Principal Edge Architect - Platform

About the Role

At Caterpillar, technology always has a purpose: solving our customers’ toughest challenges. Through Cat Technology, we build the intelligence layer that connects machines, data, and people to make jobsites safer, more productive, and more sustainable. By combining deep domain expertise in physical systems with software, connectivity, autonomy, and AI, we deliver solutions that work in the real world—on real jobsites, at global scale.

You’ll own the overall architecture strategy for the edge platform that runs machine autonomy applications. This role leads the Physical AI - Edge Platform Architecture Team and defines how the NVIDIA Thor-based compute platform, input/output interfaces, networking, runtime environment, storage, monitoring, diagnostics, and system resources come together to support perception, robotics, machine interface, data logging and transmission, and safety-related autonomy services. The architect ensures the edge platform is scalable, reliable, serviceable, secure, and ready for real machine deployment across different autonomy applications, sensor configurations, machine platforms, and operating environments.

Responsibilities

• Define the overall edge platform architecture and roadmap for machine autonomy applications, including compute, input/output interfaces, networking, memory, storage, runtime environment, diagnostics, monitoring, data logging, and data transmission.
• Own key platform architecture decisions and tradeoffs across GPU, CPU, memory, storage, sensor bandwidth, network bandwidth, latency, power, thermal limits, reliability, serviceability, scalability, and cost.
• Lead architecture alignment across perception, robotics, machine platform, simulation, validation, safety, cybersecurity, operations, and product teams to ensure the edge platform supports end-to-end autonomy needs.
• Define standard edge platform configurations for different machine types, sensor packages, autonomy feature levels, and deployment environments, including platform expansion strategy.
• Identify platform capability gaps, technical risks, and future hardware or software needs, and drive recommendations for platform improvements, supplier engagement, upgrade paths, and long-term edge compute strategy.

Requirements

• Analytical Thinking: Expert knowledge of techniques and tools that promote effective analysis; ability to determine the root cause of organizational problems and create alternative solutions that resolve these problems.
• Platform Architecture: Expert knowledge of technologies and methods to design processing mechanisms and roadmaps to execute business application systems; ability to design these roadmaps and deploy supportive interfaces for end-users to access related systems, in accordance with standards and processes.
• Data Architecture: Expert knowledge of processes, techniques and factors that affect data architecture; ability to design blueprints on how to integrate data resources for business processes and functional support. Ability to utilize design methodologies, tools and techniques to convert business requirements and logical models into a technical design.
• Effective Communications: Expert understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.
• Organizational Leadership: Expert knowledge of leadership concepts and ability to use strategies and skills to enlist others in setting, embracing and achieving objectives.

Qualifications

• Strong experience designing edge compute platforms for autonomy, robotics, vehicle systems, industrial machines, or other real-time embedded applications.
• Deep understanding of GPU, CPU, memory, storage, networking, input/output interfaces, sensor data bandwidth, latency, power, thermal, reliability, and serviceability tradeoffs.
• Experience with NVIDIA edge AI platforms and software ecosystem, preferably including NVIDIA Thor, CUDA, TensorRT, GPU-accelerated inference, and hardware/software optimization.
• Strong system architecture judgment, with the ability to define scalable platform configurations across different machine types, sensor packages, autonomy functions, and deployment environments.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with perception, robotics, machine platform, simulation, validation, safety, cybersecurity, operations, suppliers, and product teams to align edge platform capability with real machine autonomy needs.

Additional Details

This position requires working full-time at the Irving, TX office (Dallas). Domestic relocation assistance and visa sponsorship are available. Up to 25% domestic travel may be required.

Pay

Summary pay range: $159,120.00 - $258,570.00. Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including job level, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, individual performance, and experience.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits (subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines)
• 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

Schedule

This position requires working onsite five days a week.