Technical Lead, HIL & Test Benches

About Forterra

Forterra is a leading provider of autonomous systems for ground-based movement in the working world. Amongst some of the earliest innovators in the field of driverless technology, Forterra is focused on building systems that protect front-line soldiers and enable civilian workers in our industrial base. Forterra is the go-to provider of ground autonomy solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense, which harnesses the technology for asymmetric warfare in critical conditions.

Forterra is seeking a Technical Lead responsible for leading the design, development, testing, and maintenance of Hardware-In-The-Loop and Test Bench hardware systems and software tools for autonomous off-road and on road applications in defense and commercial industries. This role demands expertise in hardware and software engineering, with a particular emphasis in Test Benches and HIL Set ups. Expertise with developing HIL and Test Benches for defense or commercial vehicle platforms is a must.

A team player who is passionate about the success of autonomy and hardware testing that is willing to engage meaningfully across the HIL team and other teams to ensure HIL and Test benches will successfully contribute to the success of our product deliveries.

• Lead the Design, development, and maintenance of HIL setups and Test Benches starting with customer interviews, building BOM and ordering parts, ensuring everything is built correctly, and ensuring the team meets requirements
• Identify internal customer technical needs for HILs and benches and design solutions to meet those needs
• Ensure >90% uptime of the benches based on routine maintenance and updates
• Lead and perform hands on development of tooling and testing software for HILs such as Lab View, custom scripting, web-based dashboards and similar
• Lead activities such as agile ceremonies, task updates, and team meetings
• Support the allocation and management of users for test benches and HIL setups
• Collaborate with engineers from other cross-functional groups such as systems, safety and test to ensure product and program level needs are met
• Support troubleshooting, integration, development, and fix of HIL and Test Benches
• Work on site to ensure Up time of all HILs and Test Benches including remote access
• Participate in cross-functional meetings to identify improvements and issues with the existing setups
• This is a hands‑on leadership role

• 5+ years of Experience in HIL or Test Bench development, maintenance, and design
• 3+ years in software development, such as scripting, using Lab View, or custom software development
• Experience with python, lua or other scripting languages
• Expertise in hardware integration and design
• Previous experience leading HIL or Test Bench development
• Experience with system engineering, understanding requirements and tracing them through tasks and ensuring completion according to exit criteria
• Expertise in troubleshooting hardware setups and ability to work with testing devices such as multimeters, etc.
• Experience with Linux as a primary OS
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills, with an ability to troubleshoot and resolve hardware issues
• Ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment, managing multiple tasks and priorities

• Experience with HIL or Test Benches in the automative or autonomy industries
• Strong understanding of autonomy including sensors, data processing, and network communication
• Experience with web development
• Experience with robotics including ROS
• Experience in UDP, TCP, and/or CAN Bus

US Salary Range
$170,000—$200,000/annually

Location:

Clarksburg, MD

• Premium Healthcare Benefits:
  Three plan options, including an HSA‑eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for you and your dependents.
• Basic Life/AD&D, short and long‑term disability insurance plans 100% covered by Forterra, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
• Competitive paid time off (PTO) offering 20 days accrued per year.
• A minimum of 7 weeks fully paid…