Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Forterra develops autonomous systems and mission platforms for battlefield and industrial applications. The Growth Lead will own an Army Fires portfolio, developing customer strategy, building pipeline, shaping requirements, leading capture activities, and transitioning opportunities into funded programs and scalable fielding.
Responsibilities
- 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
Skills
- 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
- 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
- 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
Benefits
- Equity in Forterra is included in most full-time, high-demand roles.
- Three premium healthcare plan options, including an HSA-eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for employees and their 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 employees and their dependents.
- Company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
- 20 days of paid time off 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 Celsius.
- 401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral, with company match up to 4%.
Company Overview