Principal Systems Architect - Marketing Technology

Caterpillar; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Caterpillar is seeking a Principal Systems Architect for the digital marketing technology domain. You will set the target-state vision and an executable roadmap for a scalable MarTech ecosystem spanning content creation, asset management, product information, web delivery, analytics, social and omnichannel activation.

You will lead architecture decisions, data-governance strategies, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver measurable business value through digital transformation.

Qualifications

• Analytical thinking to identify root causes and craft solutions.
• Clear, effective written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to design and translate requirements into technical designs.
• Knowledge of application design processes and methodologies.
• Experience in designing data architectures to support analytics and personalization.
• Capability to architect platform roadmaps and integration patterns.
• Ability to elicit requirements and trace them to architectural decisions.
• Understanding of target-state architecture and governance.

Responsibilities

• Own current-state, transition, and target-state architecture for digital marketing tech.
• Translate requirements into application, platform, integration, and data designs.
• Lead infrastructure and technology evaluations to enhance digital capabilities.
• Collaborate with business, product, marketing, data, security, and engineering teams.
• Document architecture decisions and align patterns with business goals.
• Define platform strategy from MVP to deployment, maintenance and deprecation.
• Architect end-to-end content supply chains across Adobe, assets, PIM, commerce and channels.
• Define data contracts, tagging standards, consent gates, identity and audience flows.

Skills

Analytical Thinking

Effective Communications

Application Design

Architecture

Data Architecture

Platform Architecture

Requirements Analysis

Target Architecture

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.

Cat Digital is the digital and technology arm of Caterpillar Inc., leveraging the latest technologies to build industry leading digital solutions for our customers and dealers. With over 1.5 million connected assets worldwide, our teams use data, technology, advanced analytics, telematics and AI capabilities to help our customers build a better, more sustainable world.

Job Summary:

The Principal Systems Architect is the architecture leader for digital marketing technology. The role establishes the target-state vision and executable roadmap for an integrated, secure, scalable and measurable MarTech ecosystem spanning content creation, asset management, product information, web experience delivery, analytics, social and omnichannel activation.

The role designs scalable MarTech architectures, leads content management and personalization initiatives, defines integration and data-governance strategies, and partners with business and marketing teams to deliver digital transformation and measurable business value.

What You Will Do:

• Own the current-state, transition and target-state architecture and multiyear roadmap across digital marketing technology ecosystem.


• Develop detailed architecture deliverables to solve business problems, translating functional and non-functional requirements into application, platform, integration and data designs.


• Design technical infrastructure including databases, programming languages, utilities and testing approaches and lead evaluation and deployment of technologies that add or enhance digital capabilities.


• Partner with business, product, marketing, data, security and engineering teams to address requirements and deliver digital solutions that meet business results.


• Assess the marketing technology ecosystem, identify capability and performance gaps, document architecture decisions, and recommend solution patterns and best practices aligned with business objectives.


• Define platform strategy from MVP through implementation, maintenance, consolidation and deprecation.


• Architect end-to-end content supply chains for image, video and product/specification content from Adobe Creative Cloud, agencies and source systems through Assets, Sites, PIM, commerce and external channels, reducing manual handoffs and duplicate stores.


• Design data-layer contracts, tagging standards, consent gating, identity and audience flows, API/event integrations, metadata and data-quality controls that enable reliable measurement and personalized omnichannel experiences.


• Lead architecture reviews, technical discovery and requirements walkthroughs; quantify cost, benefit, risk and likelihood of success; resolve complex design issues and maintain traceability to business outcomes.


• Provide technical direction to delivery teams and partners, coach architects and engineers, and communicate recommendations effectively to executives, practitioners

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.


• Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.


• Application Design, Architecture: Knowledge of basic activities and deliverables of application design; ability to utilize application design methodologies, tools and techniques to convert business requirements and logical models into a technical application design.


• Data Architecture: Knowledge of processes, techniques and factors that affect data architecture; ability to design blueprints on how to integrate data resources for business processes and functional support.


• 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