Senior Associate, Design (Dynamic + Static)

About the Senior Associate, Design (Dynamic + Static)

Manhattan Strategies is seeking a Senior Associate, Motion & Visual Design to join our team. The best-fit candidate has a strong foundation in visual design and a demonstrated ability to translate static concepts into dynamic, motion-driven outputs. This role bridges design systems and storytelling to ensure that work is both visually cohesive and engaging across formats.

Key Responsibilities

• Dynamic Design & Motion Execution: Lead creation of motion assets across social, web, and video. Translate static designs into dynamic systems, develop storyboards or lightweight motion concepts when needed, and own animation quality from pacing and transitions to overall polish.
• Static Design Foundation: Produce high-quality static design across decks, social, branding, and web. Apply strong hierarchy, typography, and layout systems consistently, build modular and scalable design systems that translate cleanly into motion, and ensure brand consistency across all deliverables.
• Concepting & Visual Thinking: Contribute to creative direction with clear visual ideas. Use references strategically to communicate direction and align teams, balancing speed with taste and knowing when to explore versus when to refine.
• Ownership & Collaboration: Own projects end-to-end, especially for dynamic deliverables. Partner with designers, strategists, and editors to align on narrative and execution; proactively flag risks, gaps, or opportunities; and provide guidance and feedback to junior team members.

Who Thrives in This Role

This opportunity is ideal for you if you:

• Are energized by motion and visual storytelling, and stay current on design trends, emerging formats, and platform aesthetics
• Think systemically about design; you build frameworks that scale across formats and teams
• Take ownership of your projects with a high standard of quality, polish, and follow-through
• Thrive in a fast-paced, client-driven environment where your work is visible and directly tied to results
• Communicate clearly and collaborate well across creative and strategic disciplines
• Are curious, experimental and test new approaches and bring ideas to the table without waiting to be asked
• Are comfortable managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously without sacrificing craft

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in motion design, visual design, or a related creative field; agency experience preferred
• Proficiency in Adobe After Effects and a strong understanding of motion principles including timing, easing, rhythm, and transitions
• Familiarity with Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
• Strong eye for typography, layout, spacing, and composition with experience designing for digital-first environments
• Ability to work quickly without sacrificing quality, with organized file structures and clean handoff practices
• Collaborative, proactive, and comfortable iterating based on feedback while maintaining design integrity
• Bachelor's degree preferred, but not required with relevant experience

Benefits & Compensation

• Compensation range is $67,000 to $80,000 per year, depending on experience
• Benefits include bonus eligibility and 401(k) with company match
• Paid family leave
• Healthcare and dental insurance
• Hybrid work environment
• Open, collaborative office space designed for both collaboration and focused work
• Leadership that is accessible and invested in your growth
• Ongoing learning opportunities and skills development
• An environment where diverse perspectives are not just welcomed, but valued
• Pantry stocked with an array of beverages and snacks
• Scheduled team lunches, celebrations, and recognition of milestone moments and wins

About Manhattan Strategies, an Award-Winning & New-Age Consulting Firm

By 2035, the majority of CEOs and senior decision makers will be digital natives: people whose expectations will reflect a digital and visual life experience.

At Manhattan Strategies, our mission is rooted in a simple hypothesis: if you communicate visually, you maximize your power to compel action. To do it, we combine an attentive communications agency and a boldly ambitious design studio. Our work spans challenges of every size and stage, from pre-seed startups to Fortune 100 companies and from political campaigns to product launches.

Manhattan Strategies has been recognized by ADWEEK among the fastest-growing agencies and by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing companies in America and the best B2B public relations provider in the United States. The firm has also won dozens of awards for its design, web development, branding and video production.