Creative Director, Motion: Lead 2D/3D Campaigns

The Heist; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible time off

Remote Fridays optional

Dog-friendly offices

Unlimited coffee, drinks, and snacks

Office lunches

Branded company swag

Comprehensive extended health benefits

Learning opportunities and industry-re

Job summary

The Heist, a Chicago-based motion design studio, seeks a Creative Director, Motion to lead a tight-knit team and craft compelling 2D and 3D work for high-impact campaigns. You will participate hands-on in creation, storyboarding, and client-facing activities, reporting to the Director of Animation.

You will steer concept development, maintain brand alignment, and drive workflows across the animation pipeline while mentoring staff and collaborating with clients throughout project lifecycles.

Qualifications

• 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.
• Mastery of the Adobe Suite (After Effects, Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator).
• Portfolio showcasing a refined taste in motion design in 2D and 3D across varied marketing and campaign styles.
• Experience leading, storyboard development, and client-facing collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a nimble team of motion designers with strong creative direction.
• Hands-on design and animation when needed.
• Develop clear storyboards and polished styleframes for campaigns.
• Oversee 2D and 3D animation assets aligning with brand guidelines.
• Provide clear, actionable feedback to team members.
• Engage directly with clients to interpret needs and offer creative insights.
• Collaborate with the motion team to adopt new workflows.
• Contribute to project budgeting and resource planning.

Skills

Motion design leadership

Cinema 4D

Redshift

Storyboards & styleframes

Adobe After Effects

Premiere Pro

Photoshop

Illustrator

XParticles / Marvelous Designer / Houd

Figma

Client-facing

Budgeting & resource planning

Project leadership

Tools

Cinema 4D

Redshift

After Effects

Premiere Pro

Photoshop

Illustrator

Marvelous Designer

XParticles

Houdini

Figma

Job description

The Heist, a Chicago-based motion design studio, seeks a Creative Director, Motion to lead a tight-knit team and craft compelling 2D and 3D work for high-impact campaigns. You will participate hands-on in creation, storyboarding, and client-facing activities, reporting to the Director of Animation.

You will steer concept development, maintain brand alignment, and drive workflows across the animation pipeline while mentoring staff and collaborating with clients throughout project lifecycles.