Animation Developer Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Overview

We're looking for a senior front-end web developer who cares deeply about the interactive details - design, animation, and behavior - that bring a brand to life. You'll join our design-driven team building custom websites from scratch for interesting clients.

You will lead end-to-end website development, choosing the appropriate tech stack (often Craft CMS), establishing technical architecture, crafting intuitive content authoring experiences, and writing resilient front-end code to allow clients to easily create new pages, and manage and evolve their sites post-launch.

Working closely with designers, content strategists, and project managers, you'll turn designs into fast, accessible, responsive, and animated websites. You'll contribute throughout the project lifecycle - from initial strategy, to wireframe and design reviews, technical architecture, front-end development, interactions and animations, to testing and final quality assurance.

You'll also collaborate with your peers on the development team to improve our processes and perform regular maintenance and enhancements to hosted client sites.

Primary Responsibilities

• Define technical requirements through research and collaboration with designers and project stakeholders
• Lead development on small to large-scale websites as the primary individual contributor
• Architect and implement the CMS content editing experience for clients
  
• Translate bespoke design mockups in Figma into modular, reusable front-end component systems
• Propose and implement performant animations and interactions that enhance the user experience
  
• Ensure cross-browser compatibility and responsive behavior across devices and platforms
• Lead client-facing demos and technical discussions, bridging the gap between technical and non-technical teams
• Perform quarterly maintenance to keep projects secure, stable, and up to date
• Enhance and extend client sites to meet new business and audience needs
• Contribute to internal tools, workflows, and development standards
• Support teammates with development challenges

About You

• 3+ years of experience in an agency or similar environment
• Strong portfolio demonstrating attention to craft, detail, and design-led work
• Deep appreciation for design, branding, and the role of front-end in shaping user experience
• Passion for refined interfaces, thoughtful animation, and interactive experiences
• Experience building modular systems with a CMS and reusable components
• Mobile-first mindset with solid knowledge of common cross-browser issues
• Strong understanding of web performance, accessibility, and SEO best practices
• Familiar with WCAG AA accessibility standards
• Experience or Interest in using AI to enhance the velocity of development or open up new possibilities
• Comfortable working across multiple projects and navigating tight timelines
• Excellent communicator who collaborates well with designers and other developers
• Curious, self-motivated, and committed to continuous learning and improvement

Nice to Have

• Experience working with Craft CMS, Shopify, Wordpress, or Astro
• Background in design or motion
• Experience with animation libraries like GSAP or Framer Motion
• Experience implementing Lottie or Rive animations
• Familiarity with TailwindCSS and BEM methodology
• Experience with PHP (Craft, WordPress, or Laravel)
• Experience with front-end frameworks like React/Next or Vue
• Experience with 3D or creative development (three.js, shaders, animations using canvas or WebGL)
• Interest in CI/CD or DevOps workflows

Relationships

• Manager: Executive Director, Operations
• Mentors: Principal Developers
• Peers: Developers, Senior Developers
• Collaborates with: Associate Creative Directors, Creative Directors, Project Managers, Account Directors, SEO/Analytics Experts

The Process

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If we like what we see in your application, here are the next-steps, with all interviews conducted via video chat:

1. Intro call: Screening interview with our Director of Operations
2. Take home challenge: Async code assessment for candidates passing the screening interview
3. Technical interview: Candidates passing the code assessment will interview with members of our dev team
4. Final interview: We may optionally ask you to meet with members of other teams in the studio, or reconnect with our interview team as a final pre-selection step in the process

Location

This position is ideally filled by a candidate who is in the Chicago area. However, we operate as a hybrid-to-remote team and welcome applicants outside of Chicago to apply.

PLEASE NOTE: Only applicants located in and legally authorized to work in the United States will be considered; One Design Company is unable to provide work visa sponsorship for this position.

Pay & Benefits

We ask a lot of our people-but we give a lot, too. We offer a competitive salary in the range of $85,000 - $115,000 for this role based on qualifications. We also offer full health benefits, matching 401k, unlimited time off and other paid leaves to support individual or family needs, flexibility in work schedule and location, and an inclusive and inspiring work environment.

Interested in applying?
Fill out the application, including all required fields and and anything else you think will help us understand your work and what makes you a strong fit.While we're interested in resumes, we also value the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experience that define the individual we'll hire.

Underrepresented groups and individuals from all walks of life are strongly encouraged to apply. One Design is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive, welcoming workplace.