About Forterra
At Forterra, we are unleashing autonomy at scale to transform the battlefield. Our mission is to build the foundational platforms that enable an intelligent ecosystem to coordinate, adapt, and execute with speed and precision even in the uncertainty and disruption of modern conflict. In an era marked by rapid technological change and evolving threats, we design for flexibility, survivability, and operational dominance.

Forterra delivers weapons, sensors, and battlefield effects through integrated autonomous networks reaching operational areas faster, safer, and without placing human lives at risk. Our systems operate with distributed control, dynamic routing, and real-time responsiveness, enabling sustained advantage across complex mission environments.

About the role

Forterra is seeking an experienced Safety Software Engineer to join our team and support the development of safety-critical software for defense and autonomous vehicle systems. This role will spearhead efforts in ensuring that software for unmanned and autonomous ground platforms meets rigorous defense and automotive safety standards.  

You will play a key role in applying structured safety processes to software-intensive systems, ensuring compliance with both military and autonomy-related standards. 

What you'll do

• Lead or contribute to the implementation of safety-critical software standards across defense and autonomous vehicle programs. 

• Develop and refine safety concepts for ground vehicle systems, including architecture, redundancy mechanisms, fault management, and verification activities. 

• Conduct safety analyses such as FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), FHA (Functional Hazard Analysis), FTA (Fault Tree Analysis), and DFA (Dependent Failure Analysis). 

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on validation and verification plans for unmanned and autonomous ground vehicles. 

• Support and participate in software integration and qualification testing to demonstrate safety requirements are met. 

• Mentor engineers on safety software principles, tools, and best practices drawn from both defense and autonomous vehicle domains. 

• Stay informed about evolving standards in defense and autonomy to continuously improve practices. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (Master’s preferred). 

• 5+ years of experience in safety-critical software for defense or autonomous vehicle systems.* Experience with standards such as MIL-STD-882E, ISO 26262, IEC 61508, or DO-178C,  (for autonomy related safety). 

• Experience with coding standards such as MISRA C/C++, static analysis tools, and code coverage methodologies (incl. branch and MC/DC). 

• Working knowledge of at least one language used in safety-critical development (C/C++) 

• Experience with safety analysis techniques (FMEA, FHA, FTA). 

• Hands-on use of requirements management tools (DOORS, Polarion, Jama) and issue tracking (JIRA). 

• Experience testing on RTOS platforms (e.g., QNX) and with embedded targets, debuggers, and instrumentation.  

• Strong analytical skills in system safety modeling. 

• Experience supporting software verification and validation for autonomous ground platforms, real-time operating systems, or secure embedded systems. 

• Ability to guide testing and certification activities across defense and autonomy projects. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications such as CSP, CRE, or Functional Safety Professional (FuSa/ISO 26262). 

• Tooling experience: Vector CANalyzer, Wireshark, GitLab CI, Git, CMake, Conan.  

• Exposure to vehicle networks and diagnostics (CAN, CAN-FD, Ethernet, FlexRay, UDS/J1939) and to logging/trace tools.  

• Knowledge of autonomous vehicle perception, prediction, and control safety challenges. 

• Understanding of secure-by-design principles and cyber-safety in defense and ground vehicle systems. 

• Direct experience in unmanned or autonomous ground vehicles for defense applications. 

US Salary Range
 $170,000—$200,000
 

The salary range for this role is an estimate and is based on a wide variety of compensation factors. The salary offered to candidates will vary based on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) relevant work experience, education, specialized training, critical expertise, training, and more. Equity in Forterra is included in most of our full-time, high-demand roles and is therefore considered part of Forterra’s overall compensation package. In addition to base salary and equity, Forterra offers competitive benefits for full-time employees including:

• Premium Healthcare Benefits: Three plan options, including an HSA-eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for you and your dependents.  
• Basic Life/AD&D, short and long-term disability insurance plans 100% covered by Forterra, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
• Competitive paid time off (PTO) offering 20 days accrued per year.
• A minimum of 7 weeks fully paid parental leave for birth/adoption. 
• A $9k annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
• Fully stocked beverage refrigerators with all the Celsius your little heart desires. 
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral with company match up to 4%.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about our salary and benefits offering during the hiring process.  

Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. Forterrans are unique, talented individuals who are united through a shared passion to deliver autonomous systems that enable national resilience and a robust supply chain. All qualified applications will receive equal consideration for employment.