C++ Software Engineer, Distributed Systems Forterra - Palo Alto, CA, US

C++ Software Engineer, Distributed Systems

Palo Alto, CA, US

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

About the role

Fabric is Forterra's distributed systems platform for registering, discovering, and replicating mission critical data across dynamic mesh network topologies. Fabric enables interoperability between autonomous vehicles, operators, services, and partner systems across unreliable, bandwidth-constrained networks. It is foundational infrastructure used by multiple internal teams and external integrators, and it directly impacts system scalability, reliability, and operational success for Forterra.

About this job

We are seeking a Senior/Staff Software Engineer to help design and build Fabric, Forterra's core distributed systems platform. This role is ideal for a senior engineer who thrives in ambiguous problem spaces, enjoys building foundational infrastructure, and has deep experience with modern C++ and distributed systems.

As a Staff Engineer, you will operate at a system-wide level: shaping architecture, setting technical direction, and delivering high-impact features. You will work closely with platform, autonomy, networking, and application teams to ensure Fabric scales across products, teams, and deployment environments.

This is a hands-on technical role with significant architectural ownership and cross-team influence.

What you'll do

• Lead the design and implementation of core Fabric services and libraries in modern C++
• Architect distributed systems that operate reliably over low-bandwidth, high-latency, and unreliable networks
• Design APIs and abstractions that enable teams to register, serialize, replicate, and query arbitrary data types
• Define and evolve patterns for discovery, addressing, routing, and replication across fixed and dynamic topologies
• Build and maintain high-performance messaging, transport, and synchronization layers
• Drive decisions around consistency models, reliability guarantees, and failure handling
• Collaborate with partner teams (autonomy, TerraLink, ATAK, web, and external integrators) to ensure Fabric meets real-world requirements
• Establish best practices for correctness, performance, observability, and maintainability
• Contribute to long-term technical strategy, roadmap planning, and architectural reviews
• Document designs clearly for both engineering and integration audiences

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience
• Expert-level proficiency in modern C++ (C++17 or later)
• Experience with publish/subscribe or message-oriented middlewares (e.g., gRPC, DDS, ZeroMQ, MQTT, custom transports)
• Strong testing fundamentals and experience developing automated tests in C++ using GoogleTest, Boost.Test, or similar frameworks (unit, integration, regression).
• Familiar with best practices such as test case design, edge-case coverage, mocking/stubbing, and maintaining reliable CI-friendly test suites.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems fundamentals, including:
• Replication and consistency models
• Leader election and coordination
• Failure detection and recovery
• Concurrency and synchronization
• Experience building or operating production distributed systems
• Deep familiarity with Linux-based development and deployment environments
• Proven ability to lead technical projects from concept through production
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex systems clearly

Preferred Qualifications

• Networking expertise, including unicast/multicast, routing, and constrained or unreliable links
• Experience building systems for edge environments, robotics, or embedded platforms
• Familiarity with real-time or near-real-time systems
• Familiarity with consensus protocols (e.g., Raft, Paxos, or variants)
• Experience with CMake, Conan, Bazel, or similar build systems
• Exposure to observability tools (logging, metrics, tracing) in distributed systems
• Background in defense, automotive, robotics, or safety-critical software

US Salary Range $130,000 - $165,000

Location

Palo Alto, CA

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.

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.