Senior Autonomy Systems Engineering Specialist
Caterpillar Inc.
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Job summary
Caterpillar Inc. seeks a Senior Autonomy Systems Engineering Specialist for the Surface Loading Autonomy team. You will provide technical leadership for integrating autonomy solutions with base machines, coordinating hardware, requirements, architecture, and testing.
The role emphasizes independence, architectural influence, and hands-on engineering at proving grounds and lab environments, with relocation considerations between Peoria and Dallas as needed.
Qualifications
- Strong knowledge of AI concepts and methods.
- Experience with robotics including planning, perception, positioning, and controls.
- Experience with field testing, HIL, and Proving Ground support.
- Experience with autonomy platforms and site autonomy capabilities.
- Familiarity with construction equipment such as wheel loaders, excavators, and articulated trucks.
- Ability to provide technical leadership across integration, testing, and design reviews.
Responsibilities
- Apply autonomous system solutions to construction machines (excavators, wheel loaders, articulated trucks).
- Lead design, architecture, implementation, testing, and release of autonomy/robotics systems.
- Influence requirements generation and architectural trade‑offs.
- Provide technical leadership across testing, verification, validation, and certification activities.
- Integrate new technologies to improve autonomy capabilities.
- Troubleshoot complex system issues across development and production environments.
- Lead design reviews and technical discussions; communicate risks and trade-offs clearly.
- Manage projects balancing time, cost, quality, and risk; mentor engineers.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
Technology, Digital and Data
When you join Caterpillar, you’rejoining 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’tjust 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.
When you join Caterpillar, you’rejoining 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’tjust 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.
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.
Construction autonomy is one of the most complex challenges in applied AI, and at Caterpillar, advancements in physical AI, simulation, sensing, and edge computing are turning things that once felt impossible—intelligent machines operating in dynamic jobsites—into reality.
Our connected ecosystem brings together massive volumes of high-quality data to create a foundation where engineers like you can build and deploy against.
If this work motivates you, we invite you to join our team. In these roles, you’ll work at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. You’ll help design and deliver intelligent systems that enable machines to perceive their environment, make informed decisions, and support safer, more productive operations.
As a Senior Autonomy Systems Engineering Specialist on the Surface Loading Autonomy team, you will be an integral part of the Caterpillar team developing the next generation of autonomous machines for the construction industry.
In this role you will provide technical and project leadership for integrating autonomy solutions with the base machine, including system-level integration, requirements definition, architectural alignment, hardware coordination, and test coordination, balancing short‑term delivery needs with long‑term architectural quality and product integrity.
The successful candidate will operate with a high degree of independence and will serve as a technical authority within their area of expertise, influencing architecture, design decisions, and engineering practices while mentoring and supporting teams across the organization.
Additionally, this role includes leadership of hands‑on engineering in both lab environment and on machine at our proving grounds for development, validation and demonstration of autonomous solutions.
- Apply new autonomous system solutions and technologies to machines working in the Construction Industry, including Excavators, Wheel Loaders and Articulated Trucks.
- Lead and contribute to the design, architecture, implementation, testing, and release of autonomy or robotics systems
- Lead or strongly influence requirements generation and system architectural trade‑off decisions
- Provide technical leadership across functional testing, verification, validation, and certification activities
- Integrate new technologies to improve the capability and robustness of autonomy solutions
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex system issues across development and production environments
- Facilitate and participate in design reviews and technical discussions
- Communicate complex technical concepts, risks, readiness, and trade-offs clearly to engineers, stakeholders, and leadership
- Manage projects balancing time, cost, quality, and risk
- Mentor engineers and raise overall technical quality through guidance and example
- Acquires expertise through training and practical experience in the relevant field.
- Analyzes the needs, desires, and motivations of the other party to effectively understand a given scenario.
- Identifies who the decision makers are and how they receive information.
- Provides evidentiary support while giving opinions or recommendations to influence decision-making.
- Conducts tasks in such a way as to build a strong reputation and credibility as an expert in the field.
- Strong knowledge of the concepts, technologies and methods of artificial intelligence (AI)
- Assists in business requirements analysis in the AI solution design or deployment process.
- Deploys, develops or operates specific AI products, equipment, systems and/or platforms to achieve certain business goals.
- Tests and troubleshoots the functionality of AI applications and systems within a specific area.
- Strong professional experience with the architecture and design of major or multiple products.
- Strong ability to describe major architecture alternatives, tradeoffs and considerations.
- Displays experience in estimating the time to develop a specific design of a proposed product.
- Facilitates design reviews and walkthroughs.
- Identifiesand documents specific problems and resolution alternatives.
- Helps to analyzerisksand benefits of alternative approaches and obtain decisions on resolution.
- Uses fact-finding techniques and diagnostic tools toidentifyproblems
- Discovers, analyzes, and resolves software, hardware, or application problems.
- Analyzes code, logs, and current systems as part of advanced troubleshooting.
- Records andreportsspecific technical problems, solving processes and tools that have been used.
- Knowledge of effective presentation tools and techniques to ensure clear understanding; ability to use summarization and simplification techniques to explain complex technical concepts in simple,clear languageappropriate tothe audience.
- Clearly explains project goals to team members, keeps leadership informed of progress, and shares relevant updates with external partners
- Uses data-driven arguments, active listening, and tailored messaging to persuade stakeholders and achieve consensus.
Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field – or commensurate industry experience.
- Extensive experience as a Systems Integration or Design Engineer supporting engineering projects on robotics, autonomous or semi-autonomous systems.
- Strong experience with robotics with an understanding of Planning, Perception, Positioning, and Controls.
- Experience with radars and sensors such as LIDAR, GNSS, GPS, Radar, and other camera sensors preferred
- Experience with field testing, HIL, and Proving Ground support preferred
- Experience with Site Autonomy Platforms preferred
- Knowledge and experience with Wheel Loaders, Excavators, and/or Articulated Trucks preferred
- Experience in Construction or Mining Industries preferred
- While the long-term intent is for this position to be based in Dallas (Irving), Texas, the current program work is located in the Peoria, Illinois area, primarily at Caterpillar’s Peoria Proving Ground in Washington, Illinois, and Caterpillar’s Technical Center in Mossville, Illinois.
- Travel Requirements:
- For candidates who begin the role in the Peoria area, travel associated with current project work is expected to be approximately 15%.
- For candidates based in the Dallas area, travel is expected to be approximately 75% due to the hands‑on, machine-based nature of the work located in Illinois.
- As a result, the preferred arrangement is for the successful candidate to be based in the Peoria area initially to support current project needs, with a future relocation to Dallas (Irving), Texas when business needs align. The timing of the relocation is to be determined based on project and organizational requirements.
- This position requires the candidate to work full time at their designated Caterpillar facility or Caterpillar facility where the current work is taking place. Remote work is NOT available for this position.
- Visa sponsorship is NOT available with this position.
$128,470.00 - $208,770.00
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.
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 not available for this position.
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.
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