Senior Electrical Engineer

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  systems operate with distributed control, dynamic routing, and real-time responsiveness, enabling sustained advantage across complex mission environments.

Forterra is building a new generation of mission module capabilities for autonomous ground systems— integrating high-impact payloads like Counter-UAS, fire-control, combat engineering, and advanced ISR into a scalable platform architecture. We’re looking for a highly capable Electrical Engineer with experience designing, integrating, and validating complex electrical and networking systems, especially within open architecture frameworks such as the U.S. Army Interoperability Profile (IOP).

You’ll play a critical role in ensuring that mission payloads interface reliably and safely with our autonomy stack, power systems, and tactical networks. This is a hands‑on role where you’ll collaborate closely with autonomy, software, systems, and mechanical teams, government stakeholders, and third‑party subsystem providers to drive safety‑critical and warfighter‑relevant outcomes.

• Design and integrate power distribution, communications, signal routing, and compute infrastructure for mission payloads, including kinetic effectors, RF systems, sensors, and fire‑control modules
• Architect modular, standards‑compliant interfaces using open frameworks like IOP, VICTORY, J1939, and ensure conformance with MIL-STD-1275, MIL-STD-464, MIL-STD-461, and MIL-STD-882E
• Develop and validate electrical artifacts such as interface control documents (ICDs), wiring diagrams, and harness documentation
• Support hands‑on system integration, bring‑up, and testing across lab and field environments, including EMI/EMC validation and battlefield failure mode protection.
• Design and develop custom PCBs and electrical subsystems
• Collaborate with government stakeholders and third‑party subsystem providers to align requirements, validate performance, and support operational testing and deployment. Provide ongoing troubleshooting, qualification, and user‑centric support for fielded and production systems

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, or Electrical/Computer Engineering
• 5+ years of experience in electrical engineering for defense, robotics, or autonomous platforms
• Experience in autonomous or robotic systems for DoD use
• Experience in rapid prototyping and iterative development, including bench‑top testing and debugging
• Strong understanding of open systems architecture standards (IOP, VICTORY, J1939) and modular integration best‑practices
• Experience design and integrating system‑on‑modules, embedded controllers, and/or network‑based devices
• Proficiency with design and interfacing with Ethernet, Automotive Ethernet, CAN, USB and/or serial‑based protocols/payloads
• Working knowledge of power budgeting, MIL-STD-1275 compliance, and vehicle‑based DC distribution (12V–48V)
• Hands‑on experience with RF integration and EMI/EMC compliance to MIL-STD-464 and MIL-STD-461
• Experience developing custom PCBs using Altium
• Experience with design electrical harness (MIL-STD, Automotive, SAE, IPC/WHMA)
• Competency in sensor and camera system integration as well as video transport standards
• Exposure to MIL-STD-810 or similar environmental qualification standards
• U.S. Persons and eligibility for a security clearance

• Familiarity with platform power management strategies, including load shedding, battery management (BMS), and redundant architectures
• Experience collaborating with defense primes or integrators and developing…