QA Lead - Simulation Platform

About the Role

Help build the future of Caterpillar by joining a team that is shaping autonomous construction sites. At Caterpillar, technology solves our customers’ toughest challenges. This role focuses on establishing quality strategy, validation practices, automation, and release confidence for a foundational simulation platform. You’ll collaborate across robotics and platform teams, moving fast and building a quality culture from the ground up.

Responsibilities

• Lead QA strategy, planning, and execution for the simulation and rendering platform across frontend, backend, data, APIs, rendering, and integration layers.
• Define quality standards, test processes, release gates, defect triage methods, acceptance criteria, and measurable quality signals for the engineering team.
• Build and mentor a high-performing QA function, including hiring support, technical interviewing, onboarding, and coaching QA engineers and SDETs.
• Own automated test architecture for UI, API, integration, regression, data validation, simulation scenarios, rendering validation, and performance/reliability testing.
• Partner with software engineering, robotics, product, and architecture stakeholders to translate business and technical requirements into testable acceptance criteria and validation plans.
• Champion CI/CD quality practices, including test selection, pipeline health, flaky-test reduction, code review expectations for testability, and release readiness reporting.
• Lead exploratory testing, risk reviews, failure-mode analysis, and defect-prevention practices for simulation workflows and robotic use cases.
• Collaborate tightly with robotics and platform teams to reduce gaps between customer needs, technical implementation, simulation behavior, and delivered quality.
• Facilitate QA brainstorming, test design reviews, post-release learning, and continuous improvement sessions.
• Bring a practical, flexible mindset: propose and implement improvements to enhance quality.

Requirements

• Experience leading QA or SDET efforts for complex web, platform, simulation, rendering, robotics, mapping, or data-intensive software products.
• Proven ability to define QA/QC processes, engineering quality standards, release criteria, and team operating practices.
• Hands-on experience with test automation for modern web applications, APIs, backend services, databases, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Working knowledge of frontend and backend quality concerns, including JavaScript/TypeScript applications, service APIs, data contracts, and cross-browser/device behavior.
• Experience validating 3D, graphics, geospatial, or simulation-related workflows, including visual correctness, scenario behavior, spatial data, or rendering output.
• Experience with automation and quality tooling such as Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, Jest, pytest, Postman/Newman, REST/GraphQL testing, ESLint, Webpack, or similar tools.
• Experience with cloud-based environments such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Firebase, or similar deployment platforms.
• Ability to use AI-assisted development and testing tools responsibly to accelerate test creation, troubleshooting, analysis, and documentation.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate ambiguity into clear quality risks, plans, and decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies independently and help teams adopt better practices.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in software quality, test automation, SDET, or related engineering roles for complex software platforms.
• 3+ years leading QA strategy, QA engineers, SDETs, or cross-functional quality initiatives.
• 5+ years building automated tests for frontend, backend, API, integration, or system-level workflows.
• 5+ years working in agile software delivery environments with strong collaboration across engineering, product, and stakeholders.
• Strong scripting or programming skills, preferably in Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Java, or Node.js.
• Experience with rendering, simulation platforms, robotics test environments, Nvidia Omniverse, game engines, GIS/terrain mapping, or digital twin technologies is highly desirable.
• Experience improving CI/CD pipeline quality, release readiness, defect analytics, and long-term maintainability of test suites.
• Comfortable balancing hands-on execution with technical leadership, mentoring, and process definition.

Preferred Technical Areas

• Simulation platform validation, rendering validation, scenario-based testing, digital twin workflows, robotics simulation, geospatial/map data validation, terrain mapping, and synthetic environment test design.
• API and data validation across SQL, NoSQL, GraphQL, published datasets, open-source libraries, and internally maintained schemas.
• Performance, reliability, scalability, observability, and production-quality feedback loops for platform services.

Additional Details

This position requires working full-time onsite at the Irving, TX office (Dallas). Domestic relocation assistance and visa sponsorship are not available for this role.

Pay

Summary pay range: $128,470.00 - $208,770.00. Compensation and benefits may vary depending on 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.