Senior Failure Analysis & Sustainment Engineer

Forterra • Clarksburg, MD

9d • Onsite

About The Position

Forterra is seeking a Technical Product Support Manager to serve as a central technical leader for the lifecycle support of our fielded products. In this role, you will oversee configuration management, sustainment planning, and obsolescence mitigation while working cross-functionally with engineering, supply chain, program teams, and field service. You’ll act as the go-to technical liaison for customers, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and ensure product readiness through hands-on problem-solving and operational support. This is a dynamic, fast-paced role based on-site at our Clarksburg, MD facility—ideal for a detail-oriented technical professional with at least 5 years of relevant experience and a strong background in engineering or related fields.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field (advanced degree a plus)
• 5+ years of experience in mechanical systems engineering, failure analysis, or reliability engineering
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting mechanical and electromechanical systems
• Strong root cause analysis skills and familiarity with structured problem-solving methods
• Experience working cross-functionally in product development or operations environments
• Highly self-directed, ownership-driven mindset
• Comfortable working hands-on with hardware and data
• Strong analytical and investigative instincts
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment
• Clear communicator who can bridge engineering and operations

Nice To Haves

• Experience with FRACAS systems and reliability data analysis
• Background in forensic engineering or failure investigation
• Familiarity with autonomous systems, robotics, or complex electromechanical products
• Experience with test design, validation, and qualification processes
• Working knowledge of electrical systems and diagnostics

Responsibilities

• Own and build failure analysis processes
• Establish, implement, and continuously improve processes for identifying, documenting, and quantifying failure modes
• Lead and manage FRACAS data workflows and ensure high-quality reliability data capture
• Translate failure data into actionable product and process improvements that enhance system uptime
• Lead investigations and root cause analysis (RCA)
• Drive discrepancy report investigations from intake through resolution
• Perform hands-on forensic analysis of failed components and systems
• Determine root cause using structured methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, fishbone, fault tree)
• Serve as technical authority for product failures
• Act as SME supporting refurbishment and inspection technicians
• Provide engineering guidance for troubleshooting, repair decisions, and escalation
• Interface with design, manufacturing, and reliability teams to close the loop on issues impacting mission-critical systems
• Work closely with product design, manufacturing, sustainment logistics, program teams, customer success, and reliability engineering
• Communicate findings clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Drive reliability and sustainment initiatives
• Identify trends and systemic issues across fielded systems
• Lead initiatives to improve product durability, maintainability, and lifecycle performance for mission-critical applications
• Support engineering changes and obsolescence management
• Source, test, qualify, and implement replacement parts
• Contribute to design updates driven by reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) objectives
• Enable predictive maintenance capabilities
• Analyze correlations between hardware failures and internal system data
• Develop frameworks for predictive failure modeling and condition-based maintenance to improve uptime

Benefits

• Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in all personnel practices.
• Forterra is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior