Motion Designer

Thesis, a Portland, OR based creative agency with more than 20 years of experience, offers a hybrid Motion Designer role that blends in person collaboration at our NW Portland office with flexible remote days. The annual salary range is USD 65,000 – 85,000, and candidates typically hold a bachelor’s degree with 5 to 7 years of professional motion design experience. You will lead the design and animation of motion content across social, product, brand, and campaign assets from storyboard to final output, while mentoring junior designers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and animation of motion content across social, product, brand, and campaign assets.
• Translate static design and storyboards into compelling motion with strong pacing, clarity, and brand alignment.
• Collaborate with creative leads, editors, designers and copywriters to shape cohesive narratives and visual systems.
• Develop styleframes, storyboards, and animation prototypes for internal and client reviews.
• Participate in creative brainstorms, offering ideas for how motion can elevate storytelling.
• Ensure technical execution, including file management, render optimization, and output delivery.
• Mentor junior motion designers, guiding technique, timing, and feedback integration.
• Stay current on trends and techniques to keep motion language and workflows fresh and efficient.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Motion Design, Animation, Graphic Design, or equivalent experience.
• 5–7 years of professional motion design experience in an agency, in-house, or content studio.
• Portfolio demonstrating high level animation skills, storytelling ability, and versatility across formats.

Technologies

• Adobe After Effects
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Cinema 4D
• Blender
• Premiere
• Final Cut

About Thesis

We are Thesis, proudly headquartered in Portland, OR, serving clients globally for over 20 years. Thesis is a creative agency that drives business success through marketing across technology, strategy and operations.

Your Background

• Expert in Adobe After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, with optional Cinema 4D, Blender, or similar 3D tools.
• Versatile motion graphics generalist capable of handling diverse animation styles.
• Strong typography and graphic design foundations.
• Experience creating compelling styleframes that establish visual direction.
• Skilled in typography, composition, layout, and rhythm as they relate to animation.
• Solid grasp of animation principles such as timing, easing, and movement flow.
• Able to create styleframes and animate with narrative purpose.
• Familiar with video editing workflows (Premiere, Final Cut) and sound synchronization.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage timelines and priorities across multiple deliverables.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

• Use of standard office equipment and technology.
• Environment includes an office setting with periods of sitting, keyboarding, and computer use.
• Bending, reaching, lifting, pushing, and pulling up to 25 pounds.
• Thesis operates a flexible hybrid model with remote work two days per week and in-office three days per week.
• Preferred candidates are located in the Portland Metro area to support the hybrid setup in NW Portland.
• No travel is anticipated for this role.

Values

• Be Lean, Take Action: Think big, roll up your sleeves, and get things done. Process should drive momentum, not slow it down.
• Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say: We value honesty and ideas, with a culture that welcomes debate while keeping ego out.
• Show Up Fully: Bring your whole self to work and contribute your unique perspectives while honoring others' strengths.

Inclusion and Encouragement

We encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the qualifications. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are essential to how we work, collaborate, and create. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and provide reasonable accommodations during the hiring process for applicants with disabilities. If you require accommodation, please contact Human Resources at [email protected].