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 a manager to lead our New Product Introduction (NPI) efforts within the production operations organization. This role is critical in ensuring that new products are seamlessly integrated into our production processes, meeting all quality, cost, and delivery targets. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in manufacturing engineering and project management. You will be responsible for interfacing with Engineering and associated project Cross-Functional-Teams (CFTs) to ensure that internal customer demands are met during the concepting and prototyping development phases and bridging the hand off to the production teams to ensure that products are optimized for efficiency and scalability. Your role will involve close collaboration with design, quality, supply chain, and production teams to ensure that new products meet all necessary specifications and standards. You will also be responsible for identifying and mitigating risks, troubleshooting issues, and continuously improving our NPI processes. This is a high-impact role that requires a strategic thinker with excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to drive projects to successful completion. If you are passionate about manufacturing engineering and have a proven track record in NPI, we would love to hear from you. 

What you'll do

• Recurring Bill of Material (BOM) analysis as the BOM matures throughout the product’s development lifecycle. BOM analysis includes identification of long lead items and coordination with Supply Chain. 

• Evaluate BOM and coordinate with Supply Chain and Engineering to determine Make/Buy strategy. 

• Facilitate coordination with Supply Chain and Engineering in placement of purchase requisitions throughout the product development prototyping and pilot build activities. 

• Analyze inventory availability in the ERP system and provide requests to Warehouse and Buyers to procure and/or allocate materials for Prototype and Pilot builds. 

• Support purchase orders to include, following-up and providing status to engineering, and assisting in response to vendor questions. 

• Manage and issue work orders to support prototype and pilot builds. Partner with finance to ensure that Work Order and Material transfer coding in the ERP system are allocated to appropriate financial accounts. 

• Participate in design reviews and Configuration Change Control Board and execute PLM system tasks. 

• Participate in observation of prototype and pilot builds to capture manufacturing build notes and identify design for manufacturability, assembly, test, and quality challenges. Coordinate observations with design and manufacturing engineering. 

• In coordination with Manufacturing Engineering identify any special equipment needed for production (e.g., load fixtures, assembly fixtures, other unique tools). Ensure that equipment is procured within appropriate lead times. 

• Participate and provide content for product lifecycle gate reviews. 

• Develop and provide KPIs for performance effectiveness of the NPI process. 

Minimum Qualifications

• BS or MS in Engineering, Science, or Technology (or equivalent combination of education and experience). 

• 5+ years of experience in Mechanical Engineering, New Product Integration, Production, Manufacturing environment, Engineering or equivalent work experience. 

• Must possess the ability to establish rapport and working relationships at all levels of the organization and communicate effectively throughout. 

• Demonstrated ability to work in an ambiguous environment. 

• Ability to read and interpret drawings, models, and schematics. Both electrical and mechanical. 

• Ability to navigate ERP, PLM, and QMS software tools. 

• Experience with Bill of Material structures and Configuration Management standards/rules. 

• Experience developing performance metrics and driving initiatives to ensure goals are achieved. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Arena PLM, NetSuite ERP, and Jira a plus. 

• PMI PMP or equivalent certification a plus. 

US Salary Range 
$120,000—$140,000 

Location

On-Site in Clarksburg, MD

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.

CLEARANCE ELIGIBILITY - This position may require eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. For more information about U.S. Security Clearances: click here.   

Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in all personnel practices. 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 applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any factor, including veteran and disability status, and criminal history, in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws.

Forterra is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.

To see Forterra’s candidate data privacy policy, please visit Forterra Legal | Job Applicant Privacy Notice.