Senior Backend Architect: Microservices, AI & Cloud

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

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.