Senior Motion Designer

Koto; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary annual bonus up to 10%

401k with 4% match

25 vacation days + holidays

Wellness package $105/month

Family leave support

Job summary

Koto in Los Angeles is seeking a senior motion designer to craft brand identities through motion systems and exquisite craft. You will lead from concept to delivery, shaping ideas into compelling visual narratives and inspiring junior teammates.

Expect collaboration with designers, strategists, writers, and the wider creative team to deliver world-class work. You are deeply hands-on, with a strong point of view and a passion for contemporary creative culture, tools, and ideas.

Qualifications

• Experienced motion designer with a strong craft and brand-building sensibility.
• Proven ability to lead and inspire a creative team and collaborate across disciplines.
• Proficiency in After Effects and 3D tools, with a solid eye for detail.

Responsibilities

• Generate ideas and articulate them visually and verbally to raise project quality.
• Design motion systems, graphics and animation for world-class brand identities.
• Own motion from concept through execution with exceptional craft and clarity.
• Collaborate with designers, strategists, writers, and the broader team.
• Translate strategy into motion principles aligned with brand ideas.
• Create client presentations and articulate thinking with confidence.
• Stay curious about tools, people, and ideas shaping the industry.
• Own projects, timelines, and personal development; communicate proactively.
• Contribute to in-person culture at Culver City studio four days a week.

Skills

Motion design

After Effects

Branding

3D

Figma

Presentation skills

Job description

The Role

You are an experienced motion designer and exceptional creative practitioner. Your days are spent relentlessly authoring ideas, designing motion systems, and bringing brands to life through exceptional craft. You are deeply hands‑on, with a strong point of view and the ability to inspire the team around you.

The Role

You are an experienced motion designer and exceptional creative practitioner. Your days are spent relentlessly authoring ideas, designing motion systems, and bringing brands to life through exceptional craft. You are deeply hands‑on, with a strong point of view and the ability to inspire the team around you.

Your Responsibilities

• You generate excellent ideas and articulate them expertly, both visually and verbally. You actively raise the quality of thinking and making around you.
• You spend a significant amount of your time designing. You can create motion principles, systems, graphics and animation that come together to form world‑class brand identities.
• You take ownership of motion from concept through execution, with an exceptional eye for craft, detail and what makes an idea distinctive.
• You collaborate intimately with designers, strategists, writers and the wider creative team, bringing a motion‑first perspective while supporting and inspiring more junior talent.
• You translate strategic and creative thinking into meaningful motion principles, ensuring movement is rooted in the brand's idea rather than treated as an afterthought.
• You construct compelling client presentations, articulate the thinking behind your work and present ideas with clarity and confidence.
• You have a deep knowledge of branding, motion and contemporary creative culture. You are curious about the people, tools, and ideas shaping the industry, and you bring that perspective into your work.
• You take ownership of your projects, time and development. You communicate proactively, action feedback and know what it takes to deliver exceptional work.
• You are highly proficient in After Effects, with strong working knowledge of 3D, Figma, and emerging creative tools and technologies.
• You are willing to work in person from our Culver City studio four days a week, playing an active role in the culture, energy and creative life of the team

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.
• We will support you in taking family leave and offer significant paid maternity and paternity.
• We will actively encourage you to take 25 vacation days yearly, in addition to US national holidays, and a studio closure between Christmas and New Year.
• We offer a 401k that you can contribute to and Koto matches up to 4%.
• We deploy a monthly ‘employee wellness’ benefits package via Juno of $105 per month.
• We offer access to YCN and fund relevant training opportunities to any employee looking to develop themselves and their 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 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 of remote work per year. We believe this produces the best work, mentoring opportunities, collective learning and culture.
• We encourage autonomy among each member of our team, allowing them to manage their own time, hours, and personal commitments to complete work.