Senior Software Engineering Manager

Caterpillar Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 148,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits*

Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays

401(k) savings plans*

Health Savings Account (HSA)*

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*

Career Development*

Incentive bonus*

Tuition Reimbursement*

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Senior Software Engineering Manager for Search to lead advanced search platforms with scalable, low-latency capabilities. You will guide architectural decisions, mentor multiple software teams, and drive initiatives across ecommerce and content search environments.

Based in Chicago, IL, you will collaborate with product managers, data scientists, and engineering leaders to deliver measurable improvements and a superior user experience.

Qualifications

• Strong experience as a Software engineering manager or equivalent.
• Proven leadership of 10+ engineers across multiple teams.
• Experience with search products and headless architectures.

Responsibilities

• Define long-term technical vision for the search platform.
• Build detailed architecture for website content search.
• Recruit, mentor and manage engineering teams.
• Introduce NLP, vector search and personalization features.
• Use delivery methods to manage new or enhanced software products.
• Design and maintain integrations across platforms.
• Apply testing processes to ensure high-quality solutions.
• Manage IT services and ensure reliable operations.
• Build KPI-driven search capabilities and analytics.
• Partner with product managers and data scientists to align initiatives.

Skills

Technical leadership

Search systems

Architecture design

Team mentoring

NLP & vector search

Data-driven decision making

AWS & memory storage

DevOps practices

A/B testing

Java/Python/Scala

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

OpenSearch/Elastic/SOLR

Lucene

GitHub Copilot / Claude Code

Job description

Job Description

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.

Career Area

Technology, Digital and Data

Job Description

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.

Our websites and eCommerce applications are the key digital enabler to Caterpillar’s aftermarket parts and services growth strategy. Delivering on the Caterpillar brand promise of premium, high-quality solutions is an important element in accelerating the development and deployment of Caterpillar’s expanded capabilities in eCommerce.

The Senior Software Engineering Manager for Search is responsible for setting the technical direction and overseeing the execution of advanced search solutions. This role combines strategic vision, hands‑on technical expertise, and leadership to build scalable, high‑performance search platforms that deliver exceptional user experiences.

What You Will Do

• Define and implement a long-term technical vision for the search platform to ensure scalability and adaptability to growing data volumes and query complexity. Understand major product and service groups and apply that knowledge across business scenarios.
• Build detailed technical architecture for search solutions specifically focused on websites content.
• Responsible for recruiting, managing, and mentoring one or multiple teams of software engineers to achieve shared departmental objectives. Use leadership strategies to align teams around shared objectives and outcomes.
• Introduce advanced capabilities such as NLP, vector search, and personalization to enhance relevance and accuracy.
• Use structured delivery methods to manage new or enhanced software products.
• Design and maintain integrations across platforms, systems, and software packages.
• Apply testing processes and tools to ensure high-quality software solutions.
• Manage IT services and oversee reliable service operations.
• Build search capabilities with measurable KPIs (e.g., CTR, Query Distribution, Zero Search) and leverage analytics to continuously improve search performance.
• Partner with product managers, data scientists, and engineering leaders to align search initiatives with business objectives

What You Will Have

• Products and Services: Knowledge of major products and services and product and service groups; ability to apply knowledge of product and service appropriately to diverse situations.
• Organizational Leadership: Knowledge of leadership concepts and ability to use strategies and skills to enlist others in setting, embracing and achieving objectives.
• Software Development: Knowledge of software development tools and activities; ability to produce software products or systems in line with product requirements.
• Software Development Life Cycle: Knowledge of software development life cycle; ability to use a structured methodology for delivering and managing new or enhanced software products to the marketplace.
• Software Integration Engineering: Knowledge of software integration processes and functions; ability to design, develop and maintain interfaces and linkage to alternative platforms and software packages.
• Software Product Design/Architecture: Knowledge of software product design; ability to convert market requirements into software product design.
• Software Quality Assurance and Testing: Knowledge of software quality assurance and testing; ability to apply appropriate processes, tools, and techniques for assuring a high level of quality in computer software products and systems.
• IT Service Management (ITSM): Knowledge of Information Technology (IT) service; ability to manage IT services and oversee service operations.

Consideration For Top Candidates

• Strong experience as a Software engineering manager, Software Architecture manager, Software product manager managing 10+ team members
• Previous experience with Search products such as OpenSearch, Elastic Search, SOLR, Lucene, Coveo, and LucidWorks Fusion.
• Strong expertise in building head‑less frameworks to integrate with Web/Mobile applications along with building crawlers, Web information parsing solutions.
• Proficiency in Java, Python, or Scala, including source control tools and practices for managing code and changes to it.
• Proficiency in AI code generation tools such as Claude Code, ChatGPT, or GitHub Copilot.
• Familiarity with DevOps tools and techniques for cloud deployment.
• Practical experience applying machine learning to improve search relevance.
• Strong search engineering experience, leading multiple engineering teams, driving technical architecture and decision‑making, and delivering end‑to‑end search solutions across eCommerce and content search environments in diverse industries.
• Working experience with building Low‑latency API in AWS using Memory‑storage solutions preferred
• Familiarity with A/B testing frameworks for evaluating and improving search relevance preferred
• Must demonstrate strong initiative, interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate effectively

Additional Details

• This position requires the candidate to be in Chicago, IL, Peoria, IL or Dallas, TX
• Relocation assistance is NOT available for this position
• Visa sponsorship is NOT available with this position.
• This position will require up to 10% travel

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Summary Pay Range

$147,760.00 - $240,110.00

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.

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

Posting Dates

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.