Lead motion art direction from concept through execution: storyboarding, styleframes, directing 2D/3D teams, overseeing high-quality motion work for social, branded, commercial, and experiential campaigns while mentoring junior talent and contributing to pitches.
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
We're on the hunt for an Art Director, Motion who can lead with vision, inspire teams, and push creative boundaries across a variety of motion design projects. In this hybrid hands-on and leadership role, you’ll take ideas from concept to execution, including: storyboarding, style framing, directing motion designers, and overseeing high-caliber 3D and 2D content for social, branded, commercial, and experiential campaigns. You’ll collaborate with fellow creatives and cross-functional teams to shape the visual direction of projects that range from digital micro-content to full-length animated pieces. You’ll ensure creative excellence while mentoring junior talent and maintaining efficiency and clarity throughout the production pipeline.
What You'll Be Doing
- Lead concept development and the realization of creative direction for motion projects.
- Create styleframes and storyboards that define tone, motion language, and aesthetic.
- Oversee/guide and participate in the execution of 3D/2D motion graphics, ensuring quality and cohesion.
- Collaborate with creative directors, producers, and designers to shape campaign narratives.
- Give thoughtful and actionable feedback that elevates the work.
- Direct small to mid-size teams of animators and designers across various projects.
- Contribute to pitch decks, treatments, and new business efforts when needed.
- Stay ahead of industry trends, tools, and techniques to continuously elevate our creative output.
What You'll Bring
- A stunning portfolio demonstrating strong art direction in motion across multiple styles and platforms.
- 7+ years of experience in motion design or animation, with at least 1-2 years in a senior or leadership role.
- Strong background in visual storytelling, typography, color theory, and design principles.
- Expertise in Cinema 4D, Redshift, and Adobe Creative Suite (After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere).
- Familiarity with Houdini, XParticles, Marvelous Designer, or Substance Painter is a bonus.
- Excellent communication skills – both visual and verbal.
- Ability to manage timelines, provide mentorship, and balance hands-on work with strategic thinking.
- A deep passion for craft and a desire to push what’s possible in motion.
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.
To Apply
Thank you for your interest in joining our team. Please submit your resume along with links to your online portfolio as part of your application (if applicable). Due to the volume of applications we receive, we’re unable to respond to every submission. However, all applications are kept in our talent database and will be considered for future opportunities.
Top Skills
After Effects
Cinema 4D
Houdini
Illustrator
Marvelous Designer
Photoshop
Premiere
Redshift
Substance Painter
Xparticles
Similar Jobs
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • Information Technology • Legal Tech • Productivity • Software
As a Site Reliability Engineer for Data Services at iManage, you will ensure data durability, optimize performance, manage upgrades, and collaborate across teams, focusing on reliability and sustainability in cloud-native environments.
Top Skills:
AzureBashDockerEfkElasticsearchElkGoGrafanaHashicorp TerraformJavaKubernetesMariadbMaxscalePowershellPrometheusPythonRuby
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • Computer Vision • Hardware • Internet of Things • Software
The Senior Data Platform Engineer will oversee Databricks and AWS infrastructure, collaborate with teams to optimize data workflows, and mentor junior engineers.
Top Skills:
AWSDatabricksPythonSQLTerraform
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • Computer Vision • Hardware • Internet of Things • Software
The role involves managing customer engagements from prospecting to closing sales for small to medium accounts, primarily in IoT solutions.
Top Skills:
SFDC
What you need to know about the Toronto Tech Scene
Although home to some of the biggest names in tech, including Google, Microsoft and Amazon, Toronto has established itself as one of the largest startup ecosystems in the world. And with over 2,000 startups — more than 30 percent of the country's total startups — Toronto continues to attract new businesses. Be it helping entrepreneurs manage their finances, simplifying business operations by automating payroll or assisting pharmaceutical companies in launching new drugs, the city's tech scene is just getting started.
