Multimedia Designer

The Product Design Director for Literacy will own the vision and responsibility of providing best-in-class learning experiences and product branding for Savvas K-12 Literacy, as well as Supplemental and Intervention products and their ecosystems. The Director will provide the strategic design direction and vision for materials that support next-generation students and educators.  The Director is responsible for designing and delivering frictionless experiences for Savvas customers that help deliver the brand promise. The Director collaborates effectively with a variety of business leaders, editorial leaders, instructional designers, technology leaders, product managers, creative product branding, and other key stakeholders to develop large growth businesses. The Director leads the implementation of holistic creative frameworks to deliver an innovative user experience for the Savvas product family. The Director provides thought leadership and cultivates a strong cross-discipline product team that includes Design Managers, Product Designers, Artists, Multimedia Designer/Producers, UX Researchers, Content Specialists, and developers. Holistic Design/Human-Centered Design process and methodologies are a must. The Director will champion the strategic adoption of AI tools and methodologies across the product design lifecycle to optimize team workflows, accelerate prototyping, and significantly enhance operational efficiency. Key Leadership Pillars: The Director will bring deep creative expertise, business and revenue alignment, aggressive cost optimization, and modern technological integration to ensure that design is a key driver of market leadership, cross-functional efficiency, and commercial success. Business Driven Design & Financial Ownership * Collaborates with key stakeholders to define Literacy product experiences for Savvas, including continual improvement and innovation. * Works as part of Product and Platform management teams to understand customer needs and the strategic goals of Savvas’s learning applications. * Encourages and models the use of data to inform design strategy and decisions. * Maintains alignment with project management to ensure that the design team is delivering on budget and on schedule. Assists product and project management in estimating and planning required Product Design resources and budgets to meet product delivery goals. * Regularly aligns with Product Design Directors of other disciplines, seeking out opportunities to collaborate and share best practices in striving to support the Savvas brand and define a unified experience. * Leads detailed project planning, budgeting, and team capacity planning in collaboration with cross-functional groups. * Creates budgets and maintains close oversight of spend through production; optimizes funds by thoughtfully allocating assignments to internal staff and strategic use of vendor partners * Able to balance business requirements, marketing, and analytics with design aesthetic. * Manages departmental P&L and quarterly expense forecasting. * Confidently represents and articulates design strategy rationale to executive leadership and the CEO. Methodologies * Human-Centered Design (HCD) expert who acts as the "go to" with in-depth knowledge of user interface best practices and standards. * Experience working with UX processes within Lean, Agile development methodologies. * Demonstrated ability to navigate complex problems in developing holistic solutions for Product Design strategy and ecosystems. * Drives and documents design standards and patterns across products. * Collaborates with teams on process improvements and tool implementation to support those processes. * Drives knowledge management to ensure open and clear lines of communication regarding design processes and ideas. * Champions Product Design testing and user research as an integral part of the iterative product development process. * Establishes and maintains customer relationships to foster Product Design opportunities. * Drive design quality by leading collaborative reviews, guiding feedback discussions, and leveraging industry benchmarks and user research to act as an internal thought leader. * Define user-centric experience goals and validate designs through regular testing to guarantee that the final product experience delivers high-performing results. * Experience sketching, concept creation, producing IA for print and digital formats, wireframing and mapping user flows, with interactive rapid design prototyping. * Champions heavy template reuse and drives design standardization across products to maximize design systems at scale. * Actively explores and leverages emerging AI tools to improve productivity, workflows, and speed-to-market.  * Ensures all designs are optimized for usability and adhere to modern WCAG accessibility guidelines. * Possesses a strong ability to utilize data visualization to explain complex ideas and structures, and secure early stakeholder and executive consensus. Supervisory Responsibilities * Participates in department goal setting and performance reviews for the Product Design staff. * Facilitates the success of direct reports in meeting their (and their team's) goals by supporting them to turn their strengths into higher performance, and by helping them improve on their weaknesses. * Leads with compassion and empathy, with an emphasis on building a resilient, empathetic team rather than just managing staff. * Establishes clear career development pathways, guiding senior designers into mentorship roles and cultivating business-minded design managers who align creative solutions with commercial goals. Qualifications: Target Experience & Background * Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) required; Master’s degree in a relevant field a plus. * 10+ years of enterprise creative/design management experience spanning print media and multi-platform (web, mobile, and software) UI/UX. * Experience managing a team of multi-disciplinary professionals, creative strategic outsourcing, and delivering projects in a large scale, complex enterprise environment. * Must have a proven track record of managing high-stakes digital initiatives with major internal and/or external technology partners under aggressive timelines. * Experience overseeing multi-million dollar K-12 print and digital product portfolios. * Ability to manage multiple projects and an ability to prioritize and organize to meet tasks and deadlines. * Must be a vibrant and engaging communicator who can present concepts and ideas to all levels of the company.

Motion Designer Toronto, hybrid DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention services across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Meta, eBay, and OpenAI. We have been certified B Corp and Climate Neutral since 2021. This is a 6 month fixed term employee contract. This posting reflects an existing vacancy. JOB PURPOSE This role is part of our Global Studios team. We create emotive yet conversion-focused ideas, products and campaigns at scale and speed. Our specialty is hyper-personalised, digital communications that change perceptions, shape new behaviours, and shift market share for our clients. As Motion Designer you will produce video, animation and digital creative solutions to help communicate DEPT®’s  clients’ goals. You’ll use movement to inspire, educate and engage a wide audience across social media, email and onsite. WHAT YOU’LL DO: * Digital animations and video editing. * Taking a lead on any multimedia questions and issues across the team. * Delivering constructive feedback. * Image and footage sourcing. * Taking accountability for flawless design output. * Taking briefs from start to finish, from storyboarding to completion. * Creating and owning design templates. * Contributing innovative ideas at creative review meetings through research and the inspiration you seek in the external world. * Protecting brand integrity and guardianship. * Champion inclusivity and manage change effectively by cascading information to your team. * Drive the delivery of work on time and to the highest standard by the understanding of your team's capabilities. * Supporting fellow team members. WHAT YOU BRING: * A great source for up-to-the-minute creative knowledge and trends. You are well versed in working in an agency context and have relevant experience covering brand, direct and above the line creative work. * Must have extensive experience with After Effects, Premier, and the wider Adobe suite. (Any 3D experience is a bonus!) * Wide knowledge of the animation/video creation process, from storyboards, to colour and sound, to rendering. * Knowledge of music and how it can elevate a motion picture. Able to sync music to motion masterfully.  * Highly motivated and collaborative. * Very organised with attention to detail. * Works with grit and determination in the face of demanding deadlines. * Has a desire to embrace new skills and challenges. * Keen to build client relations and pitch their ideas to them. * Good eye for layout, skilled in typesetting and retouching. The anticipated annual salary range for this position is $60,000 - $70,000 CAD. Salary is based on relevant experience, expertise, and organizational impact. WE OFFER * A flexible, hybrid working policy. * An excellent salary based on experience and equal pay policies. * Mental health support, and company sick pay scheme. * 15 days paid holiday annually (plus Public Holidays). * Refreshments are provided in the office all week. * Enhanced family friendly policies to support new parents. * Social and Cultural Events, plenty of opportunities to connect with colleagues through organised activities and celebrations. * Inspirational Talks, bringing the outside in with regular guest speakers and events. * Learning and Development, supporting your growth with continuous opportunities to learn and advance. * Buddy Programme: You will be paired with a ‘Buddy’ to help you through your first weeks’ at DEPT®. * A reputation for doing good. DEPT® has been a Certified B Corp® since 2021 and named ‘Agency of the Year’ at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards. * Awesome clients. Whether big or small, local or global — at DEPT® you’ll get the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and across all industries. And we celebrate all of our successes together! * The opportunity for possibility. We want to enable you to do what you do best and help you develop your skills further with training, development and certifications. WHY DEPT®? We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA. We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter. At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build. AI Disclosure: At DEPT®, we use AI-assisted technology (Metaview) to capture notes and summarize interview conversations, so our interviewers can stay fully focused. Using the AI is optional, just let us know if you’d prefer it not be used. DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION  At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine. We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us. Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.