Dod System Safety Engineer

Description:

Forterra is a leading provider of autonomous ground systems, serving both defense and civilian applications. The company is at the forefront of driverless technology, developing systems that protect front-line soldiers and enable industrial workforce efficiency. Forterra is recognized as a go-to provider of ground autonomy solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense, especially in asymmetric warfare scenarios.

As a DoD System Safety Engineer, you will design, analyze, and implement safety strategies for autonomous vehicle systems used in defense applications. This role requires strong expertise in system safety, functional safety, embedded systems, and software safety, with a focus on MIL-STD-882E compliance. You will work cross-functionally to ensure safety is integrated from concept through implementation, providing technical leadership and guidance throughout the lifecycle of autonomous systems.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design safety into autonomous vehicle systems, focusing on defense applications using MIL-STD-882E standards.

• Define safety architecture, safety concepts, and derive requirements from safety analyses.

• Address non-standard, complex cross-functional challenges and drive solutions independently.

• Collaborate with engineering teams across the system lifecycle to ensure safety considerations are incorporated.

• Lead safety analysis activities, including FTA, PHA, FHA, SSHA, FMEA, and FMECA.

• Provide technical safety leadership on elements of significant scope and complexity.

• Communicate safety considerations and progress to executive teams, product, engineering, and testing teams.

• Develop and document Safety Assessment Reports (SAR), safety requirements, and risk mitigation strategies.

• Support test and evaluation planning, including Safety Releases and post-test analyses.

Qualifications:

• Minimum 8+ years of relevant experience in Systems Safety engineering.

• Strong expertise with MIL-STD-882E and safety-critical system design best practices.

• Technical knowledge of autonomous vehicles or similar robotic systems.

• Proficiency in systems engineering techniques, safety analysis tools (PHA, FMEA, HTS, SwCI), and embedded/automotive software.

• Experience with high-performance computing software and distributed systems architectures.

• Familiarity with requirements management tools such as Jama or DOORS.

• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across diverse teams.

• Flexible, adaptable mindset with problem-solving capabilities in novel situations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certification or experience with MIL-STD-882E, ISO 26262, ISO 21448, UL4600.

• Proven application of functional safety concepts to autonomous vehicles or high-performance computing.

• Programming or software skills in complex system domains.

• Knowledge of GPU-based software concepts and high-bandwidth data processing.

Education & Experience:

• Degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.

• Minimum 8+ years of experience in systems safety engineering.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Base Salary: $150000 - $220000 per year.

• Equity opportunities included in compensation package.

• Premium healthcare benefits (Forterra covers 80% of premiums for employees and dependents).

• Basic life/AD&D, short and long-term disability, legal & ID protection plans fully covered.

• 20 days PTO per year and 7 weeks fully paid parental leave.

• $9,000 annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.

• 401(k) retirement plan with company match up to 4%.

• Fully stocked beverage refrigerators and additional wellness perks.