Principal Engineer, Agentic AI & Simulation Automation

Caterpillar; Irving (TX); On-site; USD 159,000 - 259,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Paid time off

401(k) savings plans

Relocation assistance

Visa sponsorship

Job summary

Caterpillar in Irving, TX, seeks a hands‑on Principal Engineer to lead architecture and critical implementations for agentic simulation, digital twins, and AI‑enabled workflows. You will mentor teams across robotics, autonomy, AI, data, and cloud, while balancing research with production quality software.

The role emphasizes production‑grade AI, distributed systems, and scalable GPU computing, with relocation and visa sponsorship available.

Qualifications

• Seven or more years of software development and three or more years in ML or intelligent automation.
• Advanced software engineering experience in Python and one or more of C++, C#, Java, Go, or Node.js with strong API, distributed systems, event‑driven workflow, and backend services experience.
• Experience with containers, automated testing, CI/CD, source control, observability, and cloud platforms and cloud‑native architectures, including Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience designing and delivering production agentic AI, generative AI, or intelligent automation systems, including taking an AI‑enabled capability from prototype through production.
• Experience with RAG, embeddings, vector search, knowledge graphs, semantic data models, structured outputs, and multimodal models.
• Experience with NVIDIA NIM, NeMo, Nemotron, or comparable foundation‑model and inference ecosystems.
• Experience with NVIDIA Cosmos or comparable world foundation models for Physical AI, scenario generation, and simulation augmentation.
• Experience connecting AI agents to NVIDIA Omniverse, Isaac Sim, OpenUSD, or other simulation, robotics, scientific computing, or enterprise engineering platforms.
• Working knowledge of Newton, physics simulation, and robotics workflows sufficient to orchestrate and evaluate tool use.
• Experience with AI evaluation datasets, test harnesses, security controls, observability, and human‑in‑the‑loop governance.
• Experience deploying GPU inference using Docker, Kubernetes, NVIDIA GPUs, and CoreWeave or comparable GPU cloud infrastructure.
• Demonstrated ability to lead architecture and technical delivery across multiple teams.
• Strong communication, mentoring, problem‑solving, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
• Experience using AI‑assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Claude, or Cursor.
• Preferred technology stack: NVIDIA Cosmos, NIM, NeMo, Nemotron, Omniverse, Isaac Sim, OpenUSD, Agentic AI, RAG, Python, CUDA, Docker, Kubernetes, and CoreWeave.

Responsibilities

• Define the architecture for agentic simulation and multi‑agent engineering workflows, and build agents that interact with simulation engines, digital twins, APIs, datasets, and engineering tools.
• Lead automated map‑to‑simulation, site‑to‑simulation, scenario‑generation, and experiment‑planning workflows.
• Apply foundation models and multimodal AI to simulation configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, analysis, and reporting.
• Establish tool calling, workflow state, memory, human approvals, guardrails, observability, and auditability, and create evaluation frameworks for accuracy, reliability, reproducibility, latency, cost, safety, and task completion.
• Integrate AI services with NVIDIA Omniverse, Isaac Sim, OpenUSD, Cosmos, databases, knowledge systems, and cloud services.
• Deploy and scale GPU inference and agent workloads on CoreWeave and Kubernetes.
• Own a major technical capability across multiple teams and programs, partnering across simulation, robotics, autonomy, controls, AI, data, cloud, product, and customer‑facing organizations.
• Translate ambiguous business and engineering problems into scalable architectures and production software, balancing research and prototyping with secure, maintainable delivery.
• Lead architecture reviews, technical investigations, design decisions, and engineering standards.
• Mentor senior and developing engineers, and support technical hiring and onboarding.

Skills

Software development

ML/AI

Python

C++

C#

Java

Go

Node.js

Containers

CI/CD

Cloud

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

NVIDIA Omniverse

OpenUSD

NVIDIA Cosmos

NVIDIA NIM

Cosmos

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.

Job Summary:

At Caterpillar, technology has a purpose to solve our customers' toughest challenges. Construction autonomy and Physical AI require trusted digital twins, high-fidelity simulation, scalable GPU computing, intelligent automation, and rigorous validation.

This Principal Engineer role is a hands‑on technical leadership position responsible for architecture, critical implementation, engineering standards, cross‑team alignment, and mentoring.

What You Will Do

• Define the architecture for agentic simulation and multi‑agent engineering workflows, and build agents that interact with simulation engines, digital twins, APIs, datasets, and engineering tools.

• Lead automated map‑to‑simulation, site‑to‑simulation, scenario‑generation, and experiment‑planning workflows.

• Apply foundation models and multimodal AI to simulation configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, analysis, and reporting.

• Establish tool calling, workflow state, memory, human approvals, guardrails, observability, and auditability, and create evaluation frameworks for accuracy, reliability, reproducibility, latency, cost, safety, and task completion.

• Integrate AI services with NVIDIA Omniverse, Isaac Sim, OpenUSD, Cosmos, databases, knowledge systems, and cloud services.

• Deploy and scale GPU inference and agent workloads on CoreWeave and Kubernetes.

• Own a major technical capability across multiple teams and programs, partnering across simulation, robotics, autonomy, controls, AI, data, cloud, product, and customer‑facing organizations.

• Translate ambiguous business and engineering problems into scalable architectures and production software, balancing research and prototyping with secure, maintainable delivery.

• Lead architecture reviews, technical investigations, design decisions, and engineering standards.

• Mentor senior and developing engineers, and support technical hiring and onboarding.

Top Candidates will Have:

• Seven or more years of software development and three or more years developing ML, generative AI, or intelligent automation systems.

• Advanced software engineering experience in Python and one or more of C++, C#, Java, Go, or Node.js, with strong API, distributed systems, event‑driven workflow, and backend services experience.

• Experience with containers, automated testing, CI/CD, source control, observability, and cloud platforms and cloud‑native architectures, including Docker and Kubernetes.

• Experience designing and delivering production agentic AI, generative AI, or intelligent automation systems, including taking an AI‑enabled capability from prototype through production.

• Experience with RAG, embeddings, vector search, knowledge graphs, semantic data models, structured outputs, and multimodal models.

• Experience with NVIDIA NIM, NeMo, Nemotron, or comparable foundation‑model and inference ecosystems.

• Experience with NVIDIA Cosmos or comparable world foundation models for Physical AI, scenario generation, and simulation augmentation.

• Experience connecting AI agents to NVIDIA Omniverse, Isaac Sim, OpenUSD, or other simulation, robotics, scientific computing, or enterprise engineering platforms.

• Working knowledge of Newton, physics simulation, and robotics workflows sufficient to orchestrate and evaluate tool use.

• Experience with AI evaluation datasets, test harnesses, security controls, observability, and human‑in‑the‑loop governance.

• Experience deploying GPU inference using Docker, Kubernetes, NVIDIA GPUs, and CoreWeave or comparable GPU cloud infrastructure.

• Demonstrated ability to lead architecture and technical delivery across multiple teams.

• Strong communication, mentoring, problem‑solving, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

• Experience using AI‑assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Claude, or Cursor.

• Preferred technology stack: NVIDIA Cosmos, NIM, NeMo, Nemotron, Omniverse, Isaac Sim, OpenUSD, Agentic AI, RAG, Python, CUDA, Docker, Kubernetes, and CoreWeave.

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 available with this position.

Summary Pay Range:

$159,120.00 - $258,570.00

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:

Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of 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

This position requires working onsite five days a week.Relocation is available for this position.Visa sponsorship is available for eligible applicants.

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.