Path Planning Senior Autonomy Engineer

Job description

Career Area: Engineering 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. Role Definition Caterpillar’s Autonomy and Automation Group is building the autonomous planning platform that moves machines and manipulates terrain across construction sites. As a Path Planning Engineer, you will design the navigation and terrain planning that lets autonomous machines drive, dig, and dump safely and efficiently — from stationary digging to high-speed machine navigation. This is an ideal opportunity for someone with experience in developing path planning algorithms, perception techniques and implementing production quality software in C++. Responsibilities 1. Develop navigation planning — route generation, path planning over drivable terrain, and obstacle avoidance 2. Build motion planning that issues control commands to accurately track planned paths 3. Design terrain planning that decides where machines engage terrain — dig, dump, and push 4. Deliver long-horizon planning for both onboard and offboard execution 5. Create reusable planning libraries and common data objects such as path geometry and zones 6. Develop search and optimization algorithms and motion & terrain interaction prediction models 7. Develop production quality code and own your algorithms from design to production 8. Run simulation for path planning algorithm development and test various scenarios 9. Test code on construction equipment. Required Qualifications: 1. Bachelor's or Master's in Robotics, Computer Science, or a related engineering field 2. Strong foundation in motion and path planning, including search and sampling-based methods such as A*, RRT, and graph search 3. Proficiency in C++ and/or Python for real-time robotics software 4. Experience with autonomous ground vehicles, mobile robots, or off-road navigation 5. Working knowledge of kinematics, dynamics, and control for path tracking 6. Track record building modular, reusable software libraries with clean interfaces Preferred Qualifications 1. Experience with off-highway or heavy equipment such as excavators, loaders, and trucks 2. Familiarity with terrain modeling and machine-terrain interaction prediction 3. Knowledge of perception, localization, and mapping (SLAM) 4. Exposure to ROS, simulation, and field testing of autonomy 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 [BH1.1][LR1.2]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. Skill Descriptors Industry Knowledge: Knowledge of the organization's industry group, trends, directions, major issues, regulatory considerations, and trendsetters; ability to apply industry knowledge appropriately to diverse situations. Level Extensive Experience: • Educates others on own organization in terms of the industry - its market position • Compares and contrasts the latest developments and emerging issues in the industry. • Raises coworkers' awareness of industry standards, practices and guidelines. • Explains the development of industry segments - trends, consequences, key issues. • Discusses industry-specific cycles and associated considerations. Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations. Level Extensive Experience: • Ensures capture of lessons to be learned from a problem-solving effort. • Organizes potential problem solvers and leads problem resolution efforts. • Uses varying problem-solving approaches and techniques as appropriate. • Contributes to standard practices for problem-solving approaches, tools, and processes. • Analyzes and synthesizes information and devises alternative resolution strategies. • Develops successful resolutions to critical or wide-impact problems. Software Development Life Cycle: Knowledge of software development life cycle; ability to use a structured methodology for delivering and managing new or enhanced software products to the marketplace. Level Extensive Experience: • Explains how to use multiple, vendor-provided or in-house structured methodologies. • Describes tasks, tools and practices for converting software product requirements into a design. • Demonstrates experience with all phases and deliverables of the product development methodology. • Implements the generic functions, features and facilities of modern structured methods. • Explores and evaluates major structured methodologies available in the marketplace. • Consults on effective application of structured product development methodologies. Software Product Testing: Knowledge of software product testing; ability to design, plan, and execute testing strategies and tactics to ensure software product quality and adherence to stated requirements. Level Extensive Experience: • Has experience with planning and executing full spectrum of tests for multiple products. • Provides input to design team to ensure testing considerations are incorporated into system design. • Creates test scenarios that ensure all error handling processes perform as expected. • Defines, creates, and executes test plans and cases; estimates time, effort and resources required. • Explains approaches and tools for functional, reliability, and vulnerability testing. • Discusses applications of iterative testing using agile methodologies. Application Development Tools: Knowledge of application and system development; ability to utilize a variety of specific tools and toolkits for developing applications. Level Extensive Experience: • Evaluates toolkits used to support major production systems. • Resolves issues regarding functions, features and components of multiple toolkits. • Provides implementation support on toolkit enhancements or changes. • Interprets benefits and drawbacks of procedural and event-driven toolkits. • Oversees the evaluation and recommendation of delivery tools and platforms. • Coaches others on appropriate uses of all major tools in a toolkit for a specific platform. Artificial Intelligence: Knowledge of the concepts, technologies and methodologies of artificial intelligence (AI); ability to develop, implement and/or apply artificial intelligence products and services in specific industry domain to achieve business goals. Level Working Knowledge: • Performs basic tasks within a specific artificial intelligence area, such as self-driving cars, medical diagnosis, playing games, financial fraud detection, etc. • Assists in business requirements analysis in the AI solution design or deployment process. • Maintains and/or updates AI systems and equipment on a regular basis. • Deploys, develops or operates specific AI products, equipment, systems and/or platforms to achieve certain business goals. • Tests and troubleshoots the functionality of AI applications and systems within a specific area. Programming: Knowledge of relevant programming languages and tools; ability to test, write, design, debug, troubleshoot and maintain source codes and computer programs. Level Extensive Experience: • Conducts walkthroughs and monitors the quality of development activities. • Assesses the impact of new productivity improvement tools on one's own area of responsibility. • Compares and contrasts similarities and differences between multiple programming languages. • Oversees major developmental efforts adhering to application systems design. • Evaluates characteristics and advantages of different programming techniques. • Coaches juniors on multiple programming languages. 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 Extensive Experience: • Emphasizes the business impact of failure and the criticality and timing of needed resolution so that problems can be avoided in the future. • Creates trouble reports for all issues found and reviews solutions for completeness and correctness. • Directs the resolution of communications problems in multi-vendor environments. • Resolves a variety of hardware, software, and communications malfunctions. • Coaches others on advanced diagnostic techniques and tools for unusual or performance-related problems. • Facilitates the distribution of releases reports and correction packages to departments or clients. Posting Dates: July 20, 2026 - August 2, 2026 Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community .