SAAQAH workshop team discussing a timber piece

Open benches

Come for the work, not the performance around it

SAAQAH is a working furniture atelier in Sheraton Al Matar. The days are noisy, the tea is strong, the standards are specific, and nobody needs to pretend a pile of timber is a lifestyle prop.

What the shop is like

Noise, tea, deadlines, no theatre

Our floor has planers running, radios changing station, timber deliveries arriving early and colleagues asking direct questions about a joint that is not quite there yet. That is normal. We keep the workshop clean enough to work safely, not staged enough to photograph empty.

We care about craft, but we do not confuse seriousness with silence. People teach one another, call out problems before they become expensive, take a tea break when the machines pause, and return to the bench. There is no personal-brand theatre here. A well-fitted drawer has more value than a speech about passion.

Where we work El Saaqah St, Sheraton Al Matar, El Nozha, Cairo Governorate 4472111, Egypt. The atelier is accessible by arrangement; these are on-site roles, not remote design titles.
  • Working weekSun-Thu, with project-led Saturday work when needed
  • Day startBefore the floor gets loud and deliveries fill the street
  • Team styleDirect, practical, generous with useful knowledge
  • Contact[email protected] · +20 102 300 5500

Current openings

Three places at the bench and around it

Workshop / full-time

Joiner

You can read a cutting list, set up and use workshop machinery responsibly, and make or refine solid-wood joints by hand. You understand that the machine makes a cut but does not decide whether a shoulder is clean, a tenon is true, or a table will sit still.

Expect cabinet, table and chair work in oak, walnut, teak and beech. You will dry-fit, problem-solve, help keep your bench and shared machines in order, and speak up when a drawing needs a practical correction.

Useful background: Furniture or joinery experience, careful measuring, respect for safety, and a portfolio or simple set of work photographs. Formal certificates are welcome but not a substitute for competent work.

Finish bay / full-time

Finisher

You notice the scratch a client would find six months later. You can sand consistently, prepare surfaces without rounding every edge, mix and test stains, and apply hardwax oil with patience rather than panic.

Most days involve sample panels, sequential sanding, dust control, oil, colour matching and inspection under more than one light. West-facing Cairo light changes a tone dramatically, so you need to be comfortable saying “not yet” when a sample needs another look.

Useful background: Wood finishing experience, a methodical eye, clean habits, and the confidence to reject a rushed finish. We will teach our system; we cannot teach someone to care about the last five percent.

Projects / full-time

Project coordinator

You are the calm connection between clients, site measurements, drawings, procurement, the workshop and delivery. You will not spend the day forwarding decorative PDFs. You will track decisions, confirm dimensions, chase missing details and keep people informed before a problem gets to the truck.

Expect visits around Cairo, calls with building management, material schedules, clear written updates and a working knowledge of what makes furniture buildable. Arabic and English communication are both useful. A sense of humour helps, but accurate records help more.

Useful background: Furniture, interiors, construction coordination or a similarly practical field. You must be comfortable walking into an unfinished room and asking the questions no one else has asked.

Tools and materials arranged on a workshop bench

What good looks like here

Reliable beats impressive

We value people who arrive prepared, keep agreements, protect their colleagues, and tell the truth about a mistake while it can still be fixed. A loud claim of perfection is less useful than someone who notices a mismatch and brings it to the bench lead.

Some projects are beautiful immediately. Others are awkward: a narrow site, a late change, a difficult grain match. We need people who can stay interested in both. The work is physical, detailed and occasionally repetitive. It is also satisfying in the very old-fashioned sense that you can touch what you completed at the end of the day.

18Active stations on a normal workshop day
1 teamDesign, making and delivery remain in conversation
Real workPortfolio pieces must be yours, with your role clearly stated
Clear wordsA problem raised early is a professional habit
We do not need a perfect story. We need someone who can make a good piece, or help a good piece get made.
Hands working carefully on a timber joint
Care is visible in the close work
Wide view of the workshop floor
Shared floor, shared standards
Fresh sawdust on a workshop floor
Not glamorous. Properly satisfying.

How to apply

Send the useful version of your story

Email [email protected] with the role in the subject line, a short note about your experience, your current location, availability, and a CV or portfolio if you have one. For workshop roles, photographs of finished work and work in progress are both welcome.

Please say what you personally made or managed. We would rather see three honest photographs with context than twenty polished images with no explanation. If your experience is adjacent and your hands are good, explain that too.

What happens next We read applications in batches, then invite suitable candidates for a conversation and, where appropriate, a practical workshop assessment. We do not ask anyone to complete unpaid production work.
Can I apply if no role exactly fits?

Yes. Tell us where you would be useful and attach evidence of your work. We keep thoughtful introductions on file when capacity changes.

Can I visit before applying?

Arrange it first. The floor is active and we do not interrupt a team mid-operation for unplanned tours.

Ready to build something properly?

Send an application