Principal AI Robotics Architect

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Career Area:

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.

Help Build the Future of Caterpillar –

At Caterpillar, technology always has a purpose, which is to solve our customers’ toughest challenges. Through Cat Technology, we are solving problems by building 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.

Job Summary:

The Agentic Robotics Architect owns how machines plan and orchestrate multi-step work – the agentic layer of planning, task decomposition, tool use, memory, and deliberative reasoning.

You will be responsible for the architecture that lets autonomous machines break goals into tasks, choose and use tools and capabilities, maintain memory and context, and reason deliberatively to complete complex jobs. Squarely within Robotics – reasoning, planning, VLA, and behavior generation This role defines the agentic patterns, the planning and decision interfaces, and the memory and state approach, and connects them to VLA and behavior generation.

What You Will Do:

• Develop detailed architecture deliverables to solve business problems.
• Design an application’s technical infrastructure, such as specific databases, programming languages, utilities, and testing approaches.
• Lead the evaluation and deployment of new technologies to add or enhance existing digital technical capabilities.
• Define the target architecture for agentic robotic systems, including planning, reasoning, memory, world modeling, execution monitoring, and recovery frameworks.
• Architect multi-agent and hierarchical-agent systems capable of goal decomposition, task allocation, tool invocation, autonomous coordination, and long-horizon execution.
• Establish architectural patterns that integrate foundation models, LLMs, multimodal AI, Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models, and robotic control systems.
• Design orchestration frameworks that enable robots to dynamically discover, evaluate, and utilize tools, APIs, robotic skills, perception services, simulation environments, and enterprise systems.
• Participate in addressing business requirements for applications and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver digital solutions that meets business results.

What You Will Have:

• ROBOTICS & AUTONOMY ARCHITECTURE-Strong professional experience with robotics architecture, autonomous systems design, robotic middleware, distributed robotics platforms, and machine autonomy frameworks. Ability to architect scalable systems that coordinate perception, planning, decision-making, and execution.
• AGENTIC AI SYSTEMS-Deep knowledge of agent architectures, reasoning frameworks, planning systems, tool-use paradigms, agent memory systems, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and multi-agent orchestration. Ability to translate AI capabilities into reliable real-world robotic applications.
• FOUNDATION MODELS & EMBODIED AI-Knowledge of Large Language Models (LLMs), Vision-Language Models (VLMs), Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models, robotic foundation models, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and behavior cloning. Ability to integrate foundation models into production robotics platforms.
• SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE-Expertise in distributed systems, event-driven architecture, API design, cloud-native platforms, edge computing, real-time systems, and scalable AI infrastructure.
• REQUIREMENTS & MISSION ANALYSIS-Ability to translate mission objectives, operational constraints, safety requirements, and business outcomes into robust technical architectures and execution strategies.
• STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP-Ability to define future-state architectures, govern technical decisions, establish engineering standards, and influence cross-functional organizations executing large-scale AI and robotics initiatives.

Top Candidates Will Have:

• ROBOTICS AI STACK EXPERIENCE-Strong professional experience architecting robotics, autonomous systems, embodied AI, or advanced AI platforms. Experience with autonomous vehicles, warehouse automation, industrial robotics, humanoid robotics, field robotics, or intelligent machine platforms.
• AGENTIC SYSTEMS & PLANNING-Experience architecting planning, task decomposition, and deliberative reasoning systems for robotics, autonomy, or agentic AI.
• TOOL USE & ORCHESTRATION- Experience with agent architectures that select and orchestrate tools and capabilities to accomplish multi-step goals.
• MEMORY & STATE-Understanding of memory, context, and state management for long-horizon tasks.
• INTEGRATION WITH VLA & BEHAVIOR – Ability to connect agentic planning to learned policies (VLA) and behavior generation.
• STRATEGIC ARCHITECTURE LEADERSHIP -Ability to influence senior leaders, define architectural roadmaps, establish standards and patterns, govern technology decisions, and provide technical direction across multiple engineering organizations without direct authority.
• Progressive career in software engineering and architecture with a focus on AI/ML and robotics (senior or principal level).
  

Additional Details:

• This position requires the candidate to work full-time at the Irving, TX office (Dallas)
• Domestic relocation assistance is available for this position.
• Visa sponsorship is NOT available with this position.

You’ll build and deploy against one of the most unique data foundations–over 1.6 million connected assets generating real-world data daily. These data and platform capabilities are enabling the development of AI models, edge computing architectures, and software systems that scale across fleets, products, and industries. The result will be a new generation of machines that continuously learn, improve, and deliver performance at scale.

Be Part of What’s Next in Autonomous Construction Sites

Construction autonomy is one of the most complex challenges in applied AI, and at Caterpillar, advancements in physical AI, simulation, sensing, and edge computing are turning things that once felt impossible–intelligent machines operating in dynamic jobsites–into reality.

Our connected ecosystem brings together massive volumes of high-quality data to create a foundation where engineers like you can build and deploy against.

If this work motivates you, we invite you to join our team. In these roles, you’ll work at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. You’ll help design and deliver intelligent systems that enable machines to perceive their environment, make informed decisions, and support safer, more productive operations.

Apply today to build the new era of construction autonomy at Caterpillar.

Summary Pay Range:

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

Posting Dates:

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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