Senior Android ATAK Engineer

Forterra•East Palo Alto, CA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Forterra is seeking a Senior or Staff Android ATAK Engineer to support the development of tactical command-and-control capabilities for our fleet of autonomous wheeled ground vehicles. In this role, you’ll be at the forefront of building and deploying advanced ATAK plugins that connect Forterra’s autonomy capabilities to the tactical edge. You’ll be responsible for contributing to the architecture, development, and integration of Forterra’s ATAK based Tactical C2 node—delivering robust, user-friendly mission software to operators in the field. This includes designing and documenting extensible APIs in Java/Kotlin, interfacing with native C++ and C components, and enabling secure, performant communications over degraded networks. You’ll join a tight-knit cross-functional team that spans UI/UX, autonomy, networking, and vehicle software. The work you do will directly shape how soldiers interact with Forterra’s cutting-edge technology—and will have a measurable impact on mission success.

Requirements

Mission-First Mindset: A deep commitment to enabling national resilience and operational advantage through technical excellence.
Ownership Mentality: A bias toward action and accountability, with a willingness to identify and solve the hardest problems.
Structured Problem Solving: Ability to break down complexity, drive toward clarity, and execute against a plan.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Comfort operating in a non-hierarchical matrix environment, leading through influence and collaboration.
Deep expertise in Java and Android-based ATAK plugin development.
Experience with SQL databases.
Experience with Android Jetpack and Material UI libraries.
Familiarity with C++ and/or C codebases, particularly in embedded or mobile contexts.
Experience with JNI development and implementation.
Strong understanding of Linux development environments, networking protocols, and distributed systems.
Demonstrated ability to operate autonomously and lead efforts from design through deployment.
Bachelor Degree in Computer Science (or similar field), or equivalent work experience.
7+ years of software engineering experience, with 2+ years specifically focused on ATAK plugin development.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience integrating with TAK Server, tactical radios, or defense-grade networking systems.
Familiarity with build systems (e.g., CMake), package managers (e.g.,Conan), and Git workflows.
Background in defense, robotics, or autonomous vehicle domains.
Strong systems thinking, debugging skills, and the ability to operate effectively in field environments.
Experience with gRPC and protobuf.
Experience with designing APIs and handling data transfer over low-bandwidth, high-latency networks.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the design, implementation, and maintenance of Forterra’s tactical C2 capability through ATAK plugin development in Java/Kotlin for the Android platform.
Architect and evolve the remote C2 system connecting Forterra platforms to ATAK and partner interfaces across commercial and DoD use cases.
Drive API design and data modeling across systems to ensure reliability, flexibility, and performance.
Collaborate with autonomy and networking engineers to enable robust communication under constrained and adversarial conditions.
Guide development of intuitive user experiences that support situational awareness, health monitoring, and direct platform control.
Contribute to and review code across multiple languages (Java, Kotlin, C++, C) as needed for integration and performance.
Contribute to documentation, field validation, and integration efforts with third-party platforms and government systems.
Support a culture of engineering excellence through mentorship, design reviews, and quality-first development practices.

Benefits

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%.

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