Studio Manager

The RoleYou are a highly organized, proactive Studio Manager with a natural instinct for creating environments where people and ideas thrive. You bring structure to the day-to-day, sweat the details, and take pride in making things run smoothly.

Working closely with our Operations Manager and leadership, you support the seamless running of our Los Angeles studio—from vendors and operations to team and client experience. As a cultural ambassador for Koto, you help shape a welcoming, thoughtful, and well-run environment that reflects how we show up, both locally and globally.

Your Responsibilities

• Own the day-to-day running of the studio—from managing landlords and vendors (cleaning, maintenance, pest control) to keeping us stocked with the best food, beverages, and stationery.
• Support IT and Operations with hardware procurement, software rollouts, and desk setups to ensure the team has exactly what they need to create and deliver amazing work to our clients.
• Act as a natural-born organizer, supporting with travel arrangements, meeting rooms, and client events with precision and budget-sensibility.
• You provide strong support for organizing complex global trips and incentives. You work with discretion and meticulousness.
• Support the roll-out and ongoing delivery of consistent processes and a cohesive, values-aligned culture across all studios
• Play a key role in acquiring, designing, and transitioning us into new office spaces. Managing the process to tight timelines and budgets alongside the Operations and Finance team, and studio leadership.
• Partner with leadership to codify and nurture Koto’s culture. You’ll plan everything from weekly socials and employee gifts to supporting or leading on global summer and winter off-sites.
• Lead the onboarding journey for new hires, ensuring they are set up for professional fulfillment from day one.
• Ensure every client, partner, or visiting Koto leader receives a first-class experience the moment they walk through our doors.
• Help to establish Koto as a pillar of the local design community by building relationships with design schools, publications, and creative peers, and furthermore identify additional opportunities for Koto to support the local community through proactive initiatives and partnerships.
• Proactively embrace global operations initiatives such as ESG and ISO compliance as they relate to your studio.
• Spearhead special projects that help Koto show up in "unexpected ways"—think Koto merchandise, niche production projects, and experimental client experiences.
  
  

Our Responsibilities

• We’ll ensure you have regular access to your manager and team leads to support your development and career path.
• We actively reward strong performance with promotions, salary increases, and a discretionary annual bonus of up to 10%.
• We’re committed to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace for all employees.
• We support family leave and offer significant paid leave for maternity and paternity.
• We encourage you to take your time off: 25 vacation days annually, 10 U.S. holidays, and a full studio closure between Christmas and New Year.
• We offer a 401(k) with a 4% company match.
• We provide a monthly $150 “employee wellness” budget through Juno.
• We give you access to YCN and fund relevant training and development opportunities.
• We reward tenure with $5,000 and 5 extra days off at 5 years, and $10,000 and 4 weeks off at 10 years.
• We support work-from-anywhere opportunities across our five global studios, with advanced 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 20 days remote a year. We believe this produces the best work, mentoring opportunities, collective learning, and culture.
• We encourage autonomy among our team members, allowing them to manage their time, hours, and personal commitments appropriately to complete their work.