Software Systems Engineer, Safety Critical Embedded Systems

Forterra; Clarksburg (MD); On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Premium Healthcare Benefits

20 days PTO per year

7 weeks parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

401(k) with company match

Job summary

Forterra is seeking a Software Systems Engineer to define and integrate requirements, architecture, interfaces, and verification for safety-critical embedded software for autonomous ground vehicles. This role spans software, systems, test, and safety engineering, turning safety needs into verifiable interfaces and requirements.

You will maintain the technical thread through verification and help teams understand how the software behaves across multiple platforms, collaborating with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Five+ years of systems engineering experience with complex embedded, autonomous, automotive, aerospace, defense, or industrial systems.
• Hands-on experience developing and managing system or software requirements, including requirements traceability and verification criteria.
• Experience with functional decomposition, allocation, interface definition, and architecture development for embedded systems.
• Working knowledge of embedded software (C/C++, RTOS, interfaces).
• Experience using Jama, DOORS, SysML, UML, or comparable tools.
• Familiarity with verification planning, integration, and safety-case evidence.

Responsibilities

• Derive and maintain system and software requirements for safety-critical embedded functions.
• Break system functions into implementable software responsibilities and allocate across elements.
• Define interfaces, data flows, operating modes, fault behavior, and assumptions for components.
• Maintain traceability between hazards, safety goals, mitigations, requirements, and verification evidence.
• Review designs for completeness, testability, and safe behavior under faults.
• Collaborate with software and test teams to establish verification methods and assess coverage.
• Support architecture and requirements reviews, baseline reviews, and customer reviews with clear technical analysis.
• Coordinate across development, test, safety, and program teams to resolve cross-component issues.

Skills

Systems engineering

Requirements tracing

Embedded software

C/C++

RTOS

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Computer Engineering / Computer Science

Tools

Jama

DOORS

SysML

UML

Job description

Software Systems Engineer, Safety Critical Embedded 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 at risk. Our systems operate with distributed control, dynamic routing, and real-time responsiveness, enabling sustained advantage across complex mission environments.

About the role

Forterra is looking for a Software Systems Engineer to define and integrate the requirements, architecture, interfaces, and verification approach for safety critical embedded software supporting autonomous ground vehicles. This is an individual contributor role that works across software, systems, test, and safety engineering. You will turn operational and safety needs into implementable requirements and interfaces, maintain the technical thread through verification, and help the team understand how the software will behave, integrate, and perform across multiple platforms

Someone who can connect system intent to implementation. You should be comfortable moving between functions, requirements, interfaces, architecture, software behavior, and verification evidence. The role requires enough technical depth to work directly with embedded software teams and enough systems perspective to see how decisions affect the larger vehicle and safety case.

What you'll do

• Derive, refine, and maintain system and software requirements for safety critical embedded functions.
• Break system functions into implementable software responsibilities and support functional allocation across system elements.
• Define interfaces, data flows, operating modes, fault behavior, and assumptions for embedded software components.
• Maintain the relationship between hazards, safety goals, mitigations, requirements, architecture, and verification evidence through requirements traceability.
• Review software and system designs for completeness, consistency, testability, diagnosability, and safe behavior under faults and abnormal conditions.
• Work with software and test engineers to establish verification methods, resolve requirement issues, and assess coverage and evidence.
• Support architecture reviews, requirements reviews, technical baseline reviews, integration reviews, and customer reviews with clear technical analysis and documentation.
• Work across development, test, safety, and program teams to resolve cross component issues and maintain a reusable platform baseline.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. Equivalent experience may be considered.
• Five or more years of systems engineering experience with complex embedded, autonomous, automotive, aerospace, defense, or industrial systems.
• Hands on experience developing and managing system or software requirements, including requirements traceability and clear verification criteria.
• Experience with functional decomposition, allocation, interface definition, and architecture development for embedded systems.
• Working technical knowledge of embedded software, including C or C++, RTOS concepts, communications, and hardware and software interfaces.
• Experience using requirements or architecture tools such as Jama, DOORS, SysML, UML, or comparable tools.
• Familiarity with verification planning, integration, anomaly resolution, and technical evidence for customer or program reviews.
• Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical relationships clearly

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience applying safety critical development and assurance standards such as MIL-STD-882E, JSSSEH,JS-SSA-IG, ISO 26262, IEC 61508, or DO-178C.
• Experience with hazard analysis and safety engineering activities such as FHA, STPA, functional allocation, mitigation analysis, or safety case development.
• Experience defining interfaces and behavior for vehicle networks, diagnostics, fault management, orsafety monitoring functions.
• Understanding of robotics domains such as motion control, planning, perception, localization, vehicle dynamics, and platform integration.
• Experience working across multiple vehicle variants or programs while maintaining a reusable technical baseline.
• Experience providing technical leadership through architecture reviews, requirements workshops, mentoring, or cross functional integration

US Salary Range
$150,000.00—$175,000.00 USD

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.

CLEARANCE ELIGIBILITY - This position may require eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. For more information about U.S. Security Clearances: click here .

Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in all personnel practices.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 applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any factor, including veteran and disability status, and criminal history, in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws.

Forterra is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.