Director / Principal Motion Designer

Expedia; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 224,000 - 387,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Paid time off

Employee Assistance Program

Wellness & travel reimbursement

Travel discounts

IATAN membership

Job summary

Expedia is seeking a Director / Principal Motion Designer to lead motion craft on-site in San Francisco, with additional locations including Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, or Austin. You will shape motion language, build it into the design system, and collaborate with product, engineering, brand, and marketing to ship high-quality motion with intent.

You’ll lead end-to-end motion work, mentor teams, and champion editorial motion across brand and product narratives, ensuring a cohesive motion

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in UI motion design.
• Engineering-ready motion specs hand-off across iOS, Android, and web.
• Strong storytelling and art direction with timing and craft instincts.
• Excellent communication and collaboration with senior-level influence across cross-functional partners.
• Experience mentoring designers and growing motion capability.
• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Motion, HCI, UX or related field.

Responsibilities

• Establish motion principles, patterns, and guidelines.
• Build motion into the design system for scale.
• Craft polished product details: transitions, micro-interactions, state changes.
• Prototype and validate motion ideas with usability in mind.
• Write clear, implementable motion specs for engineers across iOS, Android, and web.
• Partner with engineering on implementation and reviews to align shipped experiences with design intent.
• Stay current on motion approaches across stacks (e.g., Lottie, Rive, CSS/JS).
• Design or direct sizzle reels, product launch videos, and promotional storytelling pieces.
• Create concepts, storyboards, and narratives guiding production.
• Act as go-to motion expert and mentor across Expedia Design.
• Influence stakeholders on why motion matters and how to apply it.

Skills

UI motion design

Engineering-ready motion specs

Storytelling and art direction

Leadership and mentorship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Design, Motion, HCI, UX or related

Tools

After Effects

Figma

Principle

Rive

Lottie

Job description

Expedia is seeking a Director / Principal Motion Designer (onsite) in San Francisco, CA, with additional locations including Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, or Austin. In this role, you will help define Expedia Design’s motion language, raise the standard for product and brand motion, and partner across product, engineering, brand, and marketing to ensure motion craft ships with clear intent and high-quality implementation.

You will lead motion craft end-to-end, shaping principles, patterns, and specifications that make experiences feel delightful, clear, and unmistakably Expedia. This position emphasizes both leadership and hands‑on contribution, including motion systems, engineering‑ready specs, prototypes, and editorial storytelling work.

What you’ll do

• Establish motion principles, patterns, and guidelines to ensure products feel cohesive and unmistakably Expedia
• Build motion into the design system so teams can apply it consistently and at scale
• Craft polished product details, including transitions, micro-interactions, state changes, and loading and success moments
• Prototype and validate motion ideas while advocating for animation that supports usability as well as craft
• Write clear, implementable motion specs for engineers across iOS, Android, and web (timing, easing, springs, choreography, triggers)
• Partner with engineering on implementation and review builds to align shipped experiences with design intent
• Stay current on motion implementation approaches across tech stacks (for example: native animation frameworks, Lottie, Rive, and CSS/JS animation) and advise on the right approach per use case
• Design, build, or direct sizzle reels, product launch videos, and other promotional storytelling pieces
• Create concepts, storyboards, and narratives, guiding production whether you execute directly or direct internal teams and external partners
• Act as the go‑to motion expert across Expedia Design, setting quality standards and providing thoughtful, constructive critique
• Mentor designers and partners to grow organizational motion capability
• Influence stakeholders across product leadership, brand, and marketing on why motion matters and how to apply it effectively

What you bring

• Deep expertise in UI motion design, backed by a portfolio demonstrating polished, purposeful product animation
• Proven ability to create engineering‑ready motion specs and hand off across iOS, Android, and web
• Strong working knowledge of how motion is implemented in code across multiple tech stacks and their practical constraints
• Mastery of industry motion and prototyping tools such as After Effects, Figma, Principle, Rive, and Lottie workflows (or equivalent)
• Demonstrated ability to design, build, or direct editorial motion work including brand films, sizzle videos, and promotional content
• Strong storytelling and art direction with excellent timing, rhythm, and craft instincts
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including senior‑level influence across cross‑functional partners
• Experience raising the craft bar through mentorship, standards, or leadership
• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Motion, HCI, User Experience, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• 5–10+ years of experience in product design or related disciplines, including leadership of large‑scale teams

Tools and technologies

• After Effects, Figma, Principle, Rive, Lottie, CSS/JS animation
• iOS, Android, web, native animation frameworks
• Cinema 4D, Blender, AI/ML, AI‑driven systems

Benefits

• Medical/dental/vision coverage
• Paid time off
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellness & travel reimbursement
• Travel discounts
• International Airlines Travel Agent (IATAN) membership

Success looks like

• Expedia products have a recognizable, cohesive, delightful motion identity
• Engineers receive clear specs and ship motion aligned with design intent
• Brand and campaign storytelling is strengthened through compelling motion work
• Motion craft and capability grow across the design organization

Salary range: USD 224,000 - 387,000 per year. Location: San Francisco, CA (onsite). Additional locations: Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, or Austin.