Director Software Engineering

Caterpillar Brazil; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Director Software Engineering – Data, Analytics and AI to lead strategic engineering initiatives across digital platforms including data ecosystems, analytics and AI-driven products.

Based in India, you will oversee data pipelines, Snowflake workloads, and production AI/ML capabilities, aligning with global priorities and delivering scalable, trusted business insights. You will lead a large India engineering organization, partner with global leaders, and drive

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS or related field and 15+ years software leadership.
• Experience leading enterprise-scale data & AI platforms in global teams.
• Strong cloud-native architecture and secure coding practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead India Engineering Organization across Data Platform, Data Engineering, Analytics and AI.
• Partner with global Product, Architecture, Security and Engineering leaders across time zones.
• Ensure CI/CD, DevOps, automated testing, observability and secure coding.
• Oversee Snowflake workloads, data lake governance and cost management.
• Drive ML/GenAI pipelines, lifecycle governance and model monitoring.
• Promote platform reliability, security and cost optimization.

Skills

Leadership

Cloud architecture

Data engineering

AI / GenAI

Python

SQL

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field

Tools

Snowflake

Spark

Kafka

Airflow

Dagster

AWS/Azure/GCP

Job description

Career Area: Technology, Digital and Data Job Description: Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Role Summary

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Director Software Engineering – Data, Analytics and AI to lead strategic engineering initiatives across digital platforms which include enterprise & telematics data ecosystems, advanced analytics, and AI‑driven products that support Caterpillar’s connected equipment, customer experience, and operational excellence goals, with a strong emphasis on translating data and analytics into scalable, decision enabling capabilities for the business. Based in India, this role reports to the in-region (India & China) leader for the Cat Digital division, and oversees teams responsible for building and scaling cloud‑native applications, data platforms, and production AI/ML (including GenAI) capabilities spanning data pipelines, quality, lineage, bias controls, and the full model lifecycle from development and deployment through monitoring, retraining, and retirement, as well as analytics solutions such as curated datasets, metrics layers, dashboards, and insight products that enable consistent, trusted business decision‑making.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership of India Engineering Organization - Build, scale, and lead high-performing engineering teams in India across Data Platform, Data Engineering, Data Solutioning, Analytics, and AI/GenAI. Foster a culture of innovation, ownership, collaboration, and engineering excellence. Attract, grow, and retain top-tier engineering talent, building strong succession pipelines. Provide hands‑on technical leadership, architectural oversight, and mentorship.
• Global Collaboration & Delivery - Partner with global Product, Architecture, Security, and Engineering leaders to deliver digital products aligned with Cat Digital’s priorities. Operate across time zones, ensuring seamless integration and delivery with U.S. and global teams. Drive clarity, alignment, and communication across global initiatives and roadmaps.
• Product Engineering & Delivery Excellence - Accountable delivery of data‑centric digital products, platforms, APIs, and ML/GenAI solutions. Ensure robust software engineering practices—CI/CD, DevOps, automated testing, observability, and secure coding. Drive adoption of platform operating models, reusable components, and engineering standards across teams.
• Data Solutioning, Data Engineering and Data Lake - Snowflake - Architect and evolve scalable data platforms supporting telematics, IoT, asset health, services, and analytics use cases. Lead engineering for Snowflake workloads—data lake zones, optimization, ingestion frameworks (Snowpipe), governance, and cost management. Implement modern data architectures including Lakehouse, streaming data, and domain‑oriented data products. Oversee development of enterprise‑grade data pipelines across batch and streaming using Spark, Kafka, Airflow, and cloud‑native tools. Establish DataOps best practices, including data quality automation, versioned pipelines, and pipeline observability. Ensure data products are reliable, secure, well‑modeled, and meet business SLAs.
• Analytics, Insights & Digital Enablement - Enable scalable analytics capabilities supporting Caterpillar’s digital services and internal business operations. Drive adoption of governed, self‑service analytics and semantic models for global teams. Partner with BI and analytics teams to deliver high‑value KPIs, dashboards, and insights.
• AI/ML & GenAI - Lead development of ML/AI pipelines—including model training, inference, feature stores, monitoring, and lifecycle governance. Drive GenAI innovation across Cat Digital products: RAG‑based solutions Vector databases Agentic workflows LLM integration for customer and dealer‑facing products Champion Responsible AI practices, governance, and risk frameworks.
• Operational Excellence & Compliance - Ensure platform reliability, scalability, and security, in alignment with Caterpillar’s global policies. Drive cost optimization across cloud and Snowflake workloads. Implement robust data governance, security controls, regulatory compliance (GDPR, CCPA), and data stewardship.
• Leadership & Strategy Provide clear, inspiring leadership and strategic direction for engineering teams delivering Data, Analytics, and AI solutions at enterprise scale, shaping how AI‑driven capabilities are built and adopted. Translate enterprise vision and product strategy into clear engineering priorities, roadmaps, and measurable outcomes, balancing long‑term platform thinking with near‑term business impact. Lead teams confidently through change, complexity, and transformation, aligning stakeholders and teams while maintaining a relentless focus on quality, reliability, and customer value. Act as a thought partner to senior leaders on how AI and data engineering can unlock new business value and operational efficiencies.
• Engineering Excellence Drive a culture of engineering excellence, accountability, and predictable execution across multiple, globally distributed teams. Continuously raise the bar on delivery quality, reliability, and operational maturity, ensuring teams are equipped to scale responsibly as AI and data adoption grows. Promote disciplined execution while encouraging innovation and continuous improvement.
• People & Culture Build, mentor, and inspire a strong cadre of engineering leaders, serving as a developer of talent and future leaders within the organization. Create and sustain a culture grounded in ownership, trust, inclusion, and continuous learning, where teams are empowered to take initiative and deliver outcomes. Lead by example with integrity, transparency, and professionalism, earning trust across teams and stakeholders.
• Collaboration & Influence Partner closely with Product, Architecture, Data Science, and Business leaders across regions to drive alignment and shared ownership of outcomes. Communicate with clarity and confidence at the executive level, articulating priorities, risks, trade‑offs, and progress in complex environments. Represent the India engineering organization with strong executive presence, influencing strategy and decisions in global forums.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, with 15+ years of software engineering experience and significant leadership across platform, data, analytics, and AI systems.
• Proven experience leading multiple engineering teams delivering enterprise‑scale digital platforms within large, global or multi‑regional organizations.
• Strong foundation in cloud‑native architectures, data engineering, and modern software design, with experience operating and scaling complex systems.
• Experience in industrial, manufacturing, automotive, IoT, or connected‑equipment environments, including exposure to telemetry, edge computing, digital twins, or predictive maintenance solutions.
• Demonstrated experience leading AI, ML, or GenAI engineering capabilities at enterprise scale, including close partnership with Data Science, Product, and Architecture teams.
• Demonstrated leadership in modern engineering operating models, including Agile transformation and product‑centric ways of working, with exposure to large‑scale data and AI ecosystems.
• Proven success leading large‑scale engineering teams in India, with global delivery responsibilities.
• Deep technical expertise in: Cloud‑based data platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP) Snowflake (warehouse + data lake), Spark, Kafka Orchestration tools (Airflow, Dagster) Data modeling, data lake/lakehouse architectures Python, SQL, and distributed systems Strong experience building digital products in a global environment. Experience operationalizing AI/ML and GenAI systems at scale. Strong communication, cross‑cultural collaboration, and executive stakeholder management.

Leadership Expectations

• Strategic & Engineering Leadership Demonstrates strong engineering judgment across complex and interdependent technology domains, with the ability to integrate multiple horizontal capabilities into cohesive, outcome‑driven strategies. Connects technology strategy to enterprise goals, ensuring engineering decisions are aligned with business priorities and long‑term value creation. Acts as a trusted thought partner to senior leaders on transformation, modernization, and execution at scale. Recognized as a strong developer of leaders and talent, building sustainable leadership pipelines and high‑performing teams.
• Execution & Change Leadership Leads organizations through change, ambiguity, and transformation, maintaining clarity, focus, and delivery discipline. Earns credibility through consistent execution, sound decision‑making, and a strong sense of ownership for outcomes. Operates effectively under uncertainty, adapting quickly while keeping teams aligned and progressing.
• Stakeholder Influence & Communication Builds strong, trust‑based relationships with stakeholders across the organization through emotional intelligence and clear, persuasive communication. Communicates complex ideas with clarity, articulating priorities, risks, trade‑offs, and recommendations effectively. Creates a strong sense of purpose and shared ownership, inspiring followership and alignment beyond direct authority.
• Decision‑Making & Judgment Makes thoughtful, data‑informed decisions by evaluating alternatives, engaging stakeholders, and anticipating second‑order impacts.
• Coaching and Developing others in structured decision‑making and problem‑solving approaches.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.

There’s more to work at Caterpillar than just the work itself. We hire smart, friendly people and it shows in our culture. We hold ourselves to high standards and make sure our values of integrity, excellence, teamwork, commitment and sustainability come to life in the way we work. We make sure our employees feel continuously challenged while also supported. We provide professional growth opportunities, including leadership programs. We celebrate the diversity of our team, while also working together as one Caterpillar. Our culture, like everything at our company, is made possible by each employee’s contribution. Person by person, we create the environment we work in, and we are proud of the Caterpillar we’ve built.