Principal Software Engineer (Autonomy Services)

Caterpillar; Irving (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Caterpillar in Irving, TX is seeking a backend software architect to drive the architecture of microservices and APIs, enabling data integration across platforms and building scalable, secure cloud-native services.

You will mentor engineers, establish API standards, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-reliability systems that power autonomous and real-time operations.

Qualifications

• Backend microservices and API design experience for autonomy or real-time systems.
• Experience in autonomy systems, robotics, simulation, or real-time control platforms.
• Design cloud-native architectures with strong service contracts and integration patterns.
• Strong Java or Python backend development for APIs, orchestration, and data processing.
• Deep understanding of design patterns.
• Experience with AI-assisted/agentic development workflows and validating AI-generated code.
• Understanding of high-reliability systems (async workflows, retries, idempotency, observability).

Responsibilities

• Define and drive architecture for backend microservices and APIs (Java, Spring Boot, Python) supporting integration, data exchange, and platform services.
• Lead design and delivery of scalable, secure, and high-performance cloud-native services and integration adapters.
• Establish and enforce API standards, service contracts, and integration patterns across distributed systems.
• Provide technical leadership on complex system design, service scalability, and integration challenges.
• Review architecture, designs, code, APIs, and data contracts to ensure reliability, performance, security, observability, and maintainability.
• Drive engineering excellence across architecture, testing, CI/CD, observability, and operational readiness.
• Mentor engineers and elevate team capability in microservices design, API development, and backend engineering best practices.
• Guide teams in building robust integration services, adapter layers, and artifact/data exchange workflows.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define API interfaces, integration contracts, and platform service boundaries.
• Identify and drive platform simplification, reuse, and organizational efficiency improvements.

Skills

Backend microservices

Autonomy systems

Cloud-native architecture

Java/Python APIs

Design patterns

AI workflows

High-reliability systems

Tools

LangChain

LangGraph

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.

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.

What You Will Do:

• Define and drive architecture for backend microservices and APIs (Java, Spring Boot, Python) supporting integration, data exchange, and platform services
• Lead design and delivery of scalable, secure, and high-performance cloud-native services and integration adapters
• Establish and enforce API standards, service contracts, and integration patterns (REST, gRPC, event-driven) across distributed systems
• Provide technical leadership on complex system design, service scalability, and integration challenges
• Review architecture, designs, code, APIs, and data contracts to ensure reliability, performance, security, observability, and maintainability
• Drive engineering excellence across architecture, testing, CI/CD, observability, and operational readiness
• Mentor engineers and elevate team capability in microservices design, API development, and backend engineering best practices
• Guide teams in building robust integration services, adapter layers, and artifact/data exchange workflows
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define API interfaces, integration contracts, and platform service boundaries
• Identify and drive platform simplification, reuse, and organizational efficiency improvements

WHAT YOU WILL HAVE

• Software Product Design/Architecture: Knowledge of software product design; ability to convert market requirements into software product design and strategic technical direction.
• Software Product Technical Knowledge: Knowledge of technical aspects of software products; ability to design, configure, and integrate technical aspects of software products.
• Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
• Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools, and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through appropriate communication behaviors.

TOP CANDIDATES WILL HAVE

• Strong experience building backend microservices and APIs (REST, gRPC, event-driven) for autonomy or real-time systems
• Experience in autonomy systems, robotics, simulation, or real-time control platforms
• Expertise in designing scalable cloud-native architectures, service contracts, and integration patterns
• Strong backend development using Java or Python for APIs, orchestration, and data processing
• Deep understanding and application of design patterns
• Experience with AI-assisted/agentic development workflows and validating AI-generated code
• Understanding of high-reliability systems (async workflows, retries, idempotency, observability)

Nice to Have:

• Experience building production AI agents using Python
• Experience with agent orchestration frameworks such as LangChain or LangGraph
• Experience integration LLMs with external tools, APIs, databases, and retrieval systems
• Experience designing evals, guardrails, and monitoring for agent reliability
• Multi-agent workflow design and memory/context management
• Prompt optimizati