Animation Artist (2D)

Who We Are:

Hey Feelings is building the world's first complete emotional learning ecosystem designed for kids (ages 3-9), their parents, and educators. We combine engaging physical products (like board games, toys, and books) with interactive digital tools (including our Hey Feelings Academy platform and upcoming app) and a universe of relatable characters. Our mission is to make understanding and navigating emotions a positive, accessible, and skills-building experience for young children and the adults who support them.

We are a passionate, creative, mission-driven team, grounded in expert knowledge of child development and social-emotional learning (SEL). We're backed by award-winning creators and industry veterans, and we're looking for dedicated individuals to join us in scaling our impact from our base in Poland, reaching families across North America, Europe, and Australia.

About the Role:

Want to bring the charming Hey Feelings characters to life? We are looking for a skilled 2D Animation Artist to create engaging animations for our digital learning platform (Hey Feelings Academy), potential mobile game assets, and marketing materials. This is a remote, part-time contractor or project-based role. You will work within our established art style to animate character actions, emotional expressions, and environmental elements, adding a layer of dynamic storytelling to our ecosystem.

What You'll Do:

• Create high-quality 2D character animations based on existing character designs and storyboards/briefs.
• Animate objects, UI elements, and special effects as needed for digital products and promotional content.
• Collaborate with the creative team (founders, illustrators, designers) to ensure animations align with the brand's style, tone, and educational objectives.
• Interpret creative direction and translate it into expressive, fluid movement and timing.
• Prepare and export animation assets in formats suitable for integration into web platforms or game engines (e.g., sprite sheets, JSON files, video files).
• Manage your workflow efficiently to meet project deadlines.

Who You Are:

• You have a strong portfolio or demo reel showcasing your 2D animation skills, particularly character animation (please provide a link).
• You are proficient in industry-standard 2D animation software (e.g., Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Animate, Spine, Rive, After Effects).
• You have a solid understanding of animation principles (timing, spacing, squash and stretch, anticipation, etc.).
• You can adapt to and work consistently within an established art style.
• You possess a good sense of character expression, emotion, and storytelling through movement.
• You are able to work independently, manage your time effectively, and communicate clearly in a remote setting.
• Experience animating for children's media, educational games, or web applications is a plus.
• Experience with animation pipelines involving game engines (like Unity) or web technologies is desirable.

Compensation & Logistics:

• This is a Remote, Part-Time Contractor position, likely project-based.
• Compensation: Rates will be determined per project based on scope and complexity, or an estimated hourly rate of $45 - $75 USD per hour, commensurate with experience and portfolio quality.
• Flexible schedule, primarily deadline-driven project work.

Why Join Hey Feelings?

• Meaningful Impact: Contribute directly to improving the emotional well-being of children and families globally.
• Innovative Environment: Be part of building a unique, first-of-its-kind ecosystem blending physical and digital learning.
• Growth Opportunity: Join an early-stage, funded company with significant potential and opportunities to shape the marketing function.
• Collaborative Culture: Work remotely with a passionate, supportive, and internationally experienced team of founders and creators.

Equal Opportunity & Recruitment Practices:

Hey Feelings is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all contractors and employees. We believe diverse perspectives strengthen our team and enhance our ability to serve families everywhere.

Please be aware of fraudulent recruitment communications. Hey Feelings will only contact you from an @heyfeelings.com email address. Interviews will be conducted via video call (e.g., Google Meet, Zoom) or phone, never solely through chat or text. We will never ask candidates for payment or require the purchase of equipment prior to formal employment.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume and a link to their portfolio/demo reel explaining their interest in the role and showcasing relevant 2D animation work.