Senior Process Engineer in Tracy, California at Volumetric Building Companies

Build the Future with VBC

At Volumetric Building Companies (VBC), we are redefining the future of construction. As a global leader in volumetric modular building, we integrate cutting-edge technology, precision-driven manufacturing, and expert modular construction to deliver high-quality, sustainable buildings—faster and smarter. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, with locations across the U.S., UK, Ireland, Poland, and Serbia, our reach is global, but our mission is deeply personal: to create spaces that improve lives.

At VBC, our people are our greatest asset. We foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous growth, where your ideas matter and your work makes a real impact. When you join us, you become part of a team that values excellence, respect, and community—a place where you can build your career while building a better world.

If you’re driven to be the best at what you do and want to be part of something bigger, let’s build the future together.

Role Overview

The Senior Process Engineer plays a critical role in optimizing and sustaining manufacturing processes within a modular construction production environment. This position focuses on improving throughput, quality, safety, and cost by analyzing workflows, standardizing processes, and driving continuous improvement across floor, wall, and ceiling production lines.

Acting as a bridge between design, manufacturing engineering, operations, quality, and maintenance, the Process Engineer ensures that products move efficiently from design intent to repeatable, high-quality production. This role is well-suited for an engineer who enjoys being on the shop floor, solving problems in real time, and building scalable, robust manufacturing processes.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Process Development & Optimization

• Develop, document, and optimize manufacturing processes for floor, wall, and ceiling production lines.
• Analyze production flow, cycle times, bottlenecks, and material movement to improve efficiency and throughput.
• Establish standard work instructions, process parameters, and best practices to ensure consistent production performance.
• Support new product introductions (NPI) by defining production processes, layouts, and readiness plans.

Design-to-Manufacturing Integration

• Collaborate closely with design and engineering teams to ensure designs are manufacturable, scalable, and cost-effective.
• Review design packages (CAD/BIM/Revit/Inventor, etc.) and identify risks related to production, quality, or capacity.
• Provide clear engineering feedback to designers to improve design standardization and production compatibility.
• Support the transition of new designs from prototype to full-scale production.

Production Support & Troubleshooting

• Actively support daily manufacturing operations by identifying and resolving process-related issues.
• Investigate process deviations, defects, and downtime events to determine root causes and corrective actions.
• Partner with operators, supervisors, quality, and maintenance teams to stabilize and improve production performance.
• Help implement corrective and preventive actions to prevent recurring issues.

Continuous Improvement & Lean Initiatives

• Lead and support continuous improvement efforts using Lean, Kaizen, 5S, and root cause problem-solving methodologies.
• Identify opportunities to reduce waste, rework, scrap, and non-value-added activities.
• Develop and track key process metrics related to safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Champion a culture of process discipline, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement.

Documentation, Training & Compliance

• Create and maintain process documentation, work instructions, PFMEAs, control plans, and standard operating procedures.
• Ensure manufacturing processes comply with safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Support training of operators and technicians on new or updated processes and standard work.
• Participate in internal audits and support corrective action planning as needed.

Required Skills & Qualifications

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes in automated or semi-automated production environments.
• Experience working with CAD/BIM tools such as AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, SolidWorks, or similar.
• Knowledge of manufacturing tolerances, materials, process capability, and production sequencing.
• Ability to analyze process data and translate findings into actionable improvements.

Problem-Solving & Communication

• Proven ability to diagnose process issues and implement sustainable solutions under production pressure.
• Strong communication skills to align design intent, operational needs, and engineering solutions.
• Comfortable working directly on the shop floor with operators, supervisors, and technicians.

Experience

• Minimum of 7+ years of experience in process engineering, manufacturing engineering, or industrial engineering.
• Experience in modular, panelized, prefabricated, or high-mix manufacturing environments preferred.
• Exposure to automated production equipment or industrial automation is a strong plus.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience applying Lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement tools.
• Familiarity with MES and/or ERP systems.
• Ability to read and interpret architectural and structural drawings.
• Basic understanding of CNC machinery, machine programming, or automation concepts (not required, but beneficial).

What Success Looks Like

• Stable, repeatable manufacturing processes that consistently meet safety, quality, and delivery targets.
• Reduced downtime, scrap, and rework through process improvements and standardization.
• Strong collaboration between design, engineering, and production teams.
• Measurable improvements in cycle time, throughput, and material efficiency.

The Salary Range for this position is $100,000 - $140,000 annual base salary + annual performance bonus. We also offer the following benefits:

• Highly competitive pay, benefits program, and flexible time-off programs
• 401(k) program with employer matching
• Employee referral programs with charitable donations
• Day of Giving program to volunteer at community charities

VBC is an equal opportunity employer.