Embedded Software Engineering Specialist - Agentic IDE

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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.

What if our IDE wasn't just a tool, but an intelligent, collaborative partner? What if it understood the unique constraints of our hardware, electrical, controls, and embedded software engineering, proactively identifying issues, generating boilerplate, and optimizing code before it's even written? At Caterpillar Trimble Control Technologies, we build the technology that powers the global earth-moving industry. Now, we're looking for a visionary engineer to build the tools that will transform how our own engineers build that technology.

In this role as a Embedded Software Engineering Specialist - Agentic AI (Agentic IDE) , you will join our established team, as a lead practitioner defining our strategy for the next generation of developer experience. You will pioneer an 'Agentic IDE' concept tailored for our unique, offline-first, embedded systems environment. This isn't about plugging into a simple cloud API, it's about fundamentally re-imagining the developer workflow for a world of hardware and electrical design, controls, embedded C++, and heavy machinery.

The CTCT division (a joint venture between Trimble and Caterpillar) develops positioning, control, and automation products for earthmoving and paving machines in the construction and mining industries, using technologies such as GNSS, optical total stations, lasers and sonics. The products are used in a range of applications where the operator of the machine benefits from having accurate horizontal and vertical guidance. For more information on currently developed products, see https://www.cat.com/en_US/by-industry/construction-industry-resources/technology/grade.html or http://construction.trimble.com/earthworks.

With CTCT being a globally distributed group, travel to New Zealand and India will also be a requirement from time to time.

What You Will Do:

• Architect the Vision: Define and champion the roadmap for our AI-powered developer tools, creating an 'agentic' experience where the IDE acts as an expert partner to our engineers.
• Lead & Build: This is a hands-on role. You will design, prototype, and build the core components of these new tools, from custom IDE extensions and CLIs to intelligent code generation and analysis services.
• Deeply Collaborate: Work side-by-side with our hardware, electrical, controls, and software engineers. You will live in their world to understand their deepest pain points and build the solutions they truly need.
• Integrate & Optimize: Evaluate and integrate Large Language Models (LLMs), static analysis tools, and other AI techniques into our existing CI/CD pipelines and development environments (e.g., VS Code, OpenCode, MATLAB/Simulink, etc.).
• Mentor & Evangelize: Act as the subject matter expert, advocating for best practices and mentoring other engineers in the art of the possible with AI-driven development.

What You Will Have:

Analytical Thinking: 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.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Seeks discrepancies and inconsistencies in available information; explains variances.
• Organizes and prioritizes the sequence of steps to be taken to remedy the situation.
• Identifies many possible causes for a problem based on prior experience and current research.
• Quantifies the costs, benefits, risks and chances for success before recommending a course of action.
• Approaches a complex problem by breaking it down into its component parts.
• Chooses among a diverse set of analytical tools according to the nature of the situation.

Effective Communications: 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.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Reviews others' writing or presentations and provides feedback and coaching.
• Adapts documents and presentations for the intended audience.
• Demonstrates both empathy and assertiveness when communicating a need or defending a position.
• Communicates well downward, upward, and outward.
• Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement.
• Maintains focus on the topic at hand.

Technical Excellence: Knowledge of a given technology and various application methods; ability to develop and provide solutions to significant technical challenges.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Advises others on the assessment and provision of all technical solutions.
• Engages appropriate subject matter resources to effectively resolve technical issues.
• Mentors others to enhance their technical competence and its application to achieve more effective technical solutions.
• Coaches others in promoting, defining, analyzing, and providing superior technical solutions to business problems.
• Provides effective solutions to moderate technical challenges through strong technical competence, effectively examining implications of events and issues.
• Assumes accountability for personal technical performance and holds others responsible for theirs.

Software Product Design/Architecture: Knowledge of software product design; ability to convert market requirements into the software product design.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Demonstrates experience with the architecture and design of major or multiple products.
• Describes major software architecture alternatives and considerations.
• Explains design considerations for commercial database systems, operating systems and web.
• Displays experience in estimating the cost of a specific design of a proposed product.
• Facilitates design reviews and walkthroughs.
• Analyzes benefits and drawbacks of specific software designs and architecture.

Technical Troubleshooting: Knowledge of technical troubleshooting approaches, tools and techniques; ability to anticipate, recognize, and resolve technical issues on hardware, software, application or operation.
Level Advanced:
• Provides insight into alternative troubleshooting approaches and their applicability to solve problems.
• Elaborates on ways of distinguishing between hardware, software and communications problems.
• Plays a leadership role in resolving complex, multi-component failures.
• Creates and oversees policies and procedures to ensure alignment with product and service requirements.
• Builds standards to design and support troubleshooting situations and maintain cost effectiveness.
• Develops and demonstrates an extensive knowledge base and best practice on how to troubleshoot non-recurring and performance-related problems.

Skills and Experience You Should Bring:

We know 'Senior Developer Experience Engineer (Agentic IDE)' isn't a common title, and you may not have heard it before, so please don’t be put off! We're looking for a seasoned engineer with a track record of building exceptional developer tools and a deep curiosity for the potential of AI.

• A Proven Platform Builder: You have solid experience and a history of architecting and building complex developer platforms, infrastructure, or sophisticated tooling from the ground up.
• Polyglot Programmer: You are an expert in high-level languages like Python or TypeScript (for tooling and services) and are comfortable diving into, or at least deeply understanding, the complexities of C++ and its build systems, and MATLAB/Simulink toolchains.
• Pragmatic AI Practitioner: You have demonstrable experience applying AI/ML to software development. This could include:
  • Integrating LLM APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic) and/or running smaller, local models (e.g., Llama, Mistral).
  • Familiarity with frameworks like LangChain, or experience building custom AI agentic workflows.
  • A strong understanding of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), prompt engineering, and fine-tuning.
• Systems Thinker: You excel at understanding complex, interconnected systems—from electrical and hardware design and MATLAB/Simulink control models to the embedded C++ firmware running on our custom hardware.
• Empathetic Communicator: You have an exceptional ability to listen, synthesize needs from diverse engineering groups, and articulate a clear, compelling vision that gets others excited. You build consensus, not just code.

Top Candidates Will Have Skills:

• Direct experience building IDE extensions for tools like VS Code, OpenCode, or MATLAB/Simulink.
• A background in compilers, static/dynamic code analysis, or working with Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs).
• Experience with embedded systems, model-based design/code generation, or hardware/electrical engineering toolchains.
• Contributions to open-source developer tools or AI frameworks.

Additional Information:

• Location is onsite in Mossville, IL five days per week
• Relocation assistance may be available in accordance with Caterpillar policies.
• Sponsorship is not available for this position.

• Travel is 20%

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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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