Senior Motion Designer

Northern Trust; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 78,000 - 141,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Northern Trust in Chicago seeks a Senior Motion Designer to join our Creative team and lead motion graphics, animation, and visual effects for brand, campaigns, social, digital, and executive content.

You will own complex motion assignments, evolve our motion language, and build reusable systems and templates to enable scalable production across the enterprise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in film, video production, motion design, or equivalent experience.
• 5–7+ years of motion design and video experience in agency, in-house, studio, or production.
• Advanced proficiency in After Effects and Premiere Pro; strong Photoshop/Illustrator knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Create motion graphics, animation, and visual effects design across brand, campaign, social, and events.
• Translate briefs and scripts into storyboards, style frames, animatics, and finished motion.
• Develop modular motion systems, templates, and reusable assets for scalable production.
• Collaborate with creative, strategy, marketing, and production teams through delivery.

Skills

Motion design

Animation

Visual effects

Storyboarding

Brand storytelling

Education

Bachelor's degree in film, video production, motion design

Tools

Adobe After Effects

Premiere Pro

Photoshop

Illustrator

Figma

Adobe Express

Adobe Firefly

Job description

About Northern Trust As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions. Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide. With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Role/Department: Senior Motion Designer/Digital Marketing

We're looking for a Senior Motion Designer to join our Creative team—a strategic visual storyteller with deep expertise in motion graphics, animation, visual effects, and scalable motion systems. This role will concept, design, animate, and deliver high-impact motion work across brand, campaign, social, digital, executive, and event channels while helping evolve how motion is created, governed, and scaled across the enterprise. The Senior Motion Designer transforms strategy, scripts, briefs, and design direction into polished motion experiences that bring ideas to life with clarity, craft, and brand consistency. This role spans motion graphics, animation, visual effects, typography in motion, storyboarding, style frames, concept development, editing, sound, color, and post-production for campaign videos, social content, digital advertising, executive communications, event content, explainers, templates, and modular motion assets. The ideal candidate can owner complex motion assignments from concept through delivery, elevate the brand’s motion language, build reusable systems and templates, and support scalable production models, self-service tools, and AI-enabled creative workflows.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

• Create Motion Graphics, Animation & Visual Effects Design and animate motion graphics, typography, titles, transitions, visual effects, data visualizations, iconography, end cards, and branded motion elements.
• Bring complex ideas, messages, and brand stories to life through clear, engaging motion concepts and polished animation.
• Create cutdowns, versions, aspect ratios, and platform-specific motion adaptations while maintaining brand consistency.
• Develop Storyboards, Style Frames & Motion Concepts Translate briefs, scripts, data points, and creative direction into storyboards, style frames, animatics, and finished motion solutions.
• Explore visual approaches that balance strategic clarity, brand expression, accessibility, and production efficiency.
• Partner with creative, strategy, marketing, and production teams to shape motion narratives from concept through final delivery.
• Build Motion Systems, Templates & Reusable Assets Create modular motion systems, templates, toolkits, project structures, and reusable assets that enable consistent, efficient content production.
• Prepare editable motion files, production-ready templates, and exports that support repeatable use across teams, channels, and campaigns.
• Maintain organized libraries, archives, masters, version history, and source files to support ongoing reuse and governance.
• Advance Motion Standards, Governance & Accessibility Apply enterprise visual identity, motion principles, and accessibility requirements with precision and consistency.
• Help define and evolve motion standards, governance guidance, templates, and best practices for scalable content creation.
• Ensure final work meets brand, accessibility, legal, licensing, technical, and quality requirements.
• Collaborate Across Creative & Marketing Teams Collaborate with creative leads, producers, designers, writers, marketing partners, and stakeholders from brief through delivery.
• Present editorial and motion decisions with clear rationale and recommendations.
• Balance multiple assignments, feedback rounds, deadlines, and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Support Scalable Production & AI-Enabled Workflows Support scalable production models, self-service tools, and repeatable workflows that help teams create brand-aligned motion content more efficiently.
• Use tools such as Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Figma, and related creative technologies to explore concepts, accelerate production, and enable thoughtful experimentation.
• Surface production risks, rights or licensing needs, accessibility considerations, technical constraints, and efficiency opportunities early.

Skills/Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in film, video production, motion design, animation, graphic design, or equivalent experience.
• 5-7+ years of motion design, animation, and video experience in an agency, in-house, studio, or production environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro; working knowledge of Photoshop, Illustrator, Media Encoder, Figma, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, and review tools.
• Experience in using MS Office (Word, Power Point) using Work Front or similar project management tool.
• Strong command of motion graphics, animation principles, visual effects, motion typography, editorial pacing, storytelling, sound, color, and finishing.
• Experience delivering content across channels, specifications, and formats, including 16:9, 1:1, 4:5, and 9:16.
• Knowledge of production and post-production workflows, file formats, codecs, media management, template creation, captioning, accessibility, and delivery standards.
• Ability to manage complex projects independently, collaborate effectively, and deliver high-quality work under deadline.
• Experience building reusable motion systems, templates, style frames, and asset libraries that enable consistent and scalable production.
• Strong portfolio or reel demonstrating motion graphics, animation, visual effects, storyboarding, style frames, and video work across campaigns and content types.

Key mindset:

• Collaborative: navigates feedback, timelines, and stakeholder dynamics with a low-ego approach.
• Future-focused: curious about how emerging tools, AI-enabled workflows, and self-service models can responsibly support creative delivery.
• Story-first: uses editing and motion to communicate with clarity and impact.
• Growth-oriented: open to feedback, iteration, experimentation, and critique.
• Curious and proactive: asks smart questions, surfaces risks early, and pushes the work beyond “done.”

Working Model: Hybrid (#LI-Hybrid)

We have a balanced hybrid working model to ensure you get the flexibility you need, and the successful candidate will spend their time between working in the office and working from home. #LI-EA1

Salary Range: $83,100 - 141,300 USD

Salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay.

Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits.

Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa).

Working with Us

As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to an inclusive workplace and assisting the communities we serve.

Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture. Employees around the world give their time and talent to work for the greater good of their communities.

Reasonable Accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [e-mail], or alternatively you can discuss your individual requirements with the recruiter you are working with.

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center or call 1-800-807-0302 (North America), [phone] (Asia Pacific), 1800-425-0333 (India), [phone] (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

Looking for greater? You found it.

A global financial leader with more than 22,000 employees in 23 locations worldwide, Northern Trust empowers our employees to achieve more than just business goals.

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North America

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center or call 1-800-807-0302 (North America), [phone] (Asia Pacific), 1800-425-0333 (India), [phone] (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

APAC/INDIA EEO STATEMENT It is the policy and practice of Northern Trust to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. Northern Trust does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion or belief, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or age. All employment decisions will be made in a non-discriminatory manner in accordance with our obligations under the law and codes of practice. This includes human resources’ decisions relating to recruitment, terms and conditions of employment, transfers, promotions and access to learning and development.

Canada EEO STATEMENT Northern Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Hiring and other employment decisions at Northern Trust are made without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, ethnic origin, age, disability, citizenship, veteran status, sexual orientation, record of offences, marital status, family status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, or local law, regulation, or ordinance.

EMEA EEO STATEMENT It is the policy and practice of Northern Trust to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. Northern Trust does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion or belief, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or age. All employment decisions will be made in a non-discriminatory manner in accordance with our obligations under the law and codes of practice. This includes human resources’ decisions relating to recruitment, terms and conditions of employment, transfers, promotions and access to learning and development.

USA EEO STATEMENT It is the policy of The Northern Trust Company to afford equal opportunity in all phases of employment without regard to an individual's age, race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic tests and information, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status or any other legally protected status. EEO Know Your Rights (U.S)