Principal Agentic Robotics Architect

Caterpillar Inc; Irving (TX); On-site; USD 148,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) savings plans

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid time off

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking an Agentic Robotics Architect/Principal Digital Architect to define planning, task decomposition, tool usage, memory, and deliberative reasoning for autonomous machines.

You will shape agentic patterns, interfaces, and connections to VLA and behavior generation within robotics and AI domains. You will drive architecture that lets machines plan, decide, and execute complex jobs, collaborating with teams across engineering, data science, and cloud platforms at

Qualifications

• Experience architecting planning, task decomposition, and deliberative reasoning systems for robotics, autonomy, or agentic AI.
• Knowledge of AI/ML and robotics with software architecture experience.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to mentor and influence across teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop detailed architecture deliverables to solve business problems.
• Design the application's technical infrastructure, including databases, languages, utilities, and testing approaches.
• Lead evaluation and deployment of new technologies to enhance digital capabilities.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into digital solutions.

Skills

Agentic systems planning

Tool use & orchestration

Memory & state management

VLA integration

Strategic architecture leadership

Communication & mentoring

Tools

Public cloud

CI/CD pipelines

Robotics/AI frameworks

Edge computing

Job description

Career Area:

Technology, Digital and Data

Job Description:

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.

Help Build the Future of Caterpillar -

At Caterpillar, technology always has a purpose, which is to solve our customers' toughest challenges. Through Cat Technology, we are solving problems by building the intelligence layer that connects machines, data, and people to make jobsites safer, more productive, and more sustainable. By combining deep domain expertise in physical systems with software, connectivity, autonomy, and AI, we deliver solutions that work in the real world-on real jobsites, at global scale.

You'll build and deploy against one of the most unique data foundations-over 1.6 million connected assets generating real-world data daily. These data and platform capabilities are enabling the development of AI models, edge computing architectures, and software systems that scale across fleets, products, and industries. The result will be a new generation of machines that continuously learn, improve, and deliver performance at scale.

Be Part of What's Next in Autonomous Construction Sites

Construction autonomy is one of the most complex challenges in applied AI, and at Caterpillar, advancements in physical AI, simulation, sensing, and edge computing are turning things that once felt impossible-intelligent machines operating in dynamic jobsites-into reality.

Our connected ecosystem brings together massive volumes of high-quality data to create a foundation where engineers like you can build and deploy against.

If this work motivates you, we invite you to join our team. In these roles, you'll work at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. You'll help design and deliver intelligent systems that enable machines to perceive their environment, make informed decisions, and support safer, more productive operations.

Job Summary:

The Agentic Robotics Architect owns how machines plan and orchestrate multi-step work - the agentic layer of planning, task decomposition, tool use, memory, and deliberative reasoning.

The Principal Digital Architect for Agentic Robotics is responsible for the architecture that lets autonomous machines break goals into tasks, choose and use tools and capabilities, maintain memory and context, and reason deliberatively to complete complex jobs. Squarely within Robotics - reasoning, planning, VLA, and behavior generation - this role defines the agentic patterns, the planning and decision interfaces, and the memory and state approach, and connects them to VLA and behavior generation.

Bottom line, you are the architecture that lets machines plan, decide, and get complex jobs done.

What You Will Do:

• Developing detailed architecture deliverables to solve business problems.
• Designing an application's technical infrastructure, such as specific databases, programming languages, utilities, and testing approaches.
• Leading the evaluation and deployment of new technologies to add or enhance existing digital technical capabilities.
• Participating in addressing business requirements for applications and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver digital solutions that meets business results.

What You Will Have:

• ANALYTICAL THINKING: Knowledge of techniques and tools that promote effective analysis; ability to determine the root cause of organizational problems and create alternative solutions that resolve these problems.
• APPLICATION DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE: Knowledge of application design and architecture principles and practices; ability to utilize application design methodologies, tools, and techniques to convert business requirements and logical models into a technical application design.
• PLATFORM ARCHITECTURE: Knowledge of technologies and methods to design processing mechanisms and roadmaps to execute business application systems; ability to design these roadmaps and deploy supportive interfaces for end-users to access related systems, in accordance with standards and processes.
• REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS: Knowledge of tools, methods, and techniques of requirement analysis; ability to elicit, analyze and record required business functionality and non-functionality requirements to ensure the success of a system or software development project.
• TARGET ARCHITECTURE: Knowledge of target architecture; ability to develop the IT blueprint and roadmap while aligning the architecture and processes with business strategies and objectives.

Top Candidates Will Have:

• AGENTIC SYSTEMS & PLANNING - Experience architecting planning, task decomposition, and deliberative reasoning systems for robotics, autonomy, or agentic AI.
• TOOL USE & ORCHESTRATION - Experience with agent architectures that select and orchestrate tools and capabilities to accomplish multi-step goals.
• MEMORY & STATE - Understanding of memory, context, and state management for long-horizon tasks.
• INTEGRATION WITH VLA & BEHAVIOR - Ability to connect agentic planning to learned policies (VLA) and behavior generation.
• STRATEGIC ARCHITECTURE LEADERSHIP - Ability to influence senior leaders, define architectural roadmaps, establish standards and patterns, govern technology decisions, and provide technical direction across multiple engineering organizations without direct authority.
• Progressive career in software engineering and architecture with a focus on AI/ML and robotics (senior or principal level).
• Strong understanding of Agile SDLC implementation in public cloud eco-system including environments management, test automation, peer review, CI/CD, resource optimization, etc.
• Excellent communication skills and be able to deal with sensitive issues, mentor and coach and/or persuade others on new technologies, new applications, or potential solutions.

Additional Details:

• This position requires the candidate to work full-time at the Irving, TX office (Dallas)
• Domestic relocation assistance is available for this position.
• Visa sponsorship is NOT available with this position.

Summary Pay Range:

$147,760.00 - $240,110.00

Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, job level, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, individual performance and experience. Please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Caterpillar.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits*
• Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)*
• 401(k) savings plans*
• Health Savings Account (HSA)*
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*
• Health Lifestyle Programs*
• Employee Assistance Program*
• Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts*
• Career Development*
• Incentive bonus*
• Disability benefits
• Life Insurance
• Parental leave
• Adoption benefits
• Tuition Reimbursement

* These benefits also apply to part-time employees

Posting Dates:

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.