Senior Android ATAK 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 seeking a Senior or Staff Android ATAK Engineer to support the development of tactical command‑and‑control capabilities for our fleet of autonomous wheeled ground vehicles. In this role, you’ll be at the forefront of building and deploying advanced ATAK plugins that connect Forterra’s autonomy capabilities to the tactical edge.

You’ll be responsible for contributing to the architecture, development, and integration of Forterra’s ATAK based Tactical C2 node—delivering robust, user‑friendly mission software to operators in the field. This includes designing and documenting extensible APIs in Java/Kotlin, interfacing with native C++ and C components, and enabling secure, performant communications over degraded networks.

You’ll join a tight‑knit cross‑functional team that spans UI/UX, autonomy, networking, and vehicle software. The work you do will directly shape how soldiers interact with Forterra’s cutting‑edge technology—and will have a measurable impact on mission success.

• Contribute to the design, implementation, and maintenance of Forterra’s tactical C2 capability through ATAK plugin development in Java/Kotlin for the Android platform.
• Architect and evolve the remote C2 system connecting Forterra platforms to ATAK and partner interfaces across commercial and DoD use cases.
• Drive API design and data modeling across systems to ensure reliability, flexibility, and performance.
• Collaborate with autonomy and networking engineers to enable robust communication under constrained and adversarial conditions.
• Guide development of intuitive user experiences that support situational awareness, health monitoring, and direct platform control.
• Contribute to and review code across multiple languages (Java, Kotlin, C++,
  
  C) as needed for integration and performance.
• Contribute to documentation, field validation, and integration efforts with third‑party platforms and government systems.
• Support a culture of engineering excellence through mentorship, design reviews, and quality‑first development practices.

• Mission‑First Mindset: A deep commitment to enabling national resilience and operational advantage through technical excellence.
• Ownership Mentality: A bias toward action and accountability, with a willingness to identify and solve the hardest problems.
• Structured Problem Solving:
  Ability to break down complexity, drive toward clarity, and execute against a plan.
• Cross‑Functional Leadership:
  Comfort operating in a non‑hierarchical matrix environment, leading through influence and collaboration.
• Deep expertise in Java and Android‑based ATAK plugin development.
• Experience with SQL databases.
• Experience with Android Jetpack and Material UI libraries.
• Familiarity with C++ and/or C codebases, particularly in embedded or mobile contexts.
• Experience with JNI development and implementation.
• Strong understanding of Linux development environments, networking protocols, and distributed systems.
• Demonstrated ability to operate autonomously and lead efforts from design through deployment.

• Hands‑on experience integrating with TAK Server, tactical radios, or defense‑grade networking systems.
• Familiarity with build systems (e.g., CMake), package managers (e.g., Conan), and Git workflows.
• Background in defense, robotics, or autonomous vehicle domains.
• Strong systems thinking, debugging skills, and the ability…