Director / Principal Motion Designer, Expedia Design

At Expedia Group, we help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. As a global travel company powered by passionate people, trusted partnerships, and leading technology, we connect travelers, partners, and advertisers through our consumer brands, B2B network, and travel advertising business.
Here, you'll do meaningful work that helps millions of people discover, book, and experience travel with more ease, confidence, and joy. Our five Behaviors-Traveler First, Think Big, Operate with Excellence, Ownership Mindset, and Succeed Together-help foster a supportive environment where people can grow their careers and have the flexibility, benefits, and support to do their best work. Join us and build for travelers everywhere.
Locations: San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, or Austin
About the Role:
Motion is how our products feel and how our stories land. As Director / Principal Motion Designer, you'll define Expedia Design's motion language and raise the bar for both product and brand.
You are equally at home refining a micro-interaction in the app and directing a sizzle reel for a major campaign.
You'll partner closely with product designers, engineers, brand, and marketing. You'll also act as the connective tissue between design intent and what actually ships.
What You'll Do:
Define and evolve our motion language
Establish motion principles, patterns, and guidelines that make our products feel delightful, clear, and unmistakably Expedia
Build motion into our design system so teams can use it consistently and at scale
Design UI motion for product
Craft the details that make an app feel polished: transitions, micro-interactions, state changes, loading and success moments, and moments of delight
Prototype to explore and validate ideas, and advocate for motion that serves usability, not just decoration
Bridge design and engineering
Write clear, implementable motion specs for engineers (timing, easing, springs, choreography, triggers) across iOS, Android, and web
Partner with engineering on implementation and review builds to make sure the shipped experience matches the intent
Stay current on motion implementation approaches across tech stacks (e.g., native animation frameworks, Lottie, Rive, CSS/JS animation) and advise teams on the right approach for each use case
Create editorial and promotional motion
Design, build, or direct sizzle reels, product launch videos, and promotional and storytelling pieces
Develop concepts, storyboards, and narratives, and guide them through production, whether you execute them yourself or direct internal teams and external partners
Lead and elevate
Be the go-to expert and voice for motion across Expedia Design, setting the quality bar and giving thoughtful, constructive critique
Mentor designers and partners on motion craft, and build motion capability across the organization
Influence stakeholders, from product leadership to brand and marketing, on why and how motion matters
What You Bring:
Must have:
Deep expertise in UI motion design, with a portfolio that shows polished, purposeful product animation
Proven ability to create engineering-ready motion specs and hand off across iOS, Android, and web
Strong working knowledge of how motion is implemented in code across different tech stacks, and the practical constraints of each
Mastery of industry-standard motion and prototyping tools (e.g., After Effects, Figma, Principle, Rive, Lottie workflows, or equivalent)
Demonstrated ability to design, build, or direct editorial motion work such as brand films, sizzle videos, and promotional content
Strong storytelling, art direction, and sense of timing, rhythm, and craft
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with experience influencing cross-functional partners at a senior level
Experience raising the craft bar for a team or organization, through mentorship, standards, or leadership
Nice to have:
3D design skills (e.g., Cinema 4D, Blender) and experience integrating 3D into product or brand storytelling
Experience building or contributing to a motion system within a design system
Experience in travel, consumer marketplaces, or other high-volume consumer products
Hands-on familiarity with front-end or native animation code, enough to prototype or contribute directly
What Success Looks Like:
Our products have a recognizable, cohesive, and delightful motion identity
Engineers have clear specs and ship motion that matches design intent
Brand and campaign storytelling is elevated through compelling motion work
Motion craft and capability grow across the design organization
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Design, Motion, HCI, User Experience, or related field (or equivalent experience).
5–10+ years of experience in product design or related disciplines, including leadership of large-scale teams.
Proven ability to define and drive organization-level customer experience strategy.
Demonstrated ability to operate as a player-coach, balancing leadership with direct engagement in design work.
Strong communication skills across design, research, and content strategy practices.
Experience integrating customer insights, data, and AI-driven systems into design solutions.
Preferred Qualifications:
Track record of executing a large-scale customer experience vision.
Experience building and scaling design systems.
Success coaching senior creatives while maintaining craft quality.
Expertise in storytelling and stakeholder influence.
Experience leading AI/ML-enabled product design efforts.
Passion for craft, with a history of personally influencing design outcomes through hands-on involvement, not just direction-setting.
Expedia Group is proud to offer a wide range of benefits to support employees and their families, including medical/dental/vision, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program. To fuel each employee’s passion for travel, we offer a wellness & travel reimbursement, travel discounts, and an International Airlines Travel Agent (IATAN) membership. View our full list of benefits.
The total cash range for this position in San Francisco is $242,000.00 to $338,500.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $387,000.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role.
The total cash range for this position in New York is $242,000.00 to $338,500.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $387,000.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role.
The total cash range for this position in Beverly Hills is $224,000.00 to $313,500.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $358,500.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role.
The total cash range for this position in Seattle is $224,000.00 to $313,500.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $358,500.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role.
The total cash range for this position in Austin is $224,000.00 to $313,500.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $358,500.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role.
Starting pay for this role will vary based on multiple factors, including location, available budget, and an individual’s knowledge, skills, and experience. Pay ranges may be modified in the future.
Benefits and perks
Expedia Group offers benefits and perks designed to support employees and their families, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, an Employee Assistance Program, wellness and travel reimbursement, travel discounts, and International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN) membership. Learn more about life at Expedia Group at https://careers.expediagroup.com/life.
Accommodation requests
Expedia Group is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruiting experience. If you need an accommodation or adjustment due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please submit a request at https://expedia.service-now.com/askeg?id=job_accommodation.
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group includes three flagship consumer brands - Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo - along with a leading B2B travel business and travel advertising offerings. Ac