Senior Autonomy Development Engineer

Employer description

Career Area:

Technology, Digital and Data

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.

The Operator Safety Systems Senior Developer develops and delivers production-quality software that helps protect operators, personnel, and equipment in heavy equipment environments. This role applies strong software engineering practices to design, implement, integrate, validate, and support software for operator safety capabilities used in mining, construction, and other demanding applications.

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 equipmentDevelop and integrate software components that support operator awareness, personnel detection, collision mitigation support, in-cab alerts, event capture, diagnostics, and safety-oriented machine responsesBuild and maintain camera, sensor, perception, and data-processing pipelines for real-time or near-real-time safety applicationsParticipate across the full software development lifecycle including design, documentation, coding, unit testing, integration, validation support, and release readinessCollaborate with systems engineering, validation, product, UI/UX, hardware, and field teams to translate operator safety needs into clear software requirements and implementation plansSupport implementation of operator-facing workflows, displays, configuration screens, alerts, and user interactions in partnership with UI/UX teamsTroubleshoot complex software and system issues using logs, traces, telemetry, sensor data, profiling tools, and field observationsContribute to software architecture and design trade-off discussions with a focus on reliability, maintainability, latency, diagnosability, usability, and field supportabilityFacilitate and participate in design reviews, code reviews, debugging sessions, and technical discussions across cross-functional engineering teamsCommunicate technical designs, trade-offs, risks, and status clearly to developers, systems engineers, stakeholders, and leadershipMentor 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 systemsAbility to interpret system designs, software requirements, interface definitions, and test expectations for complex operator safety featuresStrong engineering practices, including modular design, debugging, profiling, code review, static analysis, and maintainable implementationAbility to apply structured software design practices in systems with real-time, reliability, usability, and field-support constraintsSoftware Development Life Cycle:Experience contributing across software development phases from requirements and design through implementation, integration, validation, and releaseAbility to interpret product development plans, software requirements, functional documentation, and validation expectationsExperience working with cross-functional development processes, issue tracking, configuration management, and release readiness activitiesProblem Solving:Ability to identify and document software or system problems and develop resolution alternativesAbility to analyze risks and benefits of alternative approaches and support decisions on technical resolutionUses fact-finding techniques, diagnostic tools, logs, traces, and test data to identify root causes and verify corrective actionsTechnical Troubleshooting:Discovers, analyzes, and resolves software, application, integration, or system behavior issuesAnalyzes code, logs, sensor data, system traces, and current software behavior as part of advanced troubleshootingRecords and reports specific technical problems, solving processes, tools used, and recommended corrective actionsCross-Functional Collaboration and Communication:Ability to clearly communicate technical concepts, software designs, risks, and trade-offs to engineering and non-engineering audiencesAbility to collaborate effectively with systems, validation, hardware, product, UI/UX, supplier, and field teamsAbility to simplify complex technical information and adapt communication to the audienceEducation 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 systemsStrong experience with C++ software development for real-time, embedded Linux, edge computing, or field-deployed compute platformsExperience developing or integrating operator awareness, driver monitoring, personnel detection, collision mitigation, proximity awareness, in-cab alerting, or other operator safety featuresExperience with camera, radar, LiDAR, ultrasonic, GNSS/GPS, inertial, thermal, stereo vision, or other machine sensing technologiesExperience developing machine vision or perception software, including camera calibration, image processing, object detection, tracking, model integration, or performance tuning on edge hardwareExperience using GStreamer or similar frameworks to build, debug, optimize, or integrate camera and video-processing pipelinesExperience developing operator-facing software, displays, configuration workflows, alerts, or event-reporting featuresSome 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 softwareExperience with Figma, HTML5, Angular, Qt, or similar UI technologies for embedded, web, or onboard applications preferredExperience with CI/CD pipelines, Git, automated testing, Linux-based development environments, and modern DevOps practicesExperience troubleshooting software on machines, benches, simulators, hardware-in-the-loop environments, or field-deployed systemsExperience 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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