Lead and hands-on create 2D and 3D motion graphics for marketing campaigns. Manage and mentor a small motion team, develop storyboards and styleframes, collaborate with clients, oversee asset production, adopt workflows, and contribute to budgeting and resource planning to deliver high-quality animated work.
Who We Are
Hi! We’re The Heist, the production, post production and motion design arm of Thinkingbox, the brief to built agency. Our team brings together unique perspectives in production, design, technology, and creativity that push the boundaries for our clients to create work that is uniquely ours. We are a curious bunch that loves to think big, continuously learn, and create. We love our culture and the natural collaboration that happens in and around our five offices, from dog parties, to happy hour Thursdays, we maintain a vibrant work environment. However, for one month a year we encourage our people to explore the world. Try working from another office or even the beaches of Mexico and expand your worldview, then bring that experience back to the team.
The Opportunity
The Heist is on the hunt for an exceptional, hands-on Creative Director, Motion, to join our team in Toronto. 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.
What We Offer
- Opportunities to grow and evolve alongside a dynamic, passionate team.
- A chance to work on exciting, high-impact projects across a variety of industries and styles.
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
Figma
Houdini
Illustrator
Marvelous Designer
Photoshop
Premiere
Redshift
Xparticles
Similar Jobs
Cloud • Computer Vision • Information Technology • Sales • Security • Cybersecurity
The Business Resilience Manager will oversee Crisis Management programs, ensuring effective response and recovery from disruptions through strategic planning, training, and collaboration across teams.
Top Skills:
Collaboration ToolsCrisis Management Software Platforms
Healthtech • Logistics • Pharmaceutical
The role involves strategic leadership in workforce planning, client management, and operational excellence to enhance service delivery in the healthcare sector.
Top Skills:
ExcelMicrosoft WordOffice ProgramsPowerPoint
AdTech • Digital Media • Marketing Tech • Software • Automation
Lead technical product development for the DSP platform: define APIs and platform governance, drive ML/AI optimization for bidding and pacing, ensure scalable low-latency systems, partner with Engineering and Data Science, deliver reporting and attribution, manage technical debt, and drive cross-team adoption and monetization of platform capabilities.
Top Skills:
AWSDockerEvent-Driven ArchitecturesJavaKafkaKubernetesMicroservicesNoSQLPostgresPythonReactRubySQL
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.
