Job description
We’re looking for a Senior Motion Design Director to lead and evolve the motion practice within Engine, Code and Theory’s creative production studio. This is a hybrid role that combines visionary thinking, systems-level design, and hands-on motion craft to define how brands move across digital platforms.
As a senior leader within the studio, you’ll shape the creative direction for all things motion—guiding animation language, establishing design systems, and setting the standard for scalable, platform-aware visual storytelling. From campaign films to UI animations and content toolkits, your work will stretch across brand and product expression, balancing creativity with efficiency at every step.
You’ll be both a craftsperson and a mentor—someone who can inspire a room, direct a vendor, or jump into After Effects and lead by doing. You understand how motion enhances storytelling, product experience, and brand presence—and you know how to build the teams, systems, and strategies to deliver it at scale.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Set the overall creative vision and executional standard for motion across the studio’s campaign, brand, and product work.
- Lead concepting, storyboarding, style framing, and motion studies that define the visual identity and animation principles for brands.
- Serve as the motion lead on major cross-disciplinary projects, helping shape how ideas come to life through movement.
- Build out motion systems and toolkits that balance craft with repeatability—enabling high-volume content production without sacrificing quality.
- Guide the development of modular assets, reusable templates, and real-time-ready design systems for both 2D and 3D environments.
- Collaborate closely with the Tech Ops and Automation teams to develop smart, scalable workflows that amplify design through technology.
- Direct internal motion designers and external vendors across a range of deliverables—from quick-turn social assets to large-scale motion packages.
- Own QA and final polish for motion deliverables, ensuring exceptional quality and detail at every touchpoint.
- Work hands-on in tools like After Effects, Figma, Cinema 4D, or Unreal when needed—modeling high standards and creative innovation.
- Partner with Creative Directors, UX teams, strategists, developers, and producers to integrate motion into every phase of the creative process.
- Contribute to pitches, presentations, and creative treatments—representing motion as both a craft and a strategic differentiator.
- Support team operations by scoping, resourcing, and structuring motion workstreams effectively.
- Mentor mid- and junior-level motion designers, editors, and animators—providing creative direction, technical feedback, and career development support.
- Champion a collaborative and growth-oriented culture within the team—one where experimentation, shared learning, and excellence thrive.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- Professional motion design experience with a strong portfolio that spans brand systems, campaigns, and content design.
- Proven leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams and directing both internal and external creatives.
- Deep fluency in Adobe Creative Suite (After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere) and Figma.
- Working knowledge of 3D design tools such as Cinema 4D, Blender, or real-time engines like Unreal or Unity.
- Strong understanding of both 2D and 3D workflows, with an appreciation for real-time rendering and automation-enhanced motion.
- Experience designing motion systems and toolkits, not just one-off animations.
- Excellent visual storytelling instincts, with the ability to clearly communicate ideas to clients and collaborators.
- Solid project management sensibility—comfortable estimating timelines, defining scope, and resourcing effectively.
- You set the bar for what great motion looks like across our campaigns, content, and branded experiences.
- You introduce scalable systems that let us produce more motion content—smarter, faster, and with higher impact.
- You guide and grow a team of motion talent, helping shape the next generation of creative leaders.
- You position motion as a strategic advantage for our clients and for Code and Theory’s future.
ABOUT US
Born in 2001, Code and Theory is a digital-first creative agency that sits at the center of creativity and technology. We pride ourselves on not only solving consumer and business problems, but also helping to establish new capabilities for our clients. With a global client roster of Fortune 100s and start-ups alike, we crave the hardest problems to solve. We have teams distributed across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The Code and Theory global network of agencies is growing and includes Kettle, Instrument, Left Field Labs, Create Group, Mediacurrent, Rhythm, and TrueLogic.
Striving never to be pigeonholed, we work across every major category: from tech to CPG, financial services to travel & hospitality, government and education to media and publishing. We value the collaboration with our client partners, including but not limited to Adidas, Amazon, Con Edison, Diageo, EY, J.P. Morgan Chase, Lenovo, Marriott, Mars, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, and TikTok.
The Code and Theory network is comprised of nearly 2,000 people with 50% engineers and 50% creative talent. We’re always on the lookout for smart, driven, and forward-thinking people to join our team.
This is a full-time role, based in the United States. The target range of base compensation for this role is $150,000 - $190,000. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience and location.
