Director of Fielded Autonomy

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

The Director of Fielded Autonomy is a leadership role responsible for overseeing the successful integration of our core autonomy software into customer-facing platforms. This leader ensures that all deliverables meet the highest standards of quality, scalability, and reliability. Beyond integration, this role owns the full software development lifecycle within the engineering team—defining strategy, driving execution, fostering a strong engineering culture, and managing high-performing teams. As a member of the Leadership Team, the Director of Fielded Autonomy plays a critical role in shaping the company’s technical direction and aligning software development initiatives with broader business and customer objectives. 

What you'll do

• Software Integration & Delivery  

• • Lead the integration of our products into customer vehicle platforms 

• • Ensure seamless delivery that meets stringent quality and performance standards 

• • Collaborate cross-functionally with product, QA, and operations teams to enable smooth deployments 

• Engineering Leadership  

• • Define and implement the software development strategy, aligned with company goals 

• • Lead the full SW lifecycle: planning, architecture, development, testing, release, and maintenance for programs of record 

• • Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing engineering organization that fosters innovation and accountability 

• • Promote best practices in software engineering, including CI/CD, testing automation, and scalable architectures 

• Strategic Impact  

• • Partner with the VP of Product, VP of Manufacturing and other senior leaders to implement technology strategies across multiple vehicle platform programs  

• • Drive technical decision-making and provide feedback into long-term architectural roadmaps that enable scalability and high level of quality 

• • Align engineering execution with customer requirements, business priorities, and product roadmaps 

• • Drive accelerated vehicle integration timelines for the different vehicle platforms used by our customers 

• Culture & Management  

• • Create a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the engineering teams 

• • Ensure clear communication of vision, priorities, and expectations across all levels 

• • Champion diversity, inclusion, and talent development across the department 

Qualifications

• Proven experience (10+ years) in software engineering, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role 

• Proven (5 years) experience delivering integrated HW and SW products into dynamic markets 

• Experience in automotive, mobility, aerospace, or complex robotics embedded systems industries 

• Strong background in software integration and delivering high-quality, customer-facing platforms 

• Deep understanding of the full software development lifecycle and modern development practices (Agile, DevOps, CI/CD) 

• Demonstrated success in leading engineering teams across strategy, execution, and culture 

• Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills 

• Familiarity with Docker, Jenkins, Git, and artifact management tools 

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with safety-critical or regulated software environments 

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field 

• Familiarity with QNX environments and the ability to configure and debug them on target hardware 

• Exposure to software and systems verification environments (e.g., HIL systems, Vector toolchains, custom CI rigs) 

• Understanding of secure boot, OTA updates, and system-level cybersecurity topics 

• Deep understanding of Linux-based embedded systems (Yocto, systemd, bootloaders, device trees) 

US Salary Range
 $180,000—$250,000
 

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.