Test Operations Lead

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.

The Forterra Product Validation team is seeing a highly organized, safety-focused, and technically adept Test Operations & Safety Lead to support testing activities at the Idaho Test Range (ITR). In this role, you will coordinate day-to-day test operations, manage scheduling and test plans, ensure safety compliance, and work closely with engineering and cross-functional teams to drive efficient, high-quality testing. You will be central to keeping testing on schedule, maintaining tight communication channels, and ensuring issues are tracked and resolved quickly.

Test Planning & Coordination:

• Create, maintain, and iterate on comprehensive ITR Test Plans, ensuring clarity of scope, timelines, and resource needs.
• Manage test request intake through JIRA (or other similar tooling), including ticket completeness, linkage to JAMA or other test-case tooling, and follow-through to completion.
• Build and maintain a JIRA dashboard for test requests, mission progress, and bug tracking.
• Assign test missions, tasks, and personnel based on program priorities and operator qualifications.
• Evaluate test facilities routinely to consider repairs and updates to key, or heavily used areas and tracks.

Daily Test Operations:

• Lead the daily test schedule and priorities meeting, conducted both in-person on-site and via Zoom.
• Coordinate test execution across teams and ensure adequate staffing for each test block.
• Proactively pivot teams to alternative tasks when blockers or downtime occur.
• Maintain strong communication with the Test team, Engineering, HQ, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment.

Safety Leadership:

• Serve as the Test Safety Lead, enforcing PPE requirements, conducting safety briefings, and ensuring compliance with site protocols.
• Partner with the EH&S team to maintain safety equipment, restock supplies, and update safety processes.
• Respond to safety-critical incidents, lead follow-up documentation, and support root-cause and corrective-action processes.

Cross-Functional Engagement:

• Participate in Cross Functional Team (CFT) meetings to understand upcoming testing needs and translate them into ITR scheduling and resource plans.
• Maintain the ITR long-range Outlook Calendar with future test planning inputs.
• Partner with the Fleet team to understand and plan vehicle availability, maintenance schedules, and other operational impacts.
• Coordinate operator and vehicle training; collaborate with Customer Success to track attendance and maintain documentation.

Test Data, Issues, and Performance Tracking:

• Support creation and triage of bug tickets in JIRA; ensure detailed notes, logs, reproduction steps, and test evidence are documented.
• Pull test data, take detailed notes, conduct initial analysis, and communicate findings clearly to engineering teams.
• Track test performance and identify trends or areas needing additional investigation or process improvements.
• Ensure trends can be used within cross functional teams and be easy to understand as a way to assess what makes the most impacts and potential trade offs.

Documentation & Reporting:

• Produce clear documentation including test plans, procedures, schedules, safety materials, and operational updates.
• Support document revisions and reviews as systems and processes evolve.
• Provide regular written updates and briefings to leadership and stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience in test operations, field testing, engineering operations, QA, or a related technical field.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple schedules, inputs, and priorities.
• Experience using JIRA or similar ticketing tools for workflow management.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety, with familiarity in PPE and field operations.
• Excellent communication skills and comfort leading daily operational meetings.
• Ability to work on-site full time at the Idaho Test Range.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with JAMA, test-case management tools, or engineering documentation systems.
• Background in vehicle testing, robotics, autonomy, aerospace, or similar technical domains.
• Experience triaging bugs or supporting engineering debugging workflows.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams or field operations.
• Data gathering and basic analysis skills…