F

Forterra

Autonomous driving system for retrofitted vehicles

Fabricator/Welder

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/21/2026
$35 - $40/hr+ Equity
Mid
Clarksburg, MD, USA
In Person
Manufacturing & Production OperationsWelding & Metal Fabrication

About the job

Requirements
  • A high school diploma or GED is required.
  • An accredited trade school diploma may substitute for two years of industrial experience.
  • Three years of machine shop or related experience are required.
  • Experience producing low-quantity, high-diversity parts such as brackets, heatsinks, and electrical enclosures is required.
  • Experience TIG welding aluminum is required.
  • A background in fabricating and welding is required.
  • Ability to interpret engineering drawings and requirements is required.
  • Creativity in fixturing parts for machining and welding is required.
  • Familiarity with ISO standards and good manufacturing practices is required.
  • Ability to organize, present, and articulate ideas verbally and in writing is required.
  • Knowledge of Microsoft Office is required.
  • Ability to use safe lifting techniques and lift at least 50 pounds is required.
  • Ability to stand, sit, bend, or lift for long periods is required.
Responsibilities
  • Operate machine shop equipment, including HAAS CNC mills, a lathe, drill press, band saw, iron worker, media-blasting equipment, pedestal grinder, Miller TIG welder, Miller MIG welder, Miller plasma cutter, and angle grinder.
  • Paint quality finishes on various materials.
  • Use a hot-coat powder-coat system.
  • Use hand tools such as calipers, height gauges, pin gauges, thread gauges, and countersink indicators to dimensionally check parts.
  • Use basic hand and power tools to complete tasks.
  • Perform or learn each step of the build process, from stock cutting, machining, bending, welding, and hardware installation through painting.
  • Cross-check other team members' parts as needed.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with 3D CAD software.
  • Experience with CNC machine operation or programming.

About the company

Forterra provides autonomous vehicle technology for defense and industrial sectors. Its AutoDrive® installs as a retrofit kit that adds sensors, computing, and software to existing ground vehicles, enabling unmanned operation in challenging environments. It differentiates itself by upgrading current fleets rather than buying new vehicles and by serving both military and industrial markets. The goal is to deploy and scale AutoDrive® across applications to improve efficiency and safety, backed by its Series B funding.

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

Debt Financing

Total Funding

$635M

Headquarters

Clarksburg, Maryland

Founded

2002

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Forterra disclosed 105 Lancers deployed to Ukraine on July 7, 2026, accelerating credibility.
  • Forterra won a prime role on Army engineer autonomous breaching in July 2026.
  • MESA launched April 28, 2026, broadening Forterra from logistics into CASEVAC and force protection.

What critics are saying

  • Ukraine use still relies on teleoperation, exposing autonomy gaps against enemy threats today.
  • Army UxS evaluations paused in April 2026, delaying a key validation milestone.
  • Oshkosh, Polaris, and others can outscale Forterra if procurement shifts away from bespoke autonomy.

What makes Forterra unique

  • Forterra integrated AutoDrive with Polaris on MESA, not aftermarket retrofits, in April 2026.
  • Forterra paired AutoDrive with Vektor and goTenna for contested, disconnected tactical networking.
  • Forterra proved combat deployment credibility with 105 Lancers across 1,100 Ukraine missions.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • Unlimited Paid Time Off
  • Paid Vacation
  • Parental Leave
  • Professional Development Budget
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • 401(k) Company Match
  • Paid Holidays
  • Hybrid Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

5%

1 year growth

2%

2 year growth

-1%
Yahoo Finance
Oct 12th, 2026
Forterra launches OneLink, an open platform to unify autonomous military systems

Forterra, a maker of autonomous mission systems, has launched OASIS-OneLink, an open platform that brings autonomous vehicles and mission tools into a single operator interface. The company announced the product on October 12, 2026. Each new autonomous system often arrives with its own dashboard and workflow, which adds another layer for users to manage. OneLink works alongside existing command and control tools instead of replacing them, and it does not lock mission data behind a pay-to-play application. Built on Forterra's integration framework, OASIS-Fabric, the platform lets users combine and swap platforms, payloads, and applications from different vendors, even mid-mission, without custom engineering. Its desktop applications also work offline, preserving mission information where connectivity is poor. OneLink is already integrating unmanned systems for the US Army's Joint Readiness Training Center.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 12th, 2026
Forterra named systems integration partner for US Army's JRTC unmanned systems programme

Forterra, a maker of autonomous mission systems, has been selected as Systems Integration Partner for unmanned systems under Project LAUNCH Box at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) in Fort Polk, Louisiana. It announced the news on October 12, 2026. Forterra will manage and integrate unmanned systems for Geronimo, the resident opposing force that fights every rotational brigade. It will source Army-prioritized systems from multiple vendors and link them through a common network architecture and unified data layer. Forterra will also train and sustain Geronimo to fight with these systems. Each rotation will produce data on how the systems perform, which Forterra will turn into recommendations on Army requirements and purchasing. JRTC is the first Combat Training Center to use this model.

TechCrunch
Jul 7th, 2026
US autonomous ground vehicles see combat in Ukraine after 9-month deployment

Forterra has deployed over 100 autonomous ATVs in Ukraine for the past nine months, marking what the company believes is the largest deployment of autonomous ground vehicles in combat by a US defence tech company. The gas-powered Lancer vehicles, based on Polaris ATVs, can carry 750 kilograms of cargo and have driven more than 2,500 miles across 1,100 missions, completing 52 casualty evacuations. Ukrainian forces primarily teleoperate the vehicles rather than using full autonomy, as the technology cannot yet identify and respond to enemy threats independently. Forterra, which has raised over $500 million from investors including XYZ Venture Capital and Moore Strategic Partners, is working to combine traditional autonomous vehicle algorithms with generative AI. Ukrainian soldiers have requested cheaper versions to account for battlefield attrition whilst maintaining deployment flexibility.

Yahoo Finance
Apr 28th, 2026
Forterra unveils MESA autonomous vehicle for last-mile battlefield operations

Forterra has unveiled MESA, a modular autonomous vehicle platform designed for last-tactical-mile operations. Built on a factory-modified Polaris Ranger XD 1500, the vehicle integrates Forterra's AutoDrive® and Vektor mission modules to deliver mobility, computing, communications and sensing capabilities. The MESA platform features a flat deck design with 2,000 pounds of payload capacity, enabling rapid reconfiguration for mission-specific requirements. The system provides autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments whilst maintaining secure connectivity across distributed forces. Forterra's autonomy technology has been proven in real-world operations including the USMC ROGUE Fires programme and various SOCOM initiatives. The vehicle is manufactured directly with Polaris, with modifications executed alongside the original equipment manufacturer to ensure platform integration without aftermarket chassis changes.

GlobeNewswire
Nov 12th, 2025
Forterra Closes $238 Million Series C, Cementing Leadership in Autonomy and Interoperable Systems

Washington, D.C., Nov. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forterra, the company redefining autonomy and mission system interoperability for defense and...