Executive Assistant, Design Agency

We are Koto. A dynamic, people first and optimistic branding agency in the heart of Southwark, central London. We’re looking for a new EA with experience of working within the creative industries to join us.

The Role

An intuitive and proactive partner to our London leadership team, you’ll be the strategic engine behind our VP, ECD, MD, and ESD.

You don’t just manage diaries, you protect their time and maximise their impact by anticipating the needs of the business before they arise. With a balance of high IQ and EQ, you’ll navigate everything from complex travel and new business triage, to the seamless execution of our most important meetings. You’re someone who thrives in the details, ensuring no thread is left hanging and every guest feels the Koto standard from the moment they arrive.

Your Responsibilities

• You’re confident organising and booking travel for leadership, and being on hand to support the wider London team with Koto’s travel management platform - TravelPerk.
• You take the headache out of the admin, managing expenses for the leadership team and ensuring all project-related travel or entertainment costs are tracked accurately.
• You are a great communicator (written and verbally) and have an intuitive side. Balancing IQ with EQ throughout your activities. You can actively screen and direct communications to the right people, to ensure all enquiries are met.
• You interlock with Koto’s global EA team based in London to ensure best practice and cultural resonance for Koto.
• You act as a critical second eye for the London Growth Director, you will help assess the seniority and scale of incoming new business leads to determine appropriate leadership presence.
• You prep rooms to suit the specific tone and needs of leadership’s meetings. As their primary host, you will meet, greet, and escort their visitors through the studio, ensuring a professional and seamless start to every session.
• You don’t just book meetings; you ensure they have agendas and clear objectives. You aren’t afraid to nudge for follow-up actions to ensure nothing stalls after the call.
• You demonstrate a willingness to operate and move comfortably between Koto’s tools and communication channels such as Slack, Google, and Pitch.
• A trusted support and understudy for London’s studio management and operations, proactively stepping up and leaning in to fill gaps, throw energy at cultural events, and keep the studio and the business running smoothly.
• You manage London’s leadership diaries with confidence, understanding the priorities of their time based on the needs of the business and act as their all-seeing eye for the week ahead. You have a deep understanding of the type of support your VP, ECD, MD and ESD need from you.

Our Responsibilities

• We will ensure you have meaningful and regular access to your manager to support your personal development and career trajectory.
• We will actively reward performance with promotions, pay increases and a discretionary annual bonus of up to 10% of salary to all employees.
• We ensure Koto is an equal environment for all its employees regardless of race, gender, age, or sexual preference.
• We will support you in taking family leave and offer significant paid maternity and paternity.
• 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.
• We will contribute an additional 3% to anyone wanting to engage in the Scottish Widows pension scheme.
• We offer private medical insurance via Vitality Health and a monthly ‘employee wellness’ benefits package via Juno of £75 per month.
• We offer access to YCN and fund relevant training opportunities to any employee looking to develop themselves and career.
• 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.
• We will give you the opportunity to work from any of the five 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 l…