Art Director / Senior Motion Designer in London

Role Summary: This is a senior role for a designer and motion specialist who wants to do exceptional work. You will work closely with our Creative Directors, supporting the development of concepts, leading design on projects, and contributing hands on to pitches, productions (Traditional, Animation and AI) and new business opportunities. You are a strong creative practitioner with the confidence to lead work, give direction, and elevate output. You bring a sharp design eye, a deep understanding of motion, using the latest tools and the ability to take a project from concept to completion with minimal oversight. This role is suited to someone who is ready to step up in a creative environment, take ownership of their projects, and collaborate closely with senior creatives to develop both the work and themselves.

• Design and Creative Leadership: This is the core of the role. You will produce and direct design and motion work to a consistently high standard. Lead design on projects from concept through to delivery, including styleframes, motion design, and animation direction. Work directly with Creative Directors to develop creative concepts, translating briefs and ideas into strong visual and motion executions. Provide creative direction and feedback to animators and designers on active projects, helping elevate the quality of work produced by the wider team. Maintain Synima's visual and motion standards across the projects you touch, bringing consistency and quality to every output. Be the creative point of reference for design decisions on your projects, making fast and confident calls to keep work moving.
• Supporting Creative Directors: You will work in close partnership with our Creative Directors. Assist Creative Directors in developing and refining creative concepts for pitches, productions, and exploratory work. Take briefs from Creative Directors and execute them to a high standard, requiring minimal rounds of direction. Step in to lead design on projects when Creative Directors are at capacity, owning the creative output and quality. Act as a creative sounding board, contributing ideas and alternatives that push the work further. Reduce the volume of design and motion decisions that need to escalate to Creative Directors by taking ownership at your level.
• Pitch and New Business Contribution: You will play an active role in winning new work, which is where Synima's creative ambition is most visible. Contribute to pitch development across concept, design, and motion, producing sample visuals, styleframes, and motion tests. Lead design on pitch projects, working closely with Creative Directors to ensure pitch work reflects the quality and ambition of our best output. Support R&D efforts and capability showcases that feed into pitches and marketing.
• Project Oversight and Delivery: Where relevant to your projects, you will work alongside Producers to ensure creative quality and delivery are both maintained. Partner with Producers on active projects to ensure the work is progressing creatively and on schedule. Provide creative oversight and quality review across the deliverables on your projects, catching issues before they reach senior stakeholders or clients. Join client calls where creative or technical context is needed, with Producers remaining the primary relationship owners. Flag creative risks early and bring clear solutions, not just problems.
• AI Tooling and Modern Production: Synima operates at the intersection of traditional craft and AI-enabled production. You will be expected to work fluently across both. Use AI tools as part of your creative workflow where they improve quality and output, not as a shortcut but as a capability. Contribute to internal knowledge sharing around AI workflows, tools, and methods. Help define practical approaches that combine motion craft with AI production in a way that maintains Synima's quality bar.

Skills and Experience: Strong design portfolio demonstrating high quality work in motion design, animation, or design for screen. Proven experience working in a studio or agency environment, producing and directing creative work to client deadlines. Comfortable leading projects independently from brief through to delivery, with a clear creative point of view. Experience giving direction or feedback to other creatives, whether formally or informally. Confident working with Creative Directors, Producers, and clients across different types of projects. Solid command of modern creative tools and production pipelines, including file management and asset handoff. Practical fluency in AI tools relevant to motion and design production. Fluency in traditional tools including After Effects, Cinema 4D, and Unreal Engine.