Animation Character Design Jobs in Ontario (NOW HIRING)

We are Australia's leading innovation partners for public good - developing technology and design solutions that power the public and the people who serve it. We seek out areas of acute social need and work with government agencies, nonprofit organisations, and socially-minded businesses to make transformational change.

There are currently 65+ of us - researchers, strategists, designers, creatives, technologists, and producers - working from our head office in Collingwood and remotely from co-working spaces and homes across Australia.

This role sits in our Design and Creative Services team, which is a multidisciplinary team of human centred designers, producers and creatives who work to understand and define the needs of people and organisations and bring them through a design process towards solutions that make a real difference.

Within that, you'll be part of a small, close-knit creative team, focused on storytelling, video /  animation production and photography. We work side by side on projects day to day, and lean on each other a lot. It's a small team, so you'll need to hit the ground running.

We're looking for an Animator / Motion Designer/ Video Editor who's a storyteller first, a technician second. You'll bring strong craft across animation and editing, but what sets you apart is your instinct for narrative: knowing what to cut, what to linger on, and how to shape footage or motion into something that actually lands with an audience. How to collaborate with clients and the community to tell their stories and elevate different voices.
You'll be comfortable sitting in a room with a client or a community member, hold your own creative point of view, and collaborate to tell their stories and elevate different voices, building the work together with them rather than just executing a brief.

You'll work across a mix of client and internal projects, from motion graphics and 2D animation through to video editing and colour grading, translating a client's brand and tone into work that tells stories that matter for organisations working on real social impact. Alongside the craft, you'll bring the judgement and experience to help lead and mentor others as the team grows.

• Design and animate motion graphics, brand animations and title sequences
• Edit footage, including selects, colour grading, and audio integration
• Composite footage, including motion tracking and green screen work
• Bring creative direction and storytelling instinct to client briefs, not just technical execution
• Collaborate with clients, translating their brand and tone into video and animation
• Facilitate a storytelling workshop or storyboarding workshop with clients or people with lived experience to draw out their needs, ideas, and constraints.
• Contribute to internal storytelling workshops, helping upskill the broader Portable team on how motion, video and animation can support other practices
• Mentor other editors and animators, with a view to growing into a team leadership role as the team scales
• Bring a curious, experimental mindset to AI tools (Runway, Artlist, LLMs, image and video models), with a considered point of view on where they help and where they don't

• Strong experience in motion design, 2D animation, and video editing
• Prolific in After Effects, with strong Premiere Pro skills
• Illustration and character design skills, with the ability to bring original visual concepts to life. Adobe illustrator, pro create 
• Confident storyboarding, from concept through to shot-ready sequences
• A track record of storytelling that goes beyond technical polish, with clear creative judgement
• Client-facing experience, comfortable facilitating discussion, translating feedback into better work
• Experience mentoring or leading other editors or animators
• Curious about AI tools and workflows, without needing to be an expert
• Nice to have: filming/camera operation, 3D animation, photography, Photoshop/InDesign, copywriting, workshop facilitation
• A genuine interest in co-design, social change, or purpose-driven work is a strong plus

The salary range for this role is $75,000 - $95,000 plus superannuation, negotiable based on experience.

This role is Melbourne-based, working from our Collingwood office 3 - 4 days a week, with 1 - 2 days a week available as hybrid/work from home. We'd also consider part-time arrangements (e.g. 0.8 FTE) for the right candidate.

Joining Portable means becoming part of an organisation with an award-winning workplace culture, where your contributions are valued and you're supported by a genuinely multidisciplinary team.

Here's what else you can look forward to:

• Meaningful work with impact: We take on projects that aim to make a positive difference in areas like mental health, social justice, and accessibility
• Flexible work arrangements: We support a flexible working environment-whether it's from home, the office, or a cafe-with remote and hybrid options (up to 4 days per week), flexible hours, and personalised start/finish times
• Enhanced leave benefits: Enjoy bonus annual leave based on tenure, the option to purchase additional leave, paid volunteering leave, and paid mental health days as personal leave with no explanation or medical certificate required
• Growth and career development: We offer structured career pathways, an annual professional development allowance of $1,000 and two working days, access to our Emerging Leaders program, twice-yearly salary reviews, and ongoing leadership coaching for those ready to step up
• Wellbeing support: Through our Employee Assistance Program with The Mindroom, our team can access up to 4 counselling sessions per year, with support for general wellbeing, career planning, and managing life's challenges
• Financial incentives: Team members are eligible for a profit-sharing bonus and can explore employee share plan options, as well as salary sacrificing
• Family-friendly policies: We offer enhanced parental leave and support part-time arrangements that work around family commitments, such as school drop-offs and caring for sick loved ones

We're committed to building a diverse and equitable team. People from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

To be considered, please send us:

1. Your resume.
2. A short (max. one-page) cover letter answering:
   1. What attracted you to this role, and why do you think it's a good fit for you?
   2. Tell us about a project where you used video or animation to tell a story with social impact. What was your role, and what made it effective?
   3. Link to your portfolio with recent relevant work