- Robot type
- Autonomous Vehicle · Defense
- Location
- ClarksburgMarylandUSA
- Job type
- Manufacturing
- Posted
- Feb 17, 2026
- Salary
- $110,000–$140,000 a year
Full-time
Senior System Test Engineer
Job description
Forterra builds autonomous ground systems that operate in the real world: industrial sites, logistics yards, and contested environments. Our systems must work every time, under uncertainty, and with real consequences. The Product Validation team exists to answer one question: “Is this system safe, reliable, and ready for real-world missions?” We validate autonomous vehicles across simulation, hardware in the loop benches, and live vehicle testing to reduce risk, expose failure modes early, and ensure mission success for both commercial and DoD customers.
Job responsibilities
- Own vehicle-level test strategy for autonomy features and safety-critical functions
- Translate system requirements and user journeys into structured test plans and scenario matrices
- Identify operational edge cases and risk-driven test permutations
- Design and source custom test interfaces, instrumentation, and tooling as needed
- Execute and oversee testing across simulation, benches, and real vehicles
- Analyze results, perform root cause analysis, and clearly communicate risk and readiness
- Write scripts and tools to monitor metrics, automate checks, and accelerate debugging
- Partner with Systems, Software, Hardware, and Safety to define V&V strategy
Job requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field
- 5+ years of experience in system test, validation, integration, or V&V roles
- Hands-on experience testing, troubleshooting hardware or software systems
- Customer-focused mindset and sense of quality
- Proven experience designing and executing system-level tests
- Experience analyzing complex failures across hardware, software, and integration boundaries
- Working knowledge of autonomous or complex cyber-physical systems
- Candidate should be a flexible team player with good oral and written communication skills, and able to work effectively in a very fast-paced environment with team members from many different disciplines