Project Engineer, Development
Ready to play a key role in building the future of living? Join Samara in tackling California’s housing shortage and enabling people to attain sustainable housing without compromising design or quality. Our flagship product, Backyard, is a fully turnkey, premium accessory dwelling unit (ADU) designed for homeowners and real estate developers. As we expand our offerings and scale our in-house development initiatives, we’re at a pivotal moment, redefining homeownership through high-quality, attainable infill housing. Backed by top-tier investors, including Airbnb, Thrive Capital, and 8VC, Samara is positioned for significant growth and market impact.
As one of the first hires on the Development team, you’ll also play a foundational role in defining and establishing site project management support processes, procedures, and training programs for future hires. You will work closely with the Development, Acquisitions, and Construction teams to align efforts, refine workflows, and ensure successful project delivery.
Samara’s development operations are lean—site staffing is small and nimble, and this role requires hands-on leadership. Ideal candidates will balance a strong technical project management background with creative, critical thinking ability that enables you to play a critical role as we scale our organization. Leadership comes at all levels.
If you’re passionate about building high-quality housing and strive for continuously improving field operations, we’d love to hear from you.
What You'll Do
- Play a critical role on the Development Team supporting 6 or more ground-up development projects at different stages of the project lifecycle.
- Support project planning and scheduling (initial timelines, revision tracking, resource allocation).
- Manage RFIs, submittals; support change orders, pay applications, and construction documentation systems.
- Manage permit submittals, ensuring completeness and accuracy with the posted AHJ requirements and address comments during revisions or resubmissions.
- Track budgets and costs, assist in preparing monthly budget reports and forecasts.
- Coordinate with subcontractors, vendors, suppliers, developers, city/inspection authorities and stakeholders on safety, permits, inspections, and project logistics.
- Provide onsite support: monitor quality control, safety compliance, field coordination, and assist superintendents with installation schedules.
- Document meeting minutes, generate daily and weekly reports, maintain logs (RFIs, submittals, change orders, correspondence).
- Assist procurement coordination, material tracking and logistical coordination specific to modular home assemblies.
- Manage quality documentation and progress photo/video capture to ensure that all work is documented for future reference.
- Prepare as-built, close-out requirements, and compile Homeowner handover materials setting Samara up for an efficient project completion.
- Think critically about process implementation and documentation to establish the road map for future hires in this role.
What We’re Looking For
- 2-4 years experience as a Project Engineer or field/assistant engineer at a residential or multi‑family GC, preferably in California
- Experience with modular or steel-framed residential projects strongly preferred (apartment, podium, single-family)
- Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience)
- Familiar with software tools like Autodesk Construction Cloud, Procore, Bluebeam, MS Project, Excel, Openspace, or similar platforms
- Strong technical ability to read and interpret plans, specifications, and contract documents
- Excellent organization, communication, proactive problem-solving skills, and attention to detail
- Valid California driver’s license; flexibility for occasional site and jurisdiction meetings
Nice-to-Haves
- Understanding of modular workflows (transport, delivery schedules, off-site coordination)
- Familiarity with permitting for modular systems and related jurisdictional interfaces
- OSHA certifications
- EIT/FE or progressing toward PE licensure (not required)
What We Offer
- Salary range of $85-115K and performance-based bonuses.
- Hybrid work schedule with 3 days each week in our Redwood City office.
- Snacks and Lunch on in-office days
- Early stage employee equity.
- Exceptional health, dental, and vision insurance.
- 401k eligibility after 6 months.
- Flexible PTO policy.
If you're excited to support Samara’s mission and have the skills to match, we’d love to hear from you. Please submit your resume and a brief letter of introduction to our team.
Let’s build something extraordinary—together.
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