Staff Software Safety Engineer — Defense

About Forterra

Forterra is a leading provider of autonomous systems for ground-based movement in the working world. Amongst some of the earliest innovators in the field of driverless technology, Forterra is focused on building systems that protect front-line soldiers and enable civilian workers in our industrial base. Forterra is the go-to provider of ground autonomy solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense, which harnesses the technology for asymmetric warfare in critical conditions.

Forterra is seeking an experienced Safety Software Engineer to join our team and support the development of safety-critical software for defense and autonomous vehicle systems. This role will spearhead efforts in ensuring that software for unmanned and autonomous ground platforms meets rigorous defense and automotive safety standards.

You will play a key role in applying structured safety processes to software-intensive systems, ensuring compliance with both military and autonomy-related standards.

What You'll Do

• Lead the implementation of safety-critical software standards across defense and autonomous vehicle programs.
• Develop and refine safety concepts for ground vehicle systems, including architecture, redundancy mechanisms, fault management, and verification activities.
• Conduct safety analyses such as FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), FHA (Functional Hazard Analysis), FTA (Fault Tree Analysis), and DFA (Dependent Failure Analysis).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on validation and verification plans for unmanned and autonomous ground vehicles.
• Support and participate in software integration and qualification testing to demonstrate safety requirements are met.
• Mentor engineers on safety software principles, tools, and best practices drawn from both defense and autonomous vehicle domains.
• Stay informed about evolving standards in defense and autonomy to continuously improve practices.

What We're Looking For:

• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in developing safety-critical software in defense or autonomous ground vehicle systems.
• Fluency in safety-relevant programming languages (C, C++, Ada).
• Familiarity with structured development methods such as Agile, V-Model, or MIL-STD/DoD software processes.

What We Need:

• Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (Master's preferred).
• 5+ years of experience in safety-critical software for defense or autonomous vehicle systems.* Experience with standards such as DO-178C, MIL-STD-882E, IEC 61508, or ISO for autonomyrelated safety).
• Familiarity with coding standards such as MISRA or SPARK Ada.
• Experience with safety analysis techniques (FMEA, FHA, FTA).
• Hands-on use of requirements management tools (DOORS, Polarion, Jama) and issue tracking (JIRA).
• Strong analytical skills in reliability, probability, and system safety modeling.
• Experience supporting software verification and validation for autonomous ground platforms, real-time operating systems, or secure embedded systems.
• Ability to guide testing and certification activities across defense and autonomy projects.

What We Love to See:

• Certifications such as CSP, CRE, or Functional Safety Expert (FuSa/ISO
• Knowledge of autonomous vehicle perception, prediction, and control safety challenges.
• Understanding of secure-by-design principles and cyber-safety in defense and ground vehicle systems.
• Direct experience in unmanned or autonomous ground vehicles for defense applications.

US Salary Range

$175,000—$210,000

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.