Technical Program Manager, Product Design

About the Role

Sesame is integrating a complex sensing and computing system into a compact wearable that has to be light, comfortable and attractive, and available in many styles and colors. The Product Design TPM owns the program plan for the mechanical side of that product: enclosures and cosmetic parts, materials and finishes, mechanisms, packaging and accessories.

You will carry hundreds of mechanical parts through design release, tooling, validation and factory builds, working with our Product Design, Industrial Design, Manufacturing and Operations teams and with our contract manufacturers and tooling and materials suppliers.

The ideal candidate has a mechanical or product design engineering background, has run part release and tooling for a consumer product through EVT, DVT and PVT, and knows how to keep design change under control when the schedule is tight and the design is still moving. You are comfortable telling a designer or an executive what a change will cost in weeks and dollars, and then building the plan that makes it happen.

We are a small team working on very ambitious projects. In a fast-paced startup, everyone must be comfortable, collaborative, decisive, and able to achieve results with limited supervision.

Responsibilities

• Own the Product Design program schedule from concept through EVT, DVT and PVT, including part release, tooling kickoff, first-shots, validation and phase exit criteria.
• Run the PD release and change-control process: every part has a release date, an owner and a status in our PLM tool.
• Program-manage styles, colors and materials: cosmetic material qualification, color development, SKU rollout planning.
• Coordinate design validation and reliability testing for mechanical parts, and own closure of design-review action items.
• Manage tooling, materials, cosmetic-part and packaging suppliers: quotes, POs, sample requests, tooling timelines and delivery schedules.
• Plan mechanical materials and build matrices for prototype builds, and lead mechanical build readiness across factory sites.
• Run failure analysis triage for mechanical and cosmetic issues: every issue has an owner, a due date and a path to closure.
• Maintain the Product Design section of the program's master issues list and weekly status, aligned with area leads.
• Travel to contract manufacturer and supplier sites for builds, tooling reviews and validation as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of experience in hardware program management or mechanical/product design engineering of consumer electronics, with at least 2 years managing programs.
• Hands-on experience releasing mechanical parts and taking them through tooling and prototype builds (EVT/DVT/PVT or equivalent).
• Working knowledge of high-volume manufacturing processes (injection molding, machining, stamping, cosmetic finishing) and tolerance, DFM and validation practices.
• Direct experience managing tooling, materials or fabrication suppliers, including quotes, POs, samples and schedules.
• Experience running change control and part release in a PLM tool.
• Strong written communication; able to run a program with clear plans, decision logs and status updates.
• Ability to travel internationally, up to 25%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with wearables or other products with heavy industrial design and cosmetic constraints.
• Experience with premium cosmetic materials and finishes and their supply chains.
• Experience managing many SKUs, colors or configurations through a single program.
• Experience with packaging or accessories programs.
• Experience working with contract manufacturers.
• Experience with Linear, Arena or similar issue and PLM tools.
• Startup experience, or ownership of new product programs at a large company.

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.