Senior Autonomy Development Engineer

Working with a high degree of independence, this developer contributes hands-on technical expertise to the Operator Safety Systems team, with responsibility for robust C++ software, sensor and camera integration, operator awareness features, machine interaction logic, diagnostics, and field-supportable software solutions. The role collaborates closely with systems, validation, product, UI/UX, hardware, and field teams to translate safety-system needs into reliable software that can be deployed and supported across machine platforms.

What You Will Do:

• Design, implement, test, and release production-quality C/C++ software for Operator Safety Systems on heavy equipment
• Develop and integrate software components that support operator awareness, personnel detection, collision mitigation support, in-cab alerts, event capture, diagnostics, and safety-oriented machine responses
• Build and maintain camera, sensor, perception, and data-processing pipelines for real-time or near-real-time safety applications
• Participate across the full software development lifecycle including design, documentation, coding, unit testing, integration, validation support, and release readiness
• Collaborate with systems engineering, validation, product, UI/UX, hardware, and field teams to translate operator safety needs into clear software requirements and implementation plans
• Support implementation of operator-facing workflows, displays, configuration screens, alerts, and user interactions in partnership with UI/UX teams
• Troubleshoot complex software and system issues using logs, traces, telemetry, sensor data, profiling tools, and field observations
• Contribute to software architecture and design trade-off discussions with a focus on reliability, maintainability, latency, diagnosability, usability, and field supportability
• Facilitate and participate in design reviews, code reviews, debugging sessions, and technical discussions across cross-functional engineering teams
• Communicate technical designs, trade-offs, risks, and status clearly to developers, systems engineers, stakeholders, and leadership
• Mentor and support other engineers through collaboration, technical guidance, and strong development practices

What You Have:

• Programming:

• Advanced C/C++ development experience for production software in embedded, edge, robotics, perception, machine control, or safety-oriented systems
• Ability to interpret system designs, software requirements, interface definitions, and test expectations for complex operator safety features
• Strong engineering practices, including modular design, debugging, profiling, code review, static analysis, and maintainable implementation
• Ability to apply structured software design practices in systems with real-time, reliability, usability, and field-support constraints

• Software Development Life Cycle:

• Experience contributing across software development phases from requirements and design through implementation, integration, validation, and release
• Ability to interpret product development plans, software requirements, functional documentation, and validation expectations
• Experience working with cross-functional development processes, issue tracking, configuration management, and release readiness activities

• Problem Solving:

• Ability to identify and document software or system problems and develop resolution alternatives
• Ability to analyze risks and benefits of alternative approaches and support decisions on technical resolution
• Uses fact-finding techniques, diagnostic tools, logs, traces, and test data to identify root causes and verify corrective actions

• Technical Troubleshooting:

• Discovers, analyzes, and resolves software, application, integration, or system behavior issues
• Analyzes code, logs, sensor data, system traces, and current software behavior as part of advanced troubleshooting
• Records and reports specific technical problems, solving processes, tools used, and recommended corrective actions

• Cross-Functional Collaboration and Communication:

• Ability to clearly communicate technical concepts, software designs, risks, and trade-offs to engineering and non-engineering audiences
• Ability to collaborate effectively with systems, validation, hardware, product, UI/UX, supplier, and field teams
• Ability to simplify complex technical information and adapt communication to the audience

• Education Requirements: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Robotics, Engineering, or related field — or commensurate industry experience.

Consideration for Top Candidates:

• Extensive experience as a software developer supporting engineering projects on operator safety, robotics, autonomous, semi-autonomous, embedded, perception-enabled, or machine-control systems
• Strong experience with C++ software development for real-time, embedded Linux, edge computing, or field-deployed compute platforms
• Experience developing or integrating operator awareness, driver monitoring, personnel detection, collision mitigation, proximity awareness, in-cab alerting, or other operator safety features
• Experience with camera, radar, LiDAR, ultrasonic, GNSS/GPS, inertial, thermal, stereo vision, or other machine sensing technologies
• Experience developing machine vision or perception software, including camera calibration, image processing, object detection, tracking, model integration, or performance tuning on edge hardware
• Experience using GStreamer or similar frameworks to build, debug, optimize, or integrate camera and video-processing pipelines
• Experience developing operator-facing software, displays, configuration workflows, alerts, or event-reporting features
• Some experience with UI/UX design and implementation preferred, including working from wireframes, collaborating with UX designers, implementing user workflows, and improving usability of operator-facing or technician-facing software
• Experience with Figma, HTML5, Angular, Qt, or similar UI technologies for embedded, web, or onboard applications preferred
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git, automated testing, Linux-based development environments, and modern DevOps practices
• Experience troubleshooting software on machines, benches, simulators, hardware-in-the-loop environments, or field-deployed systems
• Experience in construction, mining, off-highway, automotive, industrial automation, robotics, or heavy equipment industries preferred

Additional Information:

• This position is to work onsite at our Irving, TX office.
• Relocation assistance is NOT available for this position.
• Visa sponsorship is NOT available for this position.
• This position may require travel up to 30%.
• #LI

Summary Pay Range:

$112,710.00 - $183,140.00

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:

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.

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Posting Dates:

October 6, 2026 - October 18, 2026

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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