C++ Software Engineer, Distributed Systems

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.

Fabric is Forterra’s distributed systems platform for registering, discovering, and replicating mission‑critical data across dynamic mesh network topologies. Fabric enables interoperability between autonomous vehicles, operators, services, and partner systems across unreliable, bandwidth‑constrained networks. It is foundational infrastructure used by multiple internal teams and external integrators, and it directly impacts system scalability, reliability, and operational success for Forterra.

We are seeking a Senior/Staff Software Engineer to help design and build Fabric, Forterra’s core distributed systems platform. This role is ideal for a senior engineer who thrives in ambiguous problem spaces, enjoys building foundational infrastructure, and has deep experience with modern C++ and distributed systems.

As a Staff Engineer, you will operate at a system‑wide level: shaping architecture, setting technical direction, and delivering high‑impact features. You will work closely with platform, autonomy, networking, and application teams to ensure Fabric scales across products, teams, and deployment environments.

This is a hands‑on technical role with significant architectural ownership and cross‑team influence.

• Lead the design and implementation of core Fabric services and libraries in modern C++
• Architect distributed systems that operate reliably over low‑bandwidth, high‑latency, and unreliable networks
• Design APIs and abstractions that enable teams to register, serialize, replicate, and query arbitrary data types
• Define and evolve patterns for discovery, addressing, routing, and replication across fixed and dynamic topologies
• Build and maintain high‑performance messaging, transport, and synchronization layers
• Drive decisions around consistency models, reliability guarantees, and failure handling
• Collaborate with partner teams (autonomy, Terra Link, ATAK, web, and external integrators) to ensure Fabric meets real‑world requirements
• Establish best practices for correctness, performance, observability, and maintainability
• Contribute to long‑term technical strategy, roadmap planning, and architectural reviews
• Document designs clearly for both engineering and integration audiences
• What Sets This Role Apart
  • You’ll lead projects and own subsystems
  • You’ll build software that operates in real‑world, high‑consequence environments
  • You’ll influence architecture, standards, and long‑term technical direction and develop a core piece of Forterra infrastructure

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience
• Expert‑level proficiency in modern C++ (C++17 or later)
• Experience with publish/subscribe or message‑oriented middle wares (e.g., gRPC, DDS, ZeroMQ, MQTT, custom transports)
• Strong testing fundamentals and experience developing automated tests in C++ using Google Test, Boost.
  
  Test, or similar frameworks (unit, integration, regression)
• Familiar with best practices such as test case design, edge‑case coverage, mocking/stubbing, and maintaining reliable CI‑friendly test suites
• Solid understanding of distributed systems fundamentals, including:
  • Replication and consistency models
  • Leader election and coordination
  • Failure detection and recovery
  • Concurrency and synchronization
• Experience building or operating production distributed…