QA Lead for Autonomous Simulation Platform

Caterpillar Inc.; Irving (TX); On-site; USD 128,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) savings plan

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Paid time off (Vacation, Holidays)

Tuition reimbursement

Employee discounts

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a hands‑on QA Lead to establish quality strategy, validation practices, automation, and release confidence for a foundational simulation platform in Irving, TX.

You will mentor QA engineers, own automated test architecture for UI, API, and data validation, and partner with robotics, product, and architecture teams to translate requirements into testable plans. The role emphasizes driving QA excellence, improving CI/CD pipelines, and leading exploratory testing for

Qualifications

• Experience leading QA or SDET efforts for complex web, platform, simulation, rendering, robotics, or data‑intensive software products.
• Proven ability to define QA/QC processes, engineering quality standards, release criteria, and team operating practices.
• Hands‑on experience with test automation for modern web applications, APIs, backend services, databases, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Working knowledge of frontend and backend quality concerns, including JavaScript/TypeScript applications, service APIs, data contracts, and cross‑browser/device behavior.
• Experience validating 3D, graphics, geospatial, or simulation‑related workflows, including visual correctness, scenario behavior, spatial data, or rendering output.
• Experience with automation and quality tooling such as Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, Jest, pytest, Postman/Newman, REST/GraphQL testing, ESLint, Webpack, or similar tools.
• Experience with cloud‑based environments such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Firebase, or similar deployment platforms.
• Ability to use AI‑assisted development and testing tools responsibly to accelerate test creation, troubleshooting, analysis, and documentation.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate ambiguity into clear quality risks, plans, and decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies independently and help teams adopt better practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead QA strategy, planning, and execution for the simulation and rendering platform across frontend, backend, data, APIs, rendering, and integration layers.
• Define quality standards, test processes, release gates, defect triage methods, acceptance criteria, and measurable quality signals for the engineering team.
• Build and mentor a high‑performing QA function, including hiring support, technical interviewing, onboarding, and coaching QA engineers and SDETs.
• Own automated test architecture for UI, API, integration, regression, data validation, simulation scenarios, rendering validation, and performance/reliability testing.
• Partner with software engineering, robotics, product, and architecture stakeholders to translate business and technical requirements into testable acceptance criteria and validation plans.
• Champion CI/CD quality practices, including test selection, pipeline health, flaky‑test reduction, code review expectations for testability, and release readiness reporting.
• Lead exploratory testing, risk reviews, failure‑mode analysis, and defect‑prevention practices for simulation workflows and robotic use cases.
• Collaborate tightly with robotics and platform teams to reduce gaps between customer needs, technical implementation, simulation behavior, and delivered quality.
• Facilitate QA brainstorming, test design reviews, post‑release learning, and continuous improvement sessions.
• Bring a practical, flexible mindset: if there is a better way to improve quality, propose it and help make it real.

Skills

QA leadership

Test automation

CI/CD

Python/JS/TS

SDET experience

3D/Simulation validation

Robotics platform knowledge

Tools

Playwright

Cypress

Selenium

Jest

pytest

Postman/Newman

REST/GraphQL testing

Job description

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a hands‑on QA Lead to establish quality strategy, validation practices, automation, and release confidence for a foundational simulation platform in Irving, TX.

You will mentor QA engineers, own automated test architecture for UI, API, and data validation, and partner with robotics, product, and architecture teams to translate requirements into testable plans. The role emphasizes driving QA excellence, improving CI/CD pipelines, and leading exploratory testing for