Director Software Engineering

Career Area:

Job Description:

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

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.

Role Summary
Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Director Software Engineering – Data, Analytics and AI to lead strategic engineering initiatives across digital platforms which include enterprise & telematics data ecosystems, advanced analytics, and AI‑driven products that support Caterpillar’s connected equipment, customer experience, and operational excellence goals, with a strong emphasis on translating data and analytics into scalable, decision enabling capabilities for the business.

Based in India, this role reports to the in-region (India & China) leader for the Cat Digital division, and oversees teams responsible for building and scaling cloud‑native applications, data platforms, and production AI/ML (including GenAI) capabilities spanning data pipelines, quality, lineage, bias controls, and the full model lifecycle from development and deployment through monitoring, retraining, and retirement, as well as analytics solutions such as curated datasets, metrics layers, dashboards, and insight products that enable consistent, trusted business decision‑making.

Job Summary

This role will lead and scale product engineering teams in India focused on data platforms, data engineering, data solutioning, Snowflake-based data lake architectures, analytics, AI, and GenAI initiatives for Cat Digital. The leader will partner closely with global counterparts to deliver high-impact digital products and capabilities that power Caterpillar’s digital ecosystem, telematics, IoT, analytics, GenAI and AI experiences for our Customers and Dealers. The role requires strong technical depth, strategic thinking, people leadership, and a proven ability to operate in a global matrixed environment- building digital solutions delivery accountability for the following three critical areas in India.

• Cat Digital Platform – Data Solutioning and Data engineering as well as Data Lake solutions
• Data Analytics products engineering supporting Aftermarket Leads and Insights products, and 
• Gen AI and AI specifics solutions

Key Responsibilities

Leadership of India Engineering Organization - Build, scale, and lead high-performing engineering teams in India across Data Platform, Data Engineering, Data Solutioning, Analytics, and AI/GenAI. Foster a culture of innovation, ownership, collaboration, and engineering excellence. 

Attract, grow, and retain top-tier engineering talent, building strong succession pipelines. Provide hands-on technical leadership, architectural oversight, and mentorship. 

Global Collaboration & Delivery - Partner with global Product, Architecture, Security, and Engineering leaders to deliver digital products aligned with Cat Digital’s priorities. Operate across time zones, ensuring seamless integration and delivery with U.S. and global teams. Drive clarity, alignment, and communication across global initiatives and roadmaps. 

Product Engineering & Delivery Excellence - Accountable delivery of data-centric digital products, platforms, APIs, and ML/GenAI solutions. Ensure robust software engineering practices—CI/CD, DevOps, automated testing, observability, and secure coding. Drive adoption of platform operating models, reusable components, and engineering standards across teams. 

Data Solutioning, Data Engineering and Data Lake - Snowflake - Architect and evolve scalable data platforms supporting telematics, IoT, asset health, services, and analytics use cases. Lead engineering for Snowflake workloads—data lake zones, optimization, ingestion frameworks (Snowpipe), governance, and cost management. Implement modern data architectures including Lakehouse, streaming data, and domain-oriented data products. Oversee development of enterprise-grade data pipelines across batch and streaming using Spark, Kafka, Airflow, and cloud-native tools.  Establish DataOps best practices, including data quality automation, versioned pipelines, and pipeline observability.  Ensure data products are reliable, secure, well-modeled, and meet business SLAs. 

Analytics, Insights & Digital Enablement - Enable scalable analytics capabilities supporting Caterpillar’s digital services and internal business operations. Drive adoption of governed, self-service analytics and semantic models for global teams. Partner with BI and analytics teams to deliver high-value KPIs, dashboards, and insights. 

AI/ML & GenAI - Lead development of ML/AI pipelines—including model training, inference, feature stores, monitoring, and lifecycle governance. Drive GenAI innovation across Cat Digital products: 

• RAG-based solutions 
• Vector databases
• Agentic workflows 
• LLM integration for customer and dealer-facing products 
• Champion Responsible AI practices, governance, and risk frameworks. 

Operational Excellence & Compliance - Ensure platform reliability, scalability, and security, in alignment with Caterpillar’s global policies. Drive cost optimization across cloud and Snowflake workloads. Implement robust data governance, security controls, regulatory compliance (GDPR, CCPA), and data stewardship.

Leadership & Strategy

• Provide clear, inspiring leadership and strategic direction for engineering teams delivering Data, Analytics, and AI solutions at enterprise scale, shaping how AI-driven capabilities are built and adopted.
• Translate enterprise vision and product strategy into clear engineering priorities, roadmaps, and measurable outcomes, balancing long-term platform thinking with near-term business impact.
• Lead teams confidently through change, complexity, and transformation, aligning stakeholders and teams while maintaining a relentless focus on quality, reliability, and customer value.
• Act as a thought partner to senior leaders on how AI and data engineering can unlock new business value and operational efficiencies.

Engineering Excellence

• Drive a culture of engineering excellence, accountability, and predictable execution across multiple, globally distributed teams.
• Continuously raise the bar on delivery quality, reliability, and operational maturity, ensuring teams are equipped to scale responsibly as AI and data adoption grows.
• Promote disciplined execution while encouraging innovation and continuous improvement.

People & Culture

• Build, mentor, and inspire a strong cadre of engineering leaders, serving as a developer of talent and future leaders within the organization.
• Create and sustain a culture grounded in ownership, trust, inclusion, and continuous learning, where teams are empowered to take initiative and deliver outcomes.
• Lead by example with integrity, transparency, and professionalism, earning trust across teams and stakeholders.

Collaboration & Influence

• Partner closely with Product, Architecture, Data Science, and Business leaders across regions to drive alignment and shared ownership of outcomes.
• Communicate with clarity and confidence at the executive level, articulating priorities, risks, trade-offs, and progress in complex environments.
• Represent the India engineering organization with strong executive presence, influencing strategy and decisions in global forums.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, with 15+ years of software engineering experience and significant leadership across platform, data, analytics, and AI systems.
• Proven experience leading multiple engineering teams delivering enterprise‑scale digital platforms within large, global or multi‑regional organizations.
• Strong foundation in cloud‑native architectures, data engineering, and modern software design, with experience operating and scaling complex systems.
• Experience in industrial, manufacturing, automotive, IoT, or connected‑equipment environments, including exposure to telemetry, edge computing, digital twins, or predictive maintenance solutions.
• Demonstrated experience leading AI, ML, or GenAI engineering capabilities at enterprise scale, including close partnership with Data Science, Product, and Architecture teams.
• Demonstrated leadership in modern engineering operating models, including Agile transformation and product‑centric ways of working, with exposure to large‑scale data and AI ecosystems.
• Proven success leading large-scale engineering teams in India, with global delivery responsibilities.
• Deep technical expertise in:
  • Cloud-based data platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)
  • Snowflake (warehouse + data lake), Spark, Kafka
  • Orchestration tools (Airflow, Dagster)
  • Data modeling, data lake/lakehouse architectures
  • Python, SQL, and distributed systems
• Strong experience building digital products in a global environment.
• Experience operationalizing AI/ML and GenAI systems at scale.
• Strong communication, cross-cultural collaboration, and executive stakeholder management.

Leadership Expectations

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned engineering leader with the ability to lead large, globally distributed organizations while balancing strategic vision with hands-on accountability. The leader is comfortable operating on a scale, navigating complexity, and driving innovation alongside operational excellence and brings global experience and executive presence, with the ability to partner effectively with senior leaders across regions.

Strategic & Engineering Leadership

• Demonstrates strong engineering judgment across complex and interdependent technology domains, with the ability to integrate multiple horizontal capabilities into cohesive, outcome-driven strategies.
• Connects technology strategy to enterprise goals, ensuring engineering decisions are aligned with business priorities and long-term value creation. Acts as a trusted thought partner to senior leaders on transformation, modernization, and execution at scale. 
• Recognized as a strong developer of leaders and talent, building sustainable leadership pipelines and high-performing teams.
   

Execution & Change Leadership

• Leads organizations through change, ambiguity, and transformation, maintaining clarity, focus, and delivery discipline.
• Earns credibility through consistent execution, sound decision-making, and a strong sense of ownership for outcomes.
• Operates effectively under uncertainty, adapting quickly while keeping teams aligned and progressing.

Stakeholder Influence & Communication

• Builds strong, trust-based relationships with stakeholders across the organization through emotional intelligence and clear, persuasive communication.
• Communicates complex ideas with clarity, articulating priorities, risks, trade-offs, and recommendations effectively. 
• Creates a strong sense of purpose and shared ownership, inspiring followership and alignment beyond direct authority.

Decision-Making & Judgment

• Makes thoughtful, data-informed decisions by evaluating alternatives, engaging stakeholders, and anticipating second-order impacts.
• Coaches and develops others in structured decision-making and problem-solving approaches.

Posting Dates:

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply

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