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Associate Animation Director Jobs in New York (NOW HIRING)

M+C Saatchi UK

Creative Director - Art

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$133K - $140K/yr

Collaborate with production partners, photographers, illustrators, animators, and developers to ... At least 3+ years in a Creative Director, Associate Creative Director, or senior art leadership ...

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Associate Animation Director information

What does an Associate Animation Director do?

An Associate Animation Director assists the Animation Director in overseeing the animation team and ensuring the quality and consistency of animated sequences in a project. They help manage schedules, provide creative direction, and review animation to make sure it meets project standards. The role often involves collaborating with other departments, mentoring animators, and troubleshooting technical or artistic challenges. This position is essential in maintaining the project's vision and ensuring that deadlines are met without compromising artistic integrity.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Associate Animation Director?

To thrive as an Associate Animation Director, you need strong expertise in animation principles, storytelling, and visual design, often backed by a degree in animation or a related field and significant industry experience. Familiarity with industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, Adobe Creative Suite, and project management tools is essential, along with knowledge of production pipelines. Leadership, creative vision, and clear communication are vital soft skills for guiding teams and collaborating with other departments. These abilities ensure the delivery of high-quality animated content on time and align the creative vision with project goals.

What are some common challenges faced by an Associate Animation Director when leading a team of animators?

As an Associate Animation Director, one of the primary challenges is balancing creative vision with project deadlines and resource limitations. You’ll often need to mediate between the artistic goals of the animation team and the practical requirements set by producers or clients. Ensuring clear communication, maintaining team morale, and providing constructive feedback are essential for keeping the team aligned and motivated. Additionally, you may need to quickly troubleshoot technical or creative issues that arise during production, all while fostering a collaborative and supportive environment.

What is the difference between Associate Animation Director vs Animation Director?

AspectAssociate Animation DirectorAnimation Director
ResponsibilitiesSupports the Animation Director, oversees specific sequences, and manages junior animatorsLeads the entire animation team, sets creative vision, and approves all animation work
Experience & SkillsTypically mid-level, strong animation skills, leadership experienceExtensive animation background, leadership, and project management skills
Work EnvironmentCollaborates closely with Animation Directors and teamsHeads the animation department, responsible for overall quality

The Associate Animation Director assists the Animation Director by managing specific tasks and sequences, while the Animation Director holds the primary creative and leadership role for all animation aspects. The Associate role is more supportive, whereas the Animation Director is the key decision-maker in animation projects.

What cities in New York are hiring for Associate Animation Director jobs?

Cities in New York with the most Associate Animation Director job openings:

Infographic showing various Associate Animation Director job openings in New York as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 70% Full Time, 27% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 95% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution.

Freelance Associate Creative Director, Design Keynotes & Events (Contract)

New York, NY • Remote

Article Group
See more jobs at Article Groupexternal

Full-time

Re-posted 14 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Leads creative concepting, visual styling, design, and client workshares on technical keynote presentations and event collateral.

  • Collaborates directly with clients and team members to develop, iterate, and deliver high-quality presentation designs, including animations and storyboards.

  • Ensures creative excellence by maintaining consistent design direction, managing creative processes, and representing Article Group in client interactions.

Job description

Hi. We're Article Group, a strategic advisory and creative studio.

That means we often work with product marketers at some of the most well-known tech companies (think: Google, Meta, Amazon, Salesforce etc.). It also means we're a great partner for startups and early-stage companies looking to leverage our strategic and creative capabilities.

Our rapidly growing keynote business focuses on synthesizing visual storytelling with expert customer service. We craft bold presentations for some of the top industry leaders at brands like Amazon Web Services, AIG, and Crowdstrike.

We strive to make every slide and animation clear, beautiful, surprising, and useful. We want all of our speakers to be able to present with confidence, and aim to reduce friction in the keynote development process through the clarity that comes from a strong point of view.

Role description 

The freelance Associate Creative Director, Design at Article Group leads creative concepting, visual styling, design, and client workshares on assigned technical keynote presentations and event collateral.  You will work directly and autonomously with clients among your direct collaborators, and be accountable for creative problem-solving, design direction, PowerPoint presentation design and animation, and collaboration with other designers and animators. You will be accountable for selling through a consistent design direction for each asset you are assigned, while contributing to all client-facing deliverables in a "hands-on" manner. This is a leader/doer role.

You will drive creative excellence across design-centric workflows and deliverables. In close collaboration with Article Group management, you will represent Article Group to clients and own accountability for creative decisions. You will demonstrate consultative listening to grasp client objectives, persuasive presentation of creative concepts, and adaptive problem-solving when incorporating feedback.

Your background skews toward keynote and presentation design, art direction, and visual storytelling. You are capable of direct partnership with clients, including senior C-suite or VP executive speaker stakeholders. You can lead creative efforts as both a doer and delegator of tasks while giving concise, actionable feedback to collaborators of all levels. Ultimately, you are responsible for crafting and advocating for the integrity of the core creative vision of assigned deliverables with team members and clients.

This role requires advanced PowerPoint design capabilities. Candidates should be comfortable designing high-visibility executive-level presentations, designing polished slides from blank pages, and iterating rapidly in live client sessions. 

This role frequently requires direct, 1:1 collaboration with clients. Designers will be expected to work with clients as partners in the creative process, and become trusted, embedded members of the client keynote development team.

This is a freelance, project-based contract role with variable hours based on client demand and event schedules. You will work in a remote environment. Travel for on-site events and rehearsals will be required. You will find success in this role if you are senior enough to design and iterate quickly in PowerPoint with a high taste level in close, personable collaboration with client stakeholders. 
Examples of our work can be found here: AWS reInvent 2024 Sizzle Reel

 

Key responsibilities: 

  • Provides creative expertise in client pitches, work shares, and brainstorms, to establish a clear vision and direction for all assigned deliverables.
  • Designs creative output inclusive of data visualizations, technical diagrams, and conceptual, informational slides within brand guidelines. 
  • Moves ideas past the obvious and brings teams and clients along with them.
  • Delegates as needed to project teams and manages creative processes and deliverables from conception through final delivery.
  • Enforces and improves Article Group standards and processes for audience-first visual storytelling in slide and motion design.
  • Designs storyboards for animated sequences as needed, in adherence with Article Group best practices for motion design.
  • Workshops ideas in direct collaboration with client stakeholders, assesses feedback, and communicates clear paths forward after every client conversation.
  • Escalates project risks and concerns regularly to senior Article Group leadership.
  • Expert in Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe Creative Suite (specifically Photoshop and Illustrator). Working knowledge of Keynote, Google Slides, Figma is expected. Knowledge of After Effects and Media Encoder is nice to have.
  • Knowledge of AI tools such as Midjourney, Firefly, Runway, Claude, and Gemini is a bonus.

Minimum requirements:

  • 6+ years of design experience with at least 3 in an Associate Creative Director or senior creative leadership role
  • A portfolio that specifically showcases keynote and large-scale event presentations will be required for consideration
  • Experience leading creative execution in live event environments, maintaining composure and driving solutions under pressure during production.
  • Expert-level PowerPoint and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) proficiency, with working knowledge of Keynote, Google Slides, and Figma
  • Demonstrated experience managing and mentoring designers, motion designers and other creatives across levels, including giving direct, actionable feedback that actually improves the work
  • Cross-functional collaboration experience, specifically partnering with strategy and account leads

Article Group is committed to providing equal employment opportunities without regard to race, religion, color, ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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