Koala is a global furniture brand bringing Australian design and innovation to the world. We create forward-thinking products that solve problems for people and homes everywhere, driven by our purpose to make the world a more comfortable place.

We’ve always believed in doing things differently, whether in the way we develop products, how we do people and culture, or the way we bring the brand to life. That mindset has fuelled our growth, helping us disrupt categories in ways that are creative, bold and often unexpected. While we’re a household name in Australia, our journey on the global stage is only just beginning.

Since launching in 2015, our furniture has reached homes across Australia, Japan, the US and the UK. As a B Corp-certified, customer-obsessed, and data-led company, we’re committed to revolutionising furniture for generations to come through design, innovation, and meaningful sustainability.

Role Description

To support Koala's rapid scaling into new markets and revitalised Brand approach, we require a Global Director of Marketing Operations - an operational genius to match our ambition. This critical leadership role ensures our innovative marketing ideas don't get bogged down in process; you are the leader who turns strategy into reliable, flawless execution.

Key Responsibilities

We need a leader who is highly organised and skilled at building seamless global processes, but who also possesses the charm and deep brand understanding to influence positive outcomes across the business. Your mandate is not to introduce clunky corporate red tape, but instead, create a system that liberates our creative teams and marketers to focus, facilitating collaboration, alignment, and the consistent delivery of projects on time.

• Operational Blueprint & Planning:

  • Design and own the end-to-end Marketing Operations system that governs how all teams (Brand, Creative, Product, Performance) execute work.

  • Translate annual and seasonal marketing strategies into clear, sequenced delivery roadmaps with defined milestones and dependencies.

  • Lead the planning and scheduling of the integrated marketing calendar, ensuring clarity on who is doing what and when.
    

• Resource & Capacity Management:

  • Be the source of truth for Marketing team capacity, managing workload, and forecasting resource needs for major campaigns and product launches.

  • Identify and proactively resolve resource or process bottlenecks and scheduling conflicts to maintain project flow and avoid burnout.
    

• Process Optimisation & Efficiency:

  • Standardise and document the core ways of working across the Marketing organisation and our key partners, focusing on simplicity and speed.

  • Champion the adoption and optimal use of all marketing technology and project management tools and systems as needed (e.g., Airtable/Asana) to boost team efficiency.
    

• Collaboration & Communication:

  • Ensuring a steady rhythm of comms, acting as a liaison between Brand / Marketing / Creative and critical cross-functional partners, including E-commerce, Product, Finance, and Regional Teams.

  • Establish a consistent and reliable communication cadence for reporting project status, risks, and performance to leadership and stakeholders.
    

• Risk Mitigation & Quality Control:

• Proactively identify potential project risks and develop mitigation strategies to ensure on-time and high-quality campaign delivery.

• Drive a culture of accountability and continuous improvement in project delivery and operational health metrics.

Ideal background

• Past Experience: 8+ years in Project Management, Operations or Program Management roles. In-house experience at a Global Brand is a must; being able to work with not only different functions, but different regions.

• Strong planning skills, with experience creating clear roadmaps and translating a strategic vision into steps for the team.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Proven track record of successfully driving and completing complex, cross-functional workstreams and effectively navigating a dynamic, multi-team (matrixed) environment.

• Strategic Planning: Strong background in strategic planning, with demonstrable experience in creating clear operational roadmaps and translating a strategic vision into tangible, sequenced delivery plans.

• Operational Mindset: Deep understanding of process design, resource allocation, and capacity management.

• Technical Skills (Bonus): Familiarity with project management and operational tools (e.g., Airtable, Asana, Monday, resource planning software) and strong proficiency in communication and presentation.

Treehouse Perks and Privileges

Koala is only great when its employees are happy — and we’re one happy bunch!

• Hybrid working - We’re mixing it up with ~3 days back in the Alexandria Treehouse (office) and work from bed/home (WFB)

• Take a break - Generous time off - volunteer, parental, Koala life leave and more to help keep your work-life balance, balanced.

  Treehouse goods - Fully stocked kitchen with an emphasis on healthy local produce, think bougie brekky, salad bar, kombucha on tap, monthly barbies and more.

• Pet-friendly - The Koala Treehouse is as pet-friendly as they get!

• Surprise & delight - The two-word combo at the core of everything we do. All Koalas can expect to enjoy free Koala products with ‘mates rates’ for your friends and fam.

• Support & wellbeing - Our employee experience respects and embraces all families, formed, found and evolving. You’ll have access to our Employee Assistance Program, which includes unlimited sessions for financial, work, relationship, family or wellbeing support.

• Accelerate your career - via our Learning Management platform Juno, as well as individual and team growth budgets and dedicated days.

• Community & connection - We believe that simply doing ‘no harm’ isn’t good enough So, how are we doing our part? BCorp Certified, WWF Partnership, volunteer days, a member of SoftLanding, 1% and so much more.

All in all, the Koala Kommunity is a great place to hang out and belong to!

Koalities we look for

At Koala, we do things a little differently and we don’t shy away from the fact that we expect a lot from our employees! We are ambitious. We are curious. We are selfless. We want you to challenge expectations, always look to make a difference and give us something different from the norm. We want people that bring great energy, that have a long-game focus and are always trying to find new angles and approaches to the way we work. We're a team full of entrepreneurial spirit and have a relentless focus on 'what's next' but while always reviewing 'what's been done' and learning, growing and adapting. We're confident, but NEVER arrogant and we adapt to change like Steve Smith under a short ball. Honesty and empathy drive everything we do, as well as a total focus on exceeding our customers’ expectations. So if you feel like this could be you... well what the bloody hell are you waiting for? Drop us a line, and let's see what you've got! ;)

There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ candidate, Koala is a place where everyone has opportunity. So however you identify and whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come into work every day. We’re an equal opportunity employer, and recognise that a diverse workforce is crucial to our success as a business.

To read more, check out our careers, LinkedIn, or the great work we do with Work180.