Senior UI & Motion Designer - 1 Year Fixed Term Contract

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UI & Motion Designer - 1 Year Fixed Term Contract

Company: Appnovation Technologies

Location: São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Job Type: Contract, Temporary

Category: Creative & Design Operations / Product Design

Date Posted: March 18, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is pivotal in translating brand identity into engaging digital experiences through sophisticated UI and motion design, focusing on creating scalable design systems.

• The position requires a deep understanding of how to leverage motion graphics and interactive elements to enhance user engagement and brand storytelling across digital platforms.

• Emphasis is placed on collaborative work within cross-functional product development teams, ensuring seamless integration of design with engineering.

• The core function involves acting as a bridge between traditional brand guidelines and modern, digital-first design solutions, optimizing for both user experience and technical performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core title is "Senior UI & Motion Designer," the description strongly implies a role within a product development agency that serves as a "digital partner." This suggests a focus on client-facing work and the application of design principles to solve business challenges, making it relevant to a broader "Creative & Design Operations" or "Product Design" category within the operations umbrella. The emphasis on design systems and collaboration with engineers places it firmly within the operational execution of GTM strategies.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Ingest and interpret traditional brand books and collateral to reimagine and develop modern, digital-first design systems for web and mobile applications.

• Utilize Adobe After Effects to create purposeful Lottie animations for micro-interactions and produce high-impact video content that brings digital products to life.

• Architect and scale robust design systems within Figma, ensuring brand consistency and facilitating seamless handoffs to global engineering teams.

• Confidently present design rationale, including motion and visual UI choices, to clients and stakeholders, aligning them with broader business goals and brand identity.

• Collaborate within agile, cross-functional pods (including Strategists, UX Designers, and Engineers) to iterate quickly and ensure all design assets are polished and performance-optimized.

• Translate "offline" brand elements such as typography, textures, and grids into responsive, accessible, and interactive digital interfaces.

• Design for "edge cases" and optimize animations to prevent compromising app performance, demonstrating a strong understanding of front-end constraints.

• Adapt design style to suit various industries and client needs, managing multiple workstreams in a fast-paced agency environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a blend of creative execution and operational process management. The emphasis on design systems, agile workflows, and seamless handoffs to engineering highlights the operational aspects of this design role, directly impacting the efficiency and scalability of product development and Go-To-Market (GTM) initiatives.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: [Not specified, but a strong portfolio and practical experience are emphasized over formal education.]

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years in UI/Product Design, ideally within a digital agency or a high-growth product studio environment.

Required Skills:

• Expert-level mastery of Figma: Specifically for building and managing complex design systems, utilizing collaborative workflows, and ensuring component-based design.

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe After Effects: Essential for creating production-ready Lottie (JSON) animations and short-form video content for digital products.

• Sophisticated UI Design: Proven ability to create intuitive, visually appealing, and brand-aligned user interfaces across web and mobile platforms.

• Demonstrable Motion Design: A strong portfolio showcasing purposeful motion graphics, micro-interactions, and video content that enhances user experience.

• Design System Architecture: Experience in creating, documenting, and scaling design systems to ensure consistency and efficiency in product development.

• Brand Translation Expertise: Ability to translate offline brand guidelines into cohesive and effective digital design languages.

• Understanding of Front-End Constraints: Knowledge of how design choices impact development, including performance optimization and technical feasibility.

• Client Collaboration & Presentation: Strong communication and presentation skills to articulate design rationale and build consensus with stakeholders.

• Agile Methodologies: Experience working within agile development environments, adapting to iterative processes and rapid feedback loops.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with Lottie animation workflows and best practices for web integration.

• Familiarity with other design and prototyping tools to complement Figma.

• Knowledge of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) in UI design.

• Experience in crafting and delivering design strategies for diverse industries.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications heavily lean on practical, demonstrable skills and experience, particularly in Figma and After Effects, which are critical operational tools for design execution. The emphasis on design systems and translating brand guidelines speaks to the operational need for consistency and scalability in product development.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate UI Design Sophistication: Showcase a range of user interface designs for web and mobile applications, highlighting intuitive navigation, aesthetic appeal, and user-centricity.

• Highlight Motion Design Impact: Include distinct examples of motion graphics, Lottie animations, and video content that clearly illustrate their purpose in enhancing user experience, conveying brand messaging, or driving engagement.

• Showcase Design System Development: Present case studies or examples of design systems created or contributed to, detailing component libraries, style guides, and their application across multiple projects.

• Illustrate Brand Translation: Provide examples of how traditional brand elements were successfully translated into modern digital interfaces and design systems.

• Evidence of Collaboration: If possible, include examples or descriptions of how you collaborated with UX designers, engineers, and strategists on projects.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Be prepared to discuss your process for translating brand guidelines into digital design systems, including stages of ideation, iteration, and refinement.

• System Implementation Standards: Discuss your approach to building robust, scalable, and maintainable design systems in Figma, including component management, documentation, and version control.

• Motion Integration & Performance: Explain your process for creating motion assets, ensuring they are optimized for performance (e.g., Lottie file size, rendering speed) and integrated seamlessly into digital products.

• Handoff Procedures: Be ready to describe your methods for handing off design assets and specifications to engineering teams, ensuring clarity and minimizing misinterpretation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio that demonstrates both UI and motion design, along with design system development, underscores the operational requirement for standardized, repeatable, and high-quality design output. The "Process Documentation" section prompts candidates to articulate their structured approach to design, which is fundamental to efficient operations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• For a Senior UI & Motion Designer with 5-10 years of experience in São Paulo, Brazil, the estimated annual salary range is R$100,000 to R$180,000 BRL. This range accounts for the seniority of the role, the specialized skills in Figma and After Effects, and the fixed-term contract nature.

• Methodology: This estimate is based on research of senior designer salaries in São Paulo, considering agency environments, specialized skill premiums (motion design, Lottie), and contractual employment terms. Data sources include regional salary aggregators and industry benchmarks for creative professionals.

Benefits:

• Fixed-Term Contract: Opportunity for a 1-year contract with a well-established global digital partner.

• Professional Development: Potential for exposure to diverse client projects and industries, fostering skill development in digital transformation and design systems.

• Collaborative Environment: Work within cross-functional "pods," gaining experience in agile product development and team-based problem-solving.

• Global Exposure: Be part of a global agency with a focus on delivering impactful digital solutions.

• Competitive Remuneration: Salary commensurate with experience and the specialized skill set required for this role.

Working Hours:

• The role is likely based on a standard 40-hour work week, typical for a full-time contract position. However, given the agile and client-facing nature of agency work, some flexibility may be required to meet project deadlines and client needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is a critical piece of information for operations professionals considering a role. The methodology explanation provides transparency on how this estimate was derived, considering the specific context of São Paulo and the nature of the contract.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology / Digital Services / Product Development Agency / Consulting. Appnovation operates at the intersection of strategy, design, engineering, and managed services, positioning itself as a comprehensive digital partner.

Company Size: Appnovation is a global company with a significant employee base (likely hundreds to thousands, given its global presence), suggesting a structured organizational framework with established processes.

Founded: Appnovation was founded in 2007, indicating a mature company with a track record in the digital transformation space, likely having refined its operational methodologies over nearly two decades.

Team Structure:

• Cross-functional Pods: The role emphasizes working within "cross-functional pods" alongside Strategists, UXers, and Engineers, indicating a collaborative, project-oriented team structure designed for agile product development.

• Global Engineering Teams: Collaboration extends to "global engineering teams," implying a distributed workforce and the need for clear, standardized communication and documentation protocols.

• Client-Facing: As a product development agency, the team structure is inherently client-focused, requiring strong communication and presentation skills to manage stakeholder expectations and deliver on client visions.

Methodology:

• Agile Product Development: The description explicitly mentions working in an "agile environment" and iterating quickly, highlighting a commitment to agile methodologies for efficient project delivery.

• Design Systems Approach: A core methodology is the development and scaling of robust design systems, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and maintainability across digital products.

• Brand Translation & Digital Modernization: The agency focuses on transforming traditional brands into modern, digital-first experiences, requiring a strategic approach to understanding brand identity and applying it to new digital contexts.

• Motion as a Strategic Element: Motion design is treated not just as an aesthetic enhancement but as a purposeful language to bring digital products to life and communicate brand stories.

Company Website: https://www.appnovation.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding the company's industry, size, and founding date provides context for its operational maturity and approach. The emphasis on cross-functional pods and agile methodologies indicates a dynamic, yet structured, work environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Senior" level role, signifying a high degree of autonomy, expertise, and responsibility. It suggests the individual will be expected to lead design efforts, mentor junior team members, and contribute to strategic decision-making within projects. The role is crucial for operationalizing the company's design strategy and ensuring consistent, high-quality output.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, a Senior Designer in a cross-functional pod typically reports to a Design Lead, Creative Director, or Project Manager. Within the pod, they collaborate closely with UX Designers, Strategists, and Engineers, contributing to the overall product development lifecycle.

Operations Impact:

• Scalability & Efficiency: By building and maintaining robust design systems, the Senior UI & Motion Designer directly impacts the efficiency and scalability of product development. This enables engineering teams to build faster and more consistently.

• Brand Consistency: Ensuring brand consistency across all digital touchpoints is critical for brand perception and customer trust, a key operational outcome.

• User Engagement: Effective UI and motion design directly influence user experience, engagement rates, and conversion metrics, contributing to the success of Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies.

• Client Satisfaction: Delivering high-quality, impactful digital solutions based on client visions leads to client satisfaction and repeat business, a core operational goal for an agency.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design: Potential to grow into a Design Lead or Art Director role, managing teams and overseeing larger design initiatives.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in advanced motion design, interactive prototyping, or specific areas of design systems management.

• Strategic Contribution: Opportunity to influence client strategy through design recommendations and by articulating the business value of sophisticated UI/motion design.

• Mentorship: Guide and mentor junior designers, developing leadership and training skills.

• Broad Industry Exposure: Gain experience across various industries, enhancing versatility and marketability.

📝 Enhancement Note: Analyzing the career level and impact provides operations candidates with a clear understanding of their potential contribution and growth trajectory, framing the role within a strategic operational context.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is specified as "On-site" in São Paulo. This suggests a traditional office environment where in-person collaboration is valued. Appnovation, being a global agency, likely maintains modern, collaborative office spaces designed to foster creativity and teamwork.

Office Location(s): São Paulo, SP, Brazil. This location is a major business hub, offering access to talent and resources.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Expect an environment that encourages interaction, brainstorming, and feedback sessions with cross-functional team members.

• Technology & Tools: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite) and potentially advanced hardware for motion design. The company's global nature suggests a commitment to providing the necessary technological infrastructure.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities to engage with designers, strategists, engineers, and potentially clients, facilitating a dynamic and communicative work atmosphere.

Work Schedule: The role is a fixed-term contract, likely adhering to standard business hours (e.g., 40 hours per week). However, agency work can sometimes require flexibility to meet project deadlines, especially in the final stages of a project or during client presentations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "On-site" requirement is a critical detail for candidates. Describing the likely workspace context helps paint a picture of the day-to-day operational environment and how design work is integrated into the broader team structure.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications, experience, and creative output.

• Portfolio Presentation: A likely stage where you'll be asked to present your portfolio, focusing on specific projects that demonstrate your UI design, motion design (especially Lottie), and design system capabilities. Be prepared to articulate your design process and rationale.

• Technical Assessment/Challenge: You may be given a design challenge or asked to work through a hypothetical scenario to assess your problem-solving skills, design thinking, and ability to translate brand requirements into digital solutions. This could involve UI design, motion concepting, or design system thinking.

• Cross-functional Pod Interview: Interviews with potential colleagues (Strategists, UX Designers, Engineers) to evaluate your collaboration skills, communication style, and fit within the team's agile workflow.

• Hiring Manager/Director Interview: A final discussion to cover overall fit, career aspirations, and confirm details of the contract.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best showcase your UI and motion design expertise, particularly those involving design systems or digital transformation.

• Highlight Motion Impact: Explicitly demonstrate how your motion design enhances user experience, communicates brand value, or drives specific user actions. For Lottie animations, show them in context.

• Detail Your Process: For each project, walk through your problem-solving approach, design decisions, tools used (Figma, After Effects), and how you collaborated with others.

• Showcase Design Systems: If you have experience building or scaling design systems, detail your methodology, the components you created, and how it improved efficiency or consistency.

• Quantify Results: Whenever possible, include metrics or outcomes that demonstrate the impact of your design work (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced development time, increased user engagement).

• Be Ready for Live Critiques: Some interviews might involve live design exercises or critiques, so be comfortable articulating your thoughts and adapting your approach on the spot.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Brand Translation: Practice translating hypothetical brand guidelines (or even existing ones from familiar companies) into digital UI concepts and motion ideas.

• Master Figma & After Effects: Be proficient in creating interactive prototypes in Figma and crafting efficient, purposeful animations in After Effects.

• Design System Thinking: Prepare to discuss how you would approach building or extending a design system for a given product or brand.

• Communicate Clearly: Focus on articulating your thought process, design rationale, and how your solutions meet project objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice for candidates, focusing on how to present their operational capabilities (portfolio, process) effectively during the interview stages.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, and building complex, scalable design systems. Mastery in leveraging its collaborative features and component architecture is expected.

• Adobe After Effects: The core tool for motion design, animation, and video content creation, specifically for producing Lottie animations and short-form digital videos.

• Lottie (JSON Export): Expertise in exporting and implementing Lottie animations for web and mobile applications, ensuring performance and efficiency.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this design role, but an awareness of how design integrates with customer relationship management (CRM) systems and marketing automation platforms in a broader GTM context could be a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: Clearly listing the required tools highlights the technical operational requirements of the role and helps candidates assess their proficiency.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Excellence in Execution: A commitment to delivering high-quality, polished design work that meets client expectations and technical standards.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Valuing cross-functional teamwork, open communication, and mutual support within agile pods.

• Innovation & Creativity: Encouraging fresh ideas and novel approaches to design challenges, particularly in leveraging motion and interactive elements.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Prioritizing the creation of design systems and assets that are efficient to produce, implement, and maintain, supporting scalability.

• Client-Centricity: A focus on understanding client needs and delivering solutions that drive business impact and achieve strategic goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Pods: Working closely and daily with Strategists, UX Designers, and Engineers, fostering a highly integrated and communicative environment.

• Iterative Feedback: Embracing a culture of continuous feedback and iteration, where designs are refined based on input from team members and stakeholders.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, design techniques, and learnings across the team and broader agency.

• Agile & Responsive: Adapting quickly to changing project requirements and client feedback, maintaining flexibility and responsiveness.

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding the company's operational values and collaboration style helps candidates gauge cultural fit and prepare for how they will interact within the team and contribute to the overall operational ethos.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Brand Fidelity with Digital Innovation: Reconciling established brand guidelines with the need for modern, dynamic digital experiences and motion.

• Technical Constraints of Motion Design: Ensuring that visually rich animations are performant, accessible, and technically feasible for web and mobile platforms.

• Managing Multiple Client Projects: Juggling diverse client needs, brand aesthetics, and project timelines within a fast-paced agency setting.

• Seamless Handoff to Global Teams: Ensuring that design specifications are clear and comprehensive enough for efficient implementation by distributed engineering teams.

• Keeping Pace with Evolving Design Trends & Technologies: Continuously learning and adapting to new tools, techniques, and user expectations in UI and motion design.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design System Training: Deepen expertise in best practices for design system architecture, governance, and scaling.

• Motion Design Specialization: Explore advanced animation techniques, interactive storytelling, and emerging motion graphics tools.

• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Gain a deeper understanding of strategy, UX, and engineering through close collaboration, broadening your overall product development perspective.

• Client Presentation Skills: Develop and refine your ability to present design strategies and rationale to senior client stakeholders.

• Industry Exposure: Work on a variety of projects across different sectors, expanding your portfolio and industry knowledge.

📝 Enhancement Note: Identifying potential challenges and corresponding growth opportunities provides candidates with a realistic outlook on the role and highlights how the company supports professional development within an operational framework.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach translating a traditional brand book into a comprehensive digital design system for a new mobile app?" (Focus on your process, tools, and how you'd ensure brand consistency while embracing digital best practices.)

• "Describe a time you used motion design to solve a specific user experience problem or enhance brand storytelling. What was your process, and what tools did you use?" (Prepare a case study demonstrating your Lottie/After Effects skills and their impact.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Appnovation and this specific Senior UI & Motion Designer role?" (Research Appnovation's work, clients, and values. Connect your skills to their mission.)

• "How do you approach collaboration within a cross-functional agile team?" (Emphasize your teamwork, communication, and iterative mindset.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: For each project, structure your narrative around the problem, your approach, the solutions you created (UI & motion), and the outcome.

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate why you made certain design decisions and how they contributed to the project's success or addressed client objectives.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use interactive prototypes, video examples, and clear visuals to demonstrate your skills. For Lottie, show it in action.

• Highlight Design Systems: If presenting a design system project, walk through its structure, key components, and how it facilitates efficient development.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your process, technical choices, and how you handle feedback or disagreements.

📝 Enhancement Note: Providing specific examples of strategy questions and preparation tips helps candidates understand the expectations and tailor their responses to demonstrate their operational capabilities and strategic thinking.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-aligned design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the greenhouse.io job board.

• Curate your portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features projects demonstrating sophisticated UI design, impactful motion graphics (especially Lottie animations), and experience with design systems. Tailor your selection to highlight brand translation and digital transformation work.

• Optimize your resume: Highlight your 5+ years of experience, expertise in Figma and After Effects, and any experience in agency or product studio environments. Use keywords from the job description such as "design systems," "motion design," "Lottie," "digital transformation," and "agile."

• Prepare your narrative: Practice articulating your design process, your approach to collaboration, and how you translate brand identity into digital experiences. Be ready to discuss specific projects in detail and how your work drove business objectives.

• Research Appnovation: Familiarize yourself with Appnovation's client work, company values, and their approach to digital partnerships. Understand their role in the market and how this Senior UI & Motion Designer position contributes to their operational success.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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