Growth Lead- Army Fires

About Forterra
At Forterra, we are unleashing autonomy at scale to transform the battlefield. Our mission is to build the foundational platforms that enable an intelligent ecosystem to coordinate, adapt, and execute with speed and precision even in the uncertainty and disruption of modern conflict. In an era marked by rapid technological change and evolving threats, we design for flexibility, survivability, and operational dominance.

Forterra delivers weapons, sensors, and battlefield effects through integrated autonomous networks reaching operational areas faster, safer, and without placing human lives at risk. Our systems operate with distributed control, dynamic routing, and real-time responsiveness, enabling sustained advantage across complex mission environments.

About the role

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 autonomous mission systems for the U.S. Department of War, providing advantage

to the warfighter in all environments

We are hiring Growth Leads to own portfolios at the intersection of autonomous mission systems and the

Army’s most pressing capability gaps. These are portfolio-owning growth roles, not just account

management. You will own the customer strategy, build the pipeline, and personally lea the work of

capture; from shaping an operational need into a requirement, through award, and into execution.

We are filling two portfolios, and you should apply to the one that matches your background:

• Army Autonomous Multi-domain Fires: Growth, capture, and customer strategy for autonomous ground systems supporting Army Fires and multi-domain effects: long-range fires, launchers, mobility, targeting, fires networks and distributed autonomous systems.
• Autonomous Air Defense & C-UAS: Growth, capture, and customer strategy for autonomous ground systems supporting Army Air Defense, counter-UAS, and integrated air and missile defense—where autonomous mobility, sensing, C2, and effectors improve survivability, dispersion, responsiveness, and capacity.

Both portfolios sit in the Huntsville acquisition ecosystem and will also require regular engagement at Fort

Sill. Alignment with the engineering leadership team will also require roughly monthly travel to Washington,

DC area. What they share is the core of the job: you are the person who understands the customer’s

tactical problem, understands how the Army actually funds and fields a solution to it, and can carry an

opportunity from first conversation to contract.

This role suits someone who has lived inside the Army Fires operational or acquisition system and wants

commercial ownership—or someone who has already made that jump and wants a bigger portfolio at a

company whose technology is already fielded and scaling

What you'll do

• Own the portfolio: Carry the growth number for your portfolio. Build and personally drive a pipeline rather than waiting on inbound requirements and own the plan for how that pipeline converts and expands.
• Shape demand: Work with operators, requirements owners, capability developers, and program offices to shape requirements and build customer trust before a requirement or solicitation is released so that when it is, Forterra is positioned to win it.
• Run capture: Build capture strategies and stakeholder maps, drive customer engagement plans and competitive positioning, and work proposals, solution development, pricing inputs, and win themes. This is both independent contributor capture work and leadership of a cross functional capture team to b else doing it.
• Translate the problem: Meet with operators, understand the tactical and operational problems, and translate it into an acquisition and capture strategy. Then engage program managers or senior stakeholders with enough technical and programmatic depth to shape a real opportunity.
• Work with the technical teams: Partner with engineering, product, and program management to turn technical capability into a credible Army solution—identifying where autonomous ground systems create differentiated value inside a broader fires or air defense architecture, rather than positioning autonomy as a standalone capability.
• Drive the transition: Move opportunities from experimentation and rapid prototyping into programs of record, production, and scalable fielding—and hand off cleanly to the teams who execute.
• Build the business line: As you hit growth milestones, stand up new business areas and grow the team supporting continued expansion across your portfolio.

What We're Looking For:

• 10–20 years of relevant experience across Army operations, requirements, acquisition, program offices, or the defense industry
• Deep familiarity with Army capabilities, organizations, requirements processes, acquisition pathways, experimentation, testing, and funding—and how a program moves from operational need to funded program
• Demonstrated willingness to personally drive capture: shaping, stakeholder mapping, competitive positioning, proposals, and close
• Technical fluency sufficient to engage credibly on autonomy, robotics, vehicle platforms, command and control, sensors, effectors, networking, and system integration. You do not need to be an engineer, but you do need to work effectively with engineering and product teams
• The credibility and seniority to represent Forterra independently with senior Army customers
• A strong sense of urgency and ownership, and comfort driving outcomes in ambiguous, fast-changing settings
• Based in or willing to relocate to Huntsville, AL (Fort Sill, OK also considered), with frequent Huntsville engagement and travel to Washington, DC roughly monthly
• Must be eligible to obtain and hold a U.S. DoW security clearance

Minimum Qualifications

• Field Artillery, Army Fires, long-range precision fires, or closely adjacent operational experience
• Acquisition, requirements, capability development, or program office experience supporting Fires, launchers, missiles, or autonomous platforms
• Familiarity with Fort Sill, the Fires Center of Excellence, Army Futures Command, PEO/PM organizations, and the Huntsville acquisition ecosystem
• Understanding of how mobility, autonomy, launchers, C2, targeting, communications, and effectors come together as an integrated fires architecture
• Air Defense Artillery, integrated air and missile defense, counter-UAS, or closely adjacent operational experience
• Acquisition, requirements, capability development, or program office experience supporting Air Defense, C-UAS, sensors, effectors, launchers, or C2 systems
• Strong familiarity with the Huntsville air and missile defense ecosystem and the Army organizations shaping Air Defense and C-UAS requirements, acquisition, testing, and fielding
• Understanding of layered air defense architectures, sensor-to-shooter integration, distributed effectors, autonomous mobility, and the survivability problem posed by modern UAS and missile threats
• Ability to work remotely with up to 50% travel

Preferred Qualifications

• An existing network across Huntsville and Fort Sill—particularly in the acquisition, requirements, operational, test, and industry communities relevant to Fires and Air Defense
• Private-sector experience in BD, growth, go-to-market, capture, program management, product, or portfolio leadership—especially at a high-growth defense technology company
• Experience on both sides of the table: time within Army operational or acquisition communities, followed by industry
• Engineering or technical degree—or you nerd out hard on emerging tech

 The salary range for this role is an estimate and is based on a wide variety of compensation factors. The salary offered to candidates will vary based on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) relevant work experience, education, specialized training, critical expertise, training, and more. Equity in Forterra is included in most of our full-time, high-demand roles and is therefore considered part of Forterra’s overall compensation package. In addition to base salary and equity, Forterra offers competitive benefits for full-time employees including:

• 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 parental leave for birth/adoption. 
• A $9k annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
• Fully stocked beverage refrigerators with all the Celsius your little heart desires. 
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral with company match up to 4%.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about our salary and benefits offering during the hiring process.

CLEARANCE ELIGIBILITY - This position may require eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. For more information about U.S. Security Clearances: click here.   

Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in all personnel practices. Forterrans are unique, talented individuals who are united through a shared passion to deliver autonomous systems that enable national resilience and a robust supply chain.  

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any factor, including veteran and disability status, and criminal history, in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws.

Forterra is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.

To see Forterra’s candidate data privacy policy, please visit Forterra Legal | Job Applicant Privacy Notice.