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

As a Commercial Project Coordinator, you will act as the operational backbone of Koala Japan’s commercial organization, ensuring that key initiatives move from idea to execution smoothly and predictably.

This role exists to bring structure, clarity, and discipline to how we run projects across teams. From product launches and major campaigns to retail openings and sales activations, you will coordinate stakeholders, track progress, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

You will operate as a close partner to the Commercial Marketing & Sales Director, helping translate strategy into clear actions, timelines, and accountability across the organization. Your work will reduce operational friction, improve decision visibility, and enable leaders to focus on strategic priorities rather than execution bottlenecks.
Ultimately, this role ensures Koala’s commercial initiatives are delivered with greater speed, coordination, and execution excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Admin & Operational Support
Support the daily operational rhythm of the commercial team to ensure alignment and follow-through.

• Meeting preparation & follow-ups

  • Prepare agendas, notes, and documentation for key meetings

  • Capture decisions, actions, owners, and deadlines

  • Ensure follow-up on agreed next steps

• Document management

  • Maintain updated decks, trackers, templates, and project status documents

  • Ensure key information is centralized, organized, and accessible

• Cross-team coordination

  • Collect updates and inputs from multiple stakeholders

  • Consolidate information across teams to avoid misalignment

  • Help prevent last-minute issues by ensuring early preparation and clarity

Project Management
Lead the operational coordination of key commercial initiatives.

• Own and maintain project trackers for initiatives such as:

  • Product launches

  • Sales activations and promotional campaigns

  • Retail store openings and pop-ups

  • Major commercial events (Black Friday, Silver Week, TV campaigns, etc.)

• Ensure every project includes:

  • Clear ownership

  • Defined scope

  • Structured timeline

  • Identified dependencies

  • Weekly status updates (On track / At risk / Blocked)

• Additional responsibilities:

  • Run weekly or bi-weekly project check-ins

  • Identify and escalate risks early before they impact execution

  • Maintain visibility across stakeholders and leadership

  • Help prevent last-minute issues by ensuring early preparation and clarity

Ways of Working and Process Discipline
Improve operational clarity and consistency across the commercial team.

Responsibilities include:

• Maintain clear RACI documentation to define ownership and responsibilities

• Establish and enforce simple, repeatable project templates

• Ensure key decisions are documented and shared clearly

• Reduce operational noise and unnecessary back-and-forth across Slack and meetings

• Support leaders in running more efficient and structured meetings

Leadership Support & Commercial Cadence
Act as a coordination partner to leadership by maintaining execution discipline.

Responsibilities include:

• Prepare materials and structure for leadership meetings

• Track commitments and actions made by leadership

• Ensure agreed actions are followed through by relevant teams

• Identify recurring blockers, missed deadlines, or operational patterns

• Surface insights to leadership to improve execution and planning
  

Ideal background

• 3+ years of experience in project management, business operations, consulting, or commercial operations roles

• Experience coordinating cross-functional initiatives across multiple teams

• Proven ability to manage complex projects and stakeholders

• Japanese proficiency: Minimum JLPT N3 level

• English proficiency: Upper-intermediate level
  

Treehouse Perks and Privileges

Koala is only as good as its employees are happy - and we’re one happy international bilingual bunch! We offer our teams hybrid working options and the freedom and autonomy to do their best work in a way that works for them! Whether that’s working your own version of 9-6, working from home in your pajamas from time to time or hanging out at our Treehouse (this is what we call our office digs) in Omotesando, or enjoying the 20+ days annual leave (+generous time off for volunteer, parental, Koala life leave and more) you decide whatever helps you find your flow! The Treehouse has plenty of social activities to get involved with, including Thursday lunches, and help you get to know your fellow Koalas better as well as free Koala products for all employees - who better to shout from the tree tops how awesome our products are, right?! We also recognise that we can’t grow as a brand unless we support the growth of our teams so this is a strong focus for us via our Learning Management platform Juno, as well as individual and team growth budgets and dedicated days. Lastly and importantly 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. 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 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 curious 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 uber quickly. Honesty and selflessness 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 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 recognize 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.