Clay Modeling Lead, Robot Industrial Design

Clay Modeling Lead, Robot Industrial Design

Location: Foster City, California (On-site)

Role Overview

This position leads the development and execution of physical clay models that translate design vision into precise three-dimensional forms. Working at the intersection of design, engineering, and craftsmanship, the leader guides the development of physical models to bring future mobility concepts to life from early ideation through production feasibility. Collaborative partnership with design, digital modeling, engineering, and prototype teams is required to ensure every surface accurately reflects design intent while meeting technical and manufacturing requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and manage clay modeling activities across multiple programs, balancing priorities, schedules, staffing, and studio resources to meet development timelines.

• Oversee the creation, refinement, and delivery of full-size and scale clay models, ensuring high quality, precision, and craftsmanship throughout every phase of the design process.

• Collaborate closely with industrial designers and digital modelers to interpret design intent into accurate physical surfaces while maintaining design integrity.

• Maintain high standards of surface development, proportion, and refinement, ensuring all physical models accurately communicate design vision and support engineering development.

• Partner with development teams to resolve design challenges and ensure seamless integration between digital and physical development.

• Prepare presentation models and design bucks that effectively communicate design intent to leadership, executive reviews, and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Continuously improve clay modeling processes, workflows, tooling, and fabrication techniques to increase efficiency while elevating model quality.

• Help oversee studio model equipment, materials, vendor relationships, budgeting, and resource planning to ensure a safe, organized, and productive modeling environment.

• Promote best practices in clay modeling while embracing new technologies and methods that enhance the design development process.

• Required Qualifications

• Education: A bachelor's degree in industrial design, transportation design, model making, or a related technical field is preferred, or equivalent practical experience in a professional design studio environment.

• Experience: A minimum of 10 years of hands-on automotive clay modeling experience within automotive design studios, including proven experience leading clay model development from early concept through production for both concept and production programs.

• Technical

Skills

• Extensive experience creating and refining full-size and scale clay models using traditional hand modeling techniques and precision surfacing methods. Expert understanding of automotive proportions, Class-A surface development, vehicle architecture, and production feasibility is required, alongside strong knowledge of clay modeling equipment, studio fabrication processes, milling workflows, and digital-to-physical model development.

• Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to balance multiple concurrent programs under tight timelines while maintaining high attention to detail.

• Excellent organization, communication, and project management skills within a highly collaborative team environment.

• Everforth Apex is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Everforth Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRateds Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico.

• Everforth Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. By applying for this job, you agree to receive calls, AI-generated calls, text messages, or emails from Everforth Apex and its affiliates, and contracted partners. Frequency varies for text messages. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You can reply STOP to cancel and HELP for help. You can access our privacy policy at

Benefits

• Overview: Everforth Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Everforth Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Everforth Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Everforth Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our ‘Welcome Packet’ as well, which an Everforth Apex team member can provide.

• Everforth Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Everforth Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law.

• UnitedHealthcare creates and publishes the Transparency in Coverage Machine-Readable Files on behalf of Everforth Apex Systems.