Principal Software Engineer – Distributed Systems & Cloud-Native Platform (Java)

Caterpillar Inc.; Chennai District; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 5,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to design and evolve large-scale, distributed backend systems on a cloud-native stack. You will lead architecture decisions, drive performance, and remain hands-on building low-latency services in a Kubernetes environment.

In this senior role, you will mentor engineers, influence platform roadmaps, and collaborate across teams to deliver reliable, scalable solutions that power mission-critical platforms for our customers worldwide.

Qualifications

• 12+ years building and operating backend systems at scale.
• Strong expertise in Java, Spring Boot, and microservices.
• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes and Docker in production.
• Experience with PostgreSQL or similar databases.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build high-throughput, low-latency distributed systems.
• Lead end-to-end system design across services, data, and platform layers.
• Design for scale, resilience, fault tolerance, and operability.
• Build and operate containerized workloads on Kubernetes (production scale).
• Define and raise the bar on architecture, APIs, and engineering quality standards.
• Drive cross-team technical decisions and resolve complex system bottlenecks.
• Mentor senior engineers and act as a technical multiplier across teams.
• Influence platform roadmap, modernization, and developer productivity.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

Microservices

Kubernetes

Docker

PostgreSQL

Tools

Kafka

CI/CD pipelines

AWS/Azure

Job description

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.

Career Area

Engineering

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

We're seeking a Principal Software Engineer to build and evolve large-scale, distributed systems that power mission-critical platforms. This is a senior technical leadership role for engineers who thrive on solving hard, ambiguous problems at scale, and who can influence architecture across teams. You'll drive system design, scalability, and engineering excellence, while remaining deeply hands-on in building high-performance backend systems on a modern cloud-native stack.

What You'll Do

• Architect and build high-throughput, low-latency distributed systems using Java and microservices
• Lead end-to-end system design across services, data, and platform layers
• Design for scale, resilience, fault tolerance, and operability from first principles
• Build and operate containerized workloads on Kubernetes (multi-service, production scale)
• Define and raise the bar on architecture, APIs, and engineering quality standards
• Drive cross-team technical decisions and resolve complex system bottlenecks
• Mentor senior engineers and act as a technical multiplier across teams
• Influence platform roadmap, modernization, and developer productivity

Basic Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience building and operating backend systems at scale
• Strong expertise in Java, Spring Boot, Microservices, Distributed Systems
• Proven experience designing highly available, large-scale systems (traffic, data, or compute)
• Hands-on with Kubernetes and Docker in production environments
• Strong fundamentals in system design, concurrency, data modeling, and performance optimization
• Deep experience with PostgreSQL or similar databases

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with event-driven architectures (Kafka / streaming systems)
• Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS/Azure) and hybrid architectures
• Experience with observability, reliability engineering, and production operations
• Contributions to platform engineering, frameworks, or internal developer platforms
• Track record of influencing architecture across multiple teams or product

Tech Stack

Java | Spring Boot | Microservices | Kubernetes | Docker | PostgreSQL | CI/CD | Cloud (AWS/Azure)

Posting Dates

September 11, 2026 - September 24, 2026

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