Senior Failure Analysis & Sustainment 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 at risk. Our systems operate with distributed control, dynamic routing, and real-time responsiveness, enabling sustained advantage across complex mission environments.

Forterra is seeking a Senior Failure Analysis & Sustainment Engineer to serve as a central technical leader for the lifecycle support of our fielded products. In this role, you will oversee configuration management, sustainment planning, and obsolescence mitigation while working cross-functionally with engineering, supply chain, program teams, and field service. You’ll act as the go-to technical liaison for customers, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and ensure product readiness through hands-on problem-solving and operational support. This is a dynamic, fast-paced role based on-site at our Clarksburg, MD facility—ideal for a detail-oriented technical professional with at least 5 years of relevant experience and a strong background in engineering or related fields.

What You'll Do

The Senior Failure Analysis & Sustainment Engineer serves as the central technical point of contact for the comprehensive lifecycle support of fielded products. This role ensures sustained operational readiness, drives continuous improvement, and bridges cross-functional teams—including engineering, supply chain, program management, and field service—to deliver seamless product support for both customers and internal stakeholders.

• Own and build failure analysis processes  

• • Establish, implement, and continuously improve processes for identifying, documenting, and quantifying failure modes  

• • Lead and manage FRACAS data workflows and ensure high-quality reliability data capture  

• • Translate failure data into actionable product and process improvements that enhance system uptime  

• Lead investigations and root cause analysis (RCA)  

• • Drive discrepancy report investigations from intake through resolution  

• • Perform hands-on forensic analysis of failed components and systems  

• • Determine root cause using structured methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, fishbone, fault tree)  

• Serve as technical authority for product failures  

• • Act as SME supporting refurbishment and inspection technicians  

• • Provide engineering guidance for troubleshooting, repair decisions, and escalation  

• • Interface with design, manufacturing, and reliability teams to close the loop on issues impacting mission-critical systems  

• Cross-functional collaboration  

• • Work closely with product design, manufacturing, sustainment logistics, program teams, customer success, and reliability engineering  

• • Communicate findings clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders  

• Drive reliability and sustainment initiatives  

• • Identify trends and systemic issues across fielded systems  

• • Lead initiatives to improve product durability, maintainability, and lifecycle performance for mission-critical applications  

• Support engineering changes and obsolescence management  

• • Source, test, qualify, and implement replacement parts  

• • Contribute to design updates driven by reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) objectives  

• Enable predictive maintenance capabilities  

• • Analyze correlations between hardware failures and internal system data  

• • Develop frameworks for predictive failure modeling and condition-based maintenance to improve uptime  
• Startup Environment
• • Highly self-directed, ownership-driven mindset  

• • Comfortable working hands-on with hardware and data  

• • Strong analytical and investigative instincts  

• • Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment  

• • Clear communicator who can bridge engineering and operations

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field (advanced degree a plus)  

• 5+ years of experience in mechanical systems engineering, failure analysis, or reliability engineering  

• Hands-on experience troubleshooting mechanical and electromechanical systems  

• Strong root cause analysis skills and familiarity with structured problem-solving methods  

• Experience working cross-functionally in product development or operations environments  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with FRACAS systems and reliability data analysis  

• Background in forensic engineering or failure investigation  

• Familiarity with autonomous systems, robotics, or complex electromechanical products  

• Experience with test design, validation, and qualification processes  

• Working knowledge of electrical systems and diagnostics  

US Salary Range

$140,000 - $185,000

Location

Clarksburg, MD - On-Site

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.

To see Forterra’s candidate data privacy policy, please visit Forterra Legal | Job Applicant Privacy Notice. 

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