Full-Time

Mission Operations Lead

Commercial

Updated on 9/12/2026

Forterra

Forterra

501-1,000 employees

Autonomous driving system for retrofitted vehicles

Compensation Overview

$125k - $175k/yr

No H1B Sponsorship

Clarksburg, MD, USA + 1 more

More locations: Arlington County, Arlington, VA, USA

In Person

Travel of at least 50% of the time is required.

US Top Secret Clearance Required

Bachelor's

Category
Project & Program Management (1)
Required Skills
Risk Management

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Requirements
  • Strong interest or experience working within the Department of Defense, government, defense technology industry, commercial logistics customers, or vehicle original equipment manufacturers.
  • Strong interpersonal skills to engage with business partners and customers.
  • Ability to set and achieve goals in an amorphous environment.
  • Broad knowledge of technology.
  • Ability to travel at least 50% of the time.
  • Eligibility to obtain and hold a United States Department of Defense security clearance.
Responsibilities
  • Develop and nurture customer and partner relationships to ensure autonomy-solution deployments support their missions.
  • Create and implement integrations and pilots with partners, determine engagement scope, and navigate internal processes to implement pilots.
  • Work directly with engineers to build products for clients’ operational needs.
  • Expand successful pilots into larger projects and convert pilot outcomes into roadmaps for sustained capabilities.
  • Identify customers whose problems can be solved by the technology and enable their understanding of its value.
  • Work hands-on with partners to navigate organizational, contracting, and budget pathways for pilots or projects.
  • Own end-to-end program execution, including customer requirements, integrated program plans, milestones, dependencies, success metrics, governance, execution reviews, scope, schedule, cost, risk, deployment, sustainment, and customer success.
  • Work with Engineering, Product, and Operations to shape viable solutions and ensure operational readiness and delivery.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience in a startup or similar fast-paced environment.
  • Experience selling to or working within the Department of Defense or commercial logistics industry.
  • An engineering or technical degree, or extensive enthusiasm for emerging technology.

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

$634M

Headquarters

Clarksburg, Maryland

Founded

2002

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • June 2026 ROGUE-Fires Block 2 awarded Forterra and Oshkosh $92 million.
  • Ukraine deployment logged 1,100 missions and 88 casualty evacuations by August 2026.
  • April 2026 MESA launch targets Army last-tactical-mile CASEVAC and logistics demand.

What critics are saying

  • Ukraine operators still teleoperate Lancers; July 2026 autonomy cannot track threats independently.
  • Forterra depends on Pentagon programs; losing ROGUE-Fires or Sandhills crushes revenue.
  • A lethal battlefield failure could halt procurement and destroy Forterra's autonomy credibility.

What makes Forterra unique

  • Forterra fielded 105 Lancer vehicles in Ukraine by July 2026.
  • MESA uses Polaris OEM integration, avoiding aftermarket chassis modifications.
  • goTenna acquisition added resilient mesh networking for contested, disconnected environments.

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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

1%

2 year growth

0%
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.

Bloomberg Law
Nov 12th, 2025
Forterra Raises $238M, Hits $1B Valuation

Forterra, a startup specializing in autonomous military vehicle technology, has raised $238 million in a new funding round, boosting its valuation to over $1 billion. The funding, which includes $50 million in debt, was led by Moore Strategic Ventures. The investment will accelerate the production of Forterra's versatile military vehicles, capable of operating individually or in swarms for tasks like surveillance and transporting missiles and AI-supporting hardware.

Bloomberg
Nov 12th, 2025
Autonomous Military Vehicle Startup Notches Over $1 Billion Valuation in New Deal

Moore Strategic Ventures, Franklin Templeton and others have invested $238 million in Forterra.

Citybiz
Oct 9th, 2025
Forterra Acquires goTenna Networking Solutions

Forterra, a leader in autonomous mission systems, has announced its acquisition of goTenna, a pioneer in tactical mesh networking solutions.