that’s clear, engaging, and well-articulated. You can explain the thinking behind your design decisions — both visually and verbally — to teammates and clients alike.

4. Work hands-on.
You spend much of your time designing and animating. You’re fluent in After Effects, comfortable with Figma and Illustrator workflows, and ideally have experience with editing, 3D (C4D preferred), or motion for web (Rive, Lottie, creative coding).

5. Manage your time and craft.
You understand how long animation takes and plan your time accordingly. You can manage your workload, meetings, and priorities to keep projects moving forward smoothly.

6. Bring the Koto spirit.
You thrive in a collaborative, in-person studio environment and contribute to a positive creative culture. You’re excited to work from our New York studio and open to occasional travel — from Stuttgart to San Francisco.

Our Responsibilities

1. Provide regular access to your manager to support your growth and career trajectory.

2. Reward performance with promotions, pay increases, and a discretionary annual bonus of up to 10%.

3. Ensure an equal and inclusive workplace for all employees.

4. Support family leave with generous paid maternity and paternity.

5. Offer 25 vacation days annually, plus US bank holidays and a December studio closure.

6. Contribute up to 4% to participants in our 401k plan.

7. Provide a monthly $100 wellness benefit via Juno.

8. Offer access to YCN and fund relevant training opportunities.

9. Celebrate milestones: $5,000 and five extra vacation days after five years; $10,000 and four weeks after ten years. 

10. Give you the opportunity to work temporarily from any Koto studio worldwide with appropriate planning.

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 of remote work 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.