AWSAzurePythonRAIMLMLOpsLeadershipUser ResearchProduct ManagementA/B TestingCommunicationDecision Making
About this role
Role Overview
Set and evangelize a bold technical vision for applied AI at Caterpillar, anticipating where the technology is heading and where it can create the most value for our products, dealers, customers, and operators.
Define and shape a portfolio of advanced AI initiatives that turn the vision into a focused set of high-impact opportunities for the pod.
Lead the design and delivery of production-intent prototypes and reference architectures that are robust, well documented, and ready for handoff to engineering and platform teams responsible for productionization and MLOps.
Define technical standards, patterns, and evaluation criteria that downstream teams can adopt to take AI R&D work to production with high fidelity.
Partner with the Business POC Pod to advance promising use cases from rapid experimentation to production-intent prototypes, and with the Long-Term Research Pod to mature novel methods into applicable techniques.
Lead a team of senior data scientists and AI engineers: hiring, performance management, technical coaching, career growth, and setting modeling and engineering standards for R&D work.
Drive cross-functional alignment with product management, software engineering, dealers, customers, and external partners such as Microsoft and Azure, NVIDIA, and Airwave.
Establish R&D evaluation practices for AI prototypes, covering offline and online testing, benchmarking, model and system trade-off analysis, and responsible AI considerations.
Represent the pod to AI R&D leadership and Cat Digital executives, translating ambitious AI work into clear business outcomes and a credible path forward.
Requirements
Effective communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex technical topics for executive audiences.
Ability to define and communicate a clear technical vision for applied AI and align teams and stakeholders around it
Solid statistical and experimental rigor for evaluating AI systems and guiding decision making
Ability to identify high-value AI opportunities and shape them into focused, actionable initiatives
Experience leading senior technical teams and setting a high technical bar through coaching, feedback, and standards.
Strong partnership skills to work across product, engineering, and external partners to influence direction and drive alignment.
Strong command of Python-based ML stacks and modern AI frameworks, with a clear point of view on modeling standards, experimentation practices, and prototype quality.
Solid statistical foundation applied to AI experimentation, including A/B testing, significance and rigorous measurement of accuracy, latency, cost, and safety in prototype settings.
Experience partnering with hyperscaler and hardware partners such as AWS, Microsoft and Azure, NVIDIA, or equivalent.
Familiarity with simulation and synthetic environments used to accelerate AI development for physical, real-world systems.
Experience leading or contributing to design thinking and user research for AI experiences serving operators, dealers, or field users.
Strong focus on responsible AI, data classification, and PII handling in line with enterprise compliance expectations.
Tech Stack
AWS
Azure
Python
Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision benefits*
Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)*