Creative Director, Motion - The Heist

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

Who We Are

Hi! We’re The Heist, the motion design, live action, and post production studio within Thinkingbox, the Brief-to-Built agency.

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.