Lead a team of motion designers and provide creative direction for 2D and 3D animation, motion graphics, storyboards, styleframes, and advertising campaigns. Create hands-on design and animation work, oversee campaign assets, collaborate with clients and internal teams, provide feedback, improve workflows, and support budgeting and resource planning.
Who We Are
Hi! We’re The Heist, the motion design, live action, and post production studio within Thinkingbox, the Brief-to-Built agency.
We bring together directors, designers, animators, editors, and technologists to create work that moves. From brand films to broadcast spots to social campaigns and experiential content, our team blends craft and curiosity to push ideas further. Across our studios, collaboration is real, feedback is open, and culture matters. We take the work seriously. Ourselves, a little less so.
The Opportunity
The Heist is on the hunt for an exceptional, hands-on Creative Director, Motion, to join our team in Chicago. In this role, you’ll lead a tight-knit team of motion designers, crafting visually stunning 2D and 3D motion graphics and animation for high-impact marketing campaigns. Reporting to the Director of Animation, you will work on advertising projects for a diverse range of clients, ensuring each campaign’s creative vision aligns seamlessly with client goals. Your role includes hands-on creation, storyboarding, and collaboration with our animation team, as well as client-facing responsibilities.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Lead and inspire a nimble team of motion designers and guiding projects with a strong creative direction.
- Be hands on and demonstrate intention when needed, be it in design or animation.
- Develop clear storyboards and polished styleframes that convey the narrative and aesthetic of each campaign.
- Oversee and participate in creating campaign assets, including 2D and 3D animation, ensuring all work aligns with brand guidelines and art direction.
- Provide clear, actionable feedback to team members, fostering growth and maintaining the highest quality of work.
- Engage directly with clients, interpreting their needs and providing creative insights throughout the project lifecycle.
- Collaborate with the motion team to adopt new processes and workflows that meet the unique demands of each marketing campaign.
- Contribute to project budgeting and resource planning to ensure efficiency.
What You’ll Bring
- A portfolio showcasing a refined taste in motion design in 2D and 3D across varied marketing and campaign styles.
- A desire to further your skills driven by your own curiosity.
- 8+ years of experience in a motion design role, with 3+ years in a leadership or senior capacity.
- Strong proficiency in Cinema 4D and Redshift.
- Demonstrated ability to create clear storyboards and refined styleframes that align with campaign goals.
- Mastery of the Adobe Suite (After Effects, Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator) and a thorough understanding of the animation pipeline.
- Strong design sensibilities, demonstrating the ability to merge aesthetic and technical skills.
- Working knowledge of XParticles, Marvelous Designer, and/or Houdini is a big plus.
- Working knowledge of Figma.
- Strong organizational skills, with a solution-oriented approach to creative and technical challenges.
Additional Info
- Monday - Thursday in office (Fridays are remote optional)
- Flexible time off, including paid vacation and sick days
- Consistent culture and team-building events
- Employee recognition and incentive programs
- Seasonal celebrations and gatherings throughout the year
- Office lunches
- Branded company swag
- Access to industry events, learning opportunities, and non-profit outreaches
- Dog-friendly offices
- Unlimited coffee, drinks, and snacks
- Flex work and travel options
- Comprehensive extended health benefits
Equal Opportunity
At The Heist, we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, heard, and empowered to thrive. We believe that diversity is our creative strength – it's the range of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds that fuels our best ideas and most innovative solutions. We welcome and encourage applicants of all races, ethnicities, genders, identities, abilities, ages, sexual orientations, and backgrounds to apply. Your voice matters here.
To Apply
Thank you for your interest in joining our team. Please submit your resume along with links to your online portfolio as part of your application (if applicable). Due to the volume of applications we receive, we’re unable to respond to every submission. However, all applications are kept in our talent database and will be considered for future opportunities.
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