Product Manager

Job description

About the role Our autonomous vehicle (AV) platform and hardware product ecosystem are delivering real value to real customers today. As a Product team, our mission is to ensure we're solving the right needs, in the right order, to the right scope. Product Managers own outcomes across engineering teams, translating the broader product vision into decisions that hold up in the field. As the Product Manager for our software product releases, you'll own the cross-functional core product baseline that every Forterra program builds on. You will shepherd what goes into each release across autonomy software, tactical communications, data platform, edge compute hardware, and third-party firmware. Each product sub-team is responsible for delivering a quality, tested, validated product into the Forterra ecosystem--you glue them together, watch for interdependencies, define user-centric tests, and evaluate our products from the perspective of the customer. Acting as the "glue" between engineering, growth, and executives, you answer the question daily: are we building the right things, in the right order, with the right characteristics? This role requires a seasoned PM who can operate at multiple levels — zooming out to understand customer goals and roadmap alignment, and zooming in to interrogate a test result, a firmware version, or a field failure. You will own the release contents and the release cadence, define what "supported" means, and ensure cross-functional stakeholders are aligned along the way. You must be proactive, detail-oriented, and fluent in both product thinking and technical execution. This role has broad accountability and narrow formal authority. It works because the person doing it is right, in public, repeatedly. What you'll do Own the Release: Define what a supported baseline means, what's in it, and when it ships. Establish and enforce the criteria for inclusion — stability, value, resourcing, and risk. Shepherd the "In/Out" Call: Evaluate every candidate product and revision against the inclusion criteria. Guide the decision, document the tradeoffs, and communicate under pressure from programs, engineering, and leadership. Drive Alignment: Create the artifacts — compatibility matrices, diagrams, decision records — that let programs, engineering, and leadership act on the same picture without you in the room. Set the Bar: Make mole-hills out of mountains. Keep teams focused, in sync, and focused on the same customer outcomes through calm indirect leadership. Communicate Proactively: Keep engineering, product leadership, growth, and other stakeholders informed. Share progress, flag issues, and raise tradeoffs early. Measure Release Health: Define the metrics that tell us whether the baseline is actually stable — in the lab and in the field — and use them to drive the next release. Own the Baseline of Record: Maintain the configuration documentation — versions, compatibility, release notes, and dependencies — across hardware, firmware, and software, including COTS components we buy rather than build. Escalate When Needed: Raise scope, timeline, and resourcing risks to Product Leadership early enough to act on. Make the Baseline Visible: Ensure the organization knows what is released, what is supported, and what it enables — including demonstrating it to the company and to customers. Minimum Qualifications 5–8+ years of product management experience, ideally on defense products. You’re comfortable operating at both strategic and tactical levels—able to align with business goals and get specific with technical teams. Strong product instincts—able to connect field needs and platform constraints to tactical engineering priorities. Experience owning a release, baseline, or integrated product across multiple engineering teams, where you made the call on what shipped. You’re technical enough to earn the trust of engineers, hold your own in brainstorming sessions, and ensure feasibility. Deep familiarity with product development in systems with high performance, safety, and robustness requirements. You communicate clearly across roles—from engineers to executives—and thrive in cross-functional environments. You are rigorous about execution and care deeply that what is being built works for the user in the real world. Up to 25% travel may be required to support field testing, customer deployments, and in-person workshops. Preference for hybrid candidates near Forterra’s core offices: Clarksburg, MD; or Arlington, VA. Preferred Qualifications Military background and/or Product Management experience with defense products. Background in autonomy, robotics, or software engineering. Experience in fast-paced or startup environments, especially building 0-to-1 products. Familiarity with Agile environments and tools like Jira. US Salary Range $145,000 - 165,000 Location Hybrid in Clarksburg, MD 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 . 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.