Senior AI R&D & Analytics Leader

Caterpillar Brazil; Peoria (IL); Hybrid; USD 159,000 - 259,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) plans

Paid time off

Life Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Senior Manager to lead the Advanced Technology Pod within the AI R&D organization. This role defines a bold vision for applied AI and oversees production‑intent prototypes and reference architectures, ensuring smooth handoff to engineering and MLOps teams.

The candidate will lead a team of senior data scientists and AI engineers, partnering with product, software, and external partners to deliver high‑impact AI initiatives in a manufacturing context.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in CS, engineering, applied math, statistics, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Experience leading applied AI or AI R&D teams delivering production-ready prototypes for downstream engineering.
• Strong knowledge of Python-based ML stacks, modeling standards, experimentation practices, and prototype quality.

Responsibilities

• Set and evangelize a bold technical vision for applied AI at Caterpillar.
• Define portfolio of advanced AI initiatives turning vision into high-impact opportunities.
• Lead production‑intent prototypes and reference architectures ready for handoff to engineering and MLOps.
• Define technical standards and evaluation criteria for downstream teams to productionize AI RD work.
• Lead a team of senior data scientists and AI engineers with coaching and career growth.
• Drive cross‑functional alignment with product, software, dealers, customers, and external partners.

Skills

Technical leadership

AI/ML

Python

MLOps

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Responsible AI

Education

Master's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Azure

NVIDIA

AWS

Job description

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Senior Manager to lead the Advanced Technology Pod within the AI R&D organization. This role defines a bold vision for applied AI and oversees production‑intent prototypes and reference architectures, ensuring smooth handoff to engineering and MLOps teams.

The candidate will lead a team of senior data scientists and AI engineers, partnering with product, software, and external partners to deliver high‑impact AI initiatives in a manufacturing context.