Preconstruction Engineer

Samara; Redwood City (CA); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Early-stage equity

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) eligibility

Flexible PTO policy

Job summary

Samara is seeking a Preconstruction Engineer to cost out product development through GMP milestones for our prefab homes. You will work with Product Development, Project Management, Sales, and Site Installation teams to deliver takeoffs, bills of materials, labor estimates, and total project costs.

You will price change orders, develop internal GMPs, and feed cost insights back into design gates. The role blends cost engineering with preconstruction strategy in a fast‑growing startup environment.

Qualifications

• ~5 years of construction estimating experience.
• General contractor background, residential single‑family or small multifamily preferred.
• Working knowledge of light‑gauge steel framing.
• Proficiency with takeoff and estimating tools (Autodesk Construction Cloud and ProEst) and strong Excel skills.
• Sharp attention to detail and clear written and verbal communication.
• Collaborative, social, and comfortable building process in a fast‑moving startup.

Responsibilities

• Develop GMP estimates for internal development projects from conceptual through design development.
• Provide cost feedback to the Product Development team at key design gates.
• Estimate self‑perform installation scopes: structural connections, MEP tie‑ins, drywall, roofing, and exterior siding.
• Run quantity takeoffs from drawings, specs, and 3D models; develop BOMs at milestones.
• Estimate labor hours for internal field crews and compare with production data.
• Price change orders for the internal install team with accuracy and timeliness.
• Offer technical pricing guidance to offshore Remote Estimating team when needed.
• Maintain unit cost libraries using industry databases and Samara data.
• Solicit, level, and award subcontractor and vendor proposals for outsourced scope.
• Highlight cost risks, scope ambiguity, and schedule pressure early with documented assumptions.
• Partner with Estimating Manager to refine templates, workflows, and SOPs.

Skills

Construction estimating

General contractor background

Clear written and verbal communication

Team collaboration in startup

Light-gauge steel framing knowledge

Tools

Autodesk Construction Cloud

ProEst

Excel

Job description

About Samara

Samara is on a mission to transform how homes get built. Spun out of Airbnb in 2022 by CEO Mike McNamara and Airbnb co‑founder Joe Gebbia, we design, manufacture, install, and finance beautifully designed prefab homes pushing the boundaries of housing development on the back of progressive housing policies in California. We recently closed a $34M Series B led by Thrive Capital, with continued backing from Airbnb, 8VC, and angels including Brian Chesky, Michael Dell, and Nate Blecharczyk. We have crossed $100M+ in project value across California, opened a second manufacturing facility, and are now active in 45+ cities. As we’ve expanded from ADUs into multifamily development work, we are hiring a Preconstruction Engineer to help us cost it all out — from product design through GMP development to on‑site installation.

Position Overview

The Preconstruction Engineer is a cross‑functional role that supports the full lifecycle of Product Development and Samara’s design‑build construction projects. You will work closely with our Product Development, Project Management, Sales, and Site Installation teams to deliver takeoffs, bills of material, labor estimates, and total project costs at key milestones — from early‑stage product design through GMP development and change order pricing. While our offshore Remote Estimators own the day‑to‑day for customer‑facing site proposals, the Preconstruction Engineer is the in‑house anchor for our internal development pipeline: building GMPs for Samara‑owned projects, pricing self‑perform installation scopes, and feeding cost insight back into product development at key design gates. You will also serve as a technical resource to the Remote Estimating team as needed. If you are passionate about preconstruction strategy, rigorous cost engineering, and helping shape how a fast‑growing prefab company scales, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop GMP estimates for Samara’s internal development projects, from conceptual through design development.
• Provide cost feedback to the Product Development team at key design gates — early enough that changes are still cheap.
• Estimate self‑perform installation scopes: structural connections, MEP tie‑ins, drywall, roofing, and exterior siding.
• Run quantity takeoffs from drawings, specs, and 3D models. Develop bills of material at key product milestones.
• Estimate labor hours for internal field crews and pressure‑test assumptions against actual production data.
• Price change orders for the internal install team — accurate, timely, and well‑documented.
• Provide technical guidance and pricing support to the offshore Remote Estimating team on customer‑facing site quotes when needed.
• Maintain unit cost libraries using industry cost databases and Samara historical data.
• Solicit, level, and award subcontractor and vendor proposals for outsourced scope.
• Surface cost risk, scope ambiguity, and schedule pressure points early — and document the assumptions behind every estimate.
• Partner with the Estimating Manager to refine templates, workflows, and SOPs as the function matures.

Qualifications

Required

• ~5 years of construction estimating experience, across both subcontracted and self‑perform scopes.
• General contractor background, ideally on residential single‑family or small multifamily projects. Light commercial works too.
• Working knowledge of light‑gauge steel framing.
• Proficiency with takeoff and estimating tools (Autodesk Construction Cloud and ProEst preferred) and strong Excel skills.
• Sharp attention to detail and clear written and verbal communication.
• Collaborative, social, and comfortable building process in a fast‑moving startup.

Preferred

• Experience estimating in modular or prefabricated construction.
• Background in design‑build project delivery.
• Familiarity with GMP development and preconstruction processes.
• ASPE certification (CPE or CEP).
• Experience integrating cost data with ERP, MRP, or BOM systems.

What We Offer

• Salary range of $125–145K and performance‑based bonuses.
• Hybrid work schedule with 3 days each week in our Redwood City office (Tue–Thu).
• Early‑stage employee equity.
• Exceptional health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) eligibility after 6 months.
• Flexible PTO policy.

How To Apply

If you are excited about the opportunity to shape Samara’s preconstruction function and play a key role in delivering our prefab homes, we encourage you to apply. Please submit your resume and a cover letter to this post.

Join us in building something extraordinary.