--- title: 'Fabrication Shop Manager at Sesame' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/fabrication-shop-manager-sesame-bellevue-z681vhqvvavf' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-17' --- # Fabrication Shop Manager at Sesame - **Company:** Sesame - **Location:** Bellevue, WA - **Compensation:** $175k–$280k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-22 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-17 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/sesame/11db38ea-287f-4d33-9625-d786af5725d3 ## Job description ## About Sesame Sesame believes in a future where computers are lifelike - with the ability to see, hear, and collaborate with us in ways that feel natural and human. With this vision, we're designing a new kind of computer, focused on making voice agents part of our daily lives. Our team brings together founders from Oculus and Ubiquity6, alongside proven leaders from Meta, Google, and Apple, with deep expertise spanning hardware and software. Join us in shaping a future where computers truly come alive. ## About the Role Sesame AI is building deeply integrated hardware + AI products and is opening a fabrication shop and prototype line in Bellevue, WA. We're looking for a Fabrication Shop Manager to build it, staff it, and run it. You'll develop and prove out the manufacturing processes our products depend on and build them into a repeatable proto line. You'll work closely with mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, and industrial design engineering to turn concepts into production-representative builds that inform product and DFM decisions. The ideal candidate has run a machine shop or pilot line, is fluent in CNC and joining processes for plastics and metals, and cares as much about how a part gets made as how it looks when it's done. ## Responsibilities Shop Design & Build - Work with the team to design a functional & flexible space to meet current & future proto needs - Drive detailed layout equipment selection and procurement, utilities, safety, and IT - Manage build & equipment install and commissioning Manufacturing Process Development - Develop, characterize, and document processes for CNC machining (multi-axis, metal and plastic) - Develop jigs, fixtures, and work instructions that make each process repeatable - Use metrology and CT scanning to qualify parts and processes against drawings and GD&T. Shop Operations & Team Leadership - Run the shop: scheduling, job tracking, equipment uptime and maintenance, consumables, inventory, and budget. - Hire, manage, and grow CNC engineers and operators, technicians, and shop support staff. - Set priorities across concurrent programs and keep turnaround times predictable for engineering. - Own shop safety: training, PPE, machine guarding, lockout/tagout, and hazardous materials handling. - Source, qualify, and manage external CNC, molding, PCBA, and specialty fabrication vendors; apply a clear in-house vs. vendor framework based on critical path, IP sensitivity, and volume. Engineering Partnership & Quality Judgment - Review designs early for manufacturability and flag process risk before it reaches a build. - Evaluate builds for fit, finish, and dimensional quality and document results with photos, measurements, and structured feedback. - Coordinate with engineering leads to align proto line schedules with program milestones. Required Qualifications - 12+ years in prototype machine shop, pilot line, or manufacturing engineering roles, with at least 3 years managing a shop or team. - Hands-on mastery of CNC machining (setup, fixturing, CAM basics) and at least one joining or forming process such as ultrasonic welding, thermoforming, or laser processing. - Experience standing up or expanding a shop or line: equipment selection, layout, procurement, and commissioning. - Strong command of mechanical drawings, GD&T, metrology, and common engineering materials (plastics, metals, composites). - Proven ability to hire and lead technicians and operators and to manage vendors to schedule and budget. - Clear written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting designs & data to cross-functional teams. - Safety-first mindset with experience owning shop safety programs. - On-site role in Bellevue, WA; daily hands-on presence in the shop. ## Preferred Qualifications - Experience with eyewear, wearables, or other small consumer devices with tight cosmetic and dimensional requirements. - Experience with Mastercam, Hypermill, or equivalent CAM; Fusion 360 or SolidWorks for fixture design. - Familiarity with CT scanning and optical metrology (Lumafield, OGP, or similar). - Experience with injection-molded plastics, or cast and machined metal cosmetic parts. - Experience at a fast-paced startup or early-stage hardware company. Sesame is committed to a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered. We welcome all qualified applicants, embracing diversity in race, gender, identity, orientation, ability, and more. We provide reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. Contact careers@sesame.com for assistance. Full-time Employee Benefits: - 401 (k) max employer match: 3.5% of compensation - 100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental benefits for you and your dependents - Unlimited PTO and sick time - Flexible spending account with employer matching up to $1,650/year (medical FSA) - Guardian Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - Opportunity to share in the company's success with competitive stock options Benefits do not apply to contingent/contract workers. ## About Sesame ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Sesame is building lifelike, conversational AI agents integrated into lightweight eyewear, aiming to bring ambient intelligence to daily life. - **Entity Type**: Private (early-stage, backed by prominent venture firms) - **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA - **Founded**: 2023 - **Founders**: Brendan Iribe, Ankit Kumar, Ryan Brown, Angela Gayles, Nate Mitchell ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Artificial intelligence / Voice assistants / Consumer electronics - **Target customers**: Consumer (B2C) – individuals seeking hands-free, intelligent personal agents integrated into everyday eyewear - **Mission or purpose statement**: “Bringing the computer to life” – creating a personal companion that understands you, with natural conversation and lightweight, all-day wearable hardware. ## Products & Services - **Sesame Personal Agents**: Software-based conversational AI agents capable of natural dialogue, personality modeling, and multimodal interaction (voice, gesture). Currently in development; initial hardware (eyewear) targeted for 2027. - **Sesame Eyewear**: Lightweight, all-day comfortable glasses with high-quality audio and hands-free agent access. Coming 2027. - **Research Platform**: In-house deep learning research covering speech generation, personality modeling, multimodality, and scaled training infrastructure. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available. Unconfirmed reports suggest a potential fundraising round of ~$200 M (source: Techmeme via LinkedIn snippet). The company has not officially disclosed its valuation. - **Key Metric**: Total employees ~70 (as of mid-2026), with +5.8 % monthly headcount growth. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Backed by a16z, Sequoia Capital, Spark Capital, Matrix Partners, plus a collection of founders and investors. - **Growth Signals**: 55 total employees on BuiltIn (likely older data); 63 active job postings (+14.5 % monthly trend); monthly LinkedIn follower growth of +3.8 % (20,969 followers). Talent sources include Meta, Apple, Google, DeepMind, and Microsoft. ## Competitive Advantages - **Interdisciplinary approach**: Tightly integrated hardware, software, and ML teams (hardware engineers, ML researchers, product designers) working on a unified product vision. - **Founding team pedigree**: Led by Oculus VR veterans (Brendan Iribe, Nate Mitchell) and experienced AI/ML innovators, giving deep expertise in both consumer hardware and conversational AI. - **Research depth**: Active push in speech generation, personality modeling, and multimodality, with scaled GPU infrastructure for training. ## Strategic Focus - **Near-term**: Ship the first generation of personal agent software and finalize the eyewear device for a 2027 launch. Continue advancing foundational ML research. - **Long-term**: Build a new category of ambient, always-available AI companions that replace traditional screen-based interaction. - **Growth areas**: Expanding engineering team rapidly (63 open roles), especially in ML, embedded systems, iOS/Android, supply chain, and hardware. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Small, focused, interdisciplinary team with a clear vision. Emphasis on tight collaboration between research, product, and hardware. Described as “artists, makers, and engineers.” - **Work environment**: In-office for most roles (San Francisco, Bellevue, New York). Roles are listed as “In-Office” (not remote/hybrid). Offices in SF, Bellevue, NY. - **Perks & engineering culture**: Not explicitly detailed, but the company invests heavily in infrastructure (GPU clusters) and research. Strong engineering focus with roles spanning embedded ML, OS architecture, and developer infrastructure. - **Notable**: Opportunities to work on cutting-edge voice AI and physical product design from the ground up. ## Sources 1. [sesame.com](https://www.sesame.com/) – Company overview and product vision 2. [sesame.com/team](https://www.sesame.com/team) – Leadership, investors, team description 3. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/sesame-sesamecom) – Founded year, HQ, employee count, office policy 4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/sesameai) – Employee count, growth, talent sources, funding rumor 5. [jobs.ashbyhq.com](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/sesame) – Open positions and location details ## Other roles at Sesame - [Speaker Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/speaker-systems-engineer-sesame-san-francisco-0n2w3gdydh91) — San Francisco, CA - [Technical Program Manager, Product Design](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-product-design-sesame-san-francisco-c39j4ewzmywn) — San Francisco, CA - [Technical Program Manager, Electrical](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-electrical-sesame-bellevue-r0mzb8s3vpj1) — Bellevue, WA - [Mechanical Engineer, Product Design](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-product-design-sesame-san-francisco-zkkzarsbya1a) — San Francisco, CA - [Electrical Engineering Technician (Contract)](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-engineering-technician-contract-sesame-san-francisco-re7hrcqavmdm) — San Francisco, CA - [Product Engineering Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/product-engineering-lead-sesame-san-francisco-frrrpwp06s6z) — San Francisco, CA - [Executive Assistant](https://feeny.ai/job/executive-assistant-sesame-new-york-e0mdmkv43s9f) — New York, NY - [iOS/Android Automation Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/ios-android-automation-engineer-sesame-san-francisco-yg3qrrfeze2g) — San Francisco, CA - [Research Scientist](https://feeny.ai/job/research-scientist-sesame-san-francisco-dn2g1qez13fh) — San Francisco, CA - [Hardware Test Automation Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-test-automation-engineer-sesame-san-francisco-fvyd7w3bj32c) — San Francisco, CA