VP, Mission Delivery

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

The VP Mission Delivery is accountable for the manufacturing and delivery of Forterra products and hardware/system integrations to customers . He/she is responsible for the Scope, Schedule, Budget, and Quality associated with fulfilling customer contracts (and internal customer support needs). He/she is ultimately responsible for all aspects of planning and manufacturing processes in accordance with The Forterra Way including—but not limited to—requirement specification, bill of material development, material procurement, manufacturing, commissioning, delivery, and customer acceptance. Additionally, this role is charged with defining the margin target for each project, developing and managing budgets, assessing and managing risk, monitoring non-conforming costs, and managing cash flow and revenue planning.

To meet or exceed customer expectations the VP Mission Delivery partners with VPs across all Forterra business segments and other cross-functional personnel prior to contract award to ensure a seamless transition from pre-sales to execution. This transition—completed in accordance with The Forterra Way (Business Management System) and—occurs no later than the Kickoff Gate of the Delivery Framework (Manufacturing Workflow). The VP Mission Delivery task organizes and leads multiple departments including Hardware Integration and Customer Success. The Mission Delivery Segment includes software engineers, mechanical engineers, manufacturing engineers, electrical engineers and designers, technicians, and various other subject matter experts that play important roles to ensure Forterra successfully delivers on contracts. He/she regularly reports on progress, financial health, risk management, schedule attainment, and quality metrics throughout the lifecycle of multiple projects and contracts. The VP Mission Delivery is a member of the Forterra Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and reports to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT).

Mission Delivery speedily integrates solutions for internal customers and delivers high-quality solutions at scale to our external customers. Mission Delivery drives all hardware integrations for internal customer prototype and test assets needs. In addition, we ensure our technology is operational in the field through our Customer Success team.

What You'll Do

• Responsible for all aspects of systems, engineering, and delivery of complex hardware-software integrated engineered solutions in support of programs and contracts
• Ultimately responsible for staffing, training, and manufacturing and service excellence.
• Contributes to and exemplifies process discipline codified in The Forterra Way (business and quality management system)
• Manages multiple departments and senior leaders, engineers, production technicians, and other technical and business resources to deliver successful implementations
• Develops employees; trains resources, plans and leads team members
• Confirms scope of contract and deliverables in close partnership with Growth and Finance
• Drives continuous improvement of all manufacturing, quality, financial, and risk processes
• Rigorously enforces all Quality and Safety standards
• Defines work breakdown structure (WBS), processes and workflows, and reporting structure to optimize team performance and progress while delivering
• Defines and implements engineering, efficiency, and productivity improvements
• Designs and manages technical standards; leads the development of project execution strategies
• Leads cross-functional efforts to develop tools sets and adopt new Forterra products and tools

Minimum Qualifications

• BS or advanced degree in Engineering or Business Administration or equivalent combination of education and experience that includes both engineering and business management.
• Minimum 10+ years of experience in automation and/or defense technology market
• Systems and engineering mindset - the ability to understand and assess technical concepts; identify system dependencies, interfaces, technical risks; and assess the impact of key architectural decisions with the engineering team.
• Mastery of project and operations management fundamentals related to managing Scope, Schedule, Budget, and Quality
• Candidates should be prepared to discuss specific techniques they prefer for managing schedules, assessing and managing risk, specifying requirements, and cost-controlling
• Candidates should be prepared to share specific experience managing Non-Conformance Costs throughout the lifecycle of a complex project
• Candidates should be prepared to share their experiences related to various accounting techniques; specifically Controlled Contract Method (CCM) and Percentage-of-Completion (POC) methods
• Candidates should be prepared to share their experience managing RFP processes and leading complex negotiations
• Understanding of the ground autonomy and defense contacting space including market drivers, trends, customer needs and sales processes
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving abilities with the ability to move seamlessly between tactical and the 30,000 ft level
• Experience coordinating multiple internal and external teams within a complex engineering or technology-focused organization
• Ability to sustain periods of heavy travel that includes domestic and international
• Familiarity with industry standard Quality Management Systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Project Management Certification from relevant standards-based organization such as PMI and/or Six Sigma
• Experience contributing to the development of business management systems or similar organizational level process governance
• Familiarity with Enterprise Resource Platform (ERP) systems
• Familiarity with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems
• Expert project management skills and familiarity with multiple project management disciplines and execution methodologies (eg. Agile, Design-Build, etc)
• Experience managing complex selection processes and leading negotiations.
• Understanding and proficiency across wide expanse of business functions including manufacturing, production, supply chain, capital projects, inventory management, shipping/receiving, and financial analysis, accounting, and reporting.
• Ability to teach, coach, and mentor junior resources.
• Excellent time-management skills.
• Ability to adapt approach/workflows to meet the needs of functional areas and leaders.
• Critical thinking skills and ability to turn intent into tangible action/results.

US Salary Range

$250,000 - $300,000

Benefits

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.