Principal Architect – Simulation Engine (Physical AI)

Job description

Career Area: Technology, Digital and Data 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. 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. Job Summary: The Simulation Engine Architect owns how our virtual world runs — the physics, sensors, scenarios, time, determinism, and scale that let autonomy be developed, trained, and proven before it ever touches a real machine. The Principal Digital Architect – Simulation Engine defines the technical vision, architecture, and roadmap for the simulation platform that underpins Physical AI and autonomy development for Caterpillar’s construction and mining machines. This platform must reproduce the physical behavior of excavators, dozers, loaders, and haul trucks interacting with deformable terrain and material; the behavior of cameras, LiDAR, radar, GNSS, and inertial sensors in dust, rain, low light, and vibration; and the behavior of dynamic jobsites with people, vehicles, and changing ground. It must do this deterministically, at high fidelity where fidelity matters, and at a scale of millions of scenario executions per day across GPU clusters. The architect sets direction for the core simulation abstractions — world and asset representation (OpenUSD), the physics and rendering stack (NVIDIA Omniverse / Isaac Sim, PhysX, Unreal Engine), sensor models, scenario definition and generation, the execution model for open-loop replay and closed-loop software-in-the-loop / hardware-in-the-loop runs, and the interfaces that expose the simulator as a training environment for reinforcement learning and world-model-based (“neural”) simulation. The role establishes measurable standards for fidelity, determinism, performance, and developer experience, and leads the sim-to-real correlation program that keeps the simulator trustworthy against field data. The architect works with the simulation engineering team, the Digital Twin and AI Factory architects, autonomy and perception teams, and controls and machine engineering to converge on one platform, reduce fragmentation, and raise engineering velocity across the organization. What You Will Do: Developing detailed architecture deliverables to solve business problems. Designing an application's technical infrastructure, such as specific databases, programming languages, utilities, and testing approaches Leading the evaluation and deployment of new technologies to add or enhance existing digital technical capabilities. Participating in addressing business requirements for applications and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver digital solutions that meets business results. What You Will Have: Requirements Analysis: Knowledge of tools, methods, and techniques of requirement analysis; ability to elicit, analyze and record required business functionality and non-functionality requirements to ensure the success of a system or software development project. 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. Platform Architecture: 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. Target Architecture: Knowledge of target architecture; ability to develop the IT blueprint and roadmap while aligning the architecture and processes with business strategies and objectives. 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. Top Candidates Will Have: Simulation Engine Architecture – Typically 8+ years in software engineering with ownership of a production simulation platform for autonomous vehicles or robotics: core abstractions, deterministic execution, replay and closed-loop modes, SIL/HIL integration. Omniverse and Game Engines – Hands-on NVIDIA Omniverse / Isaac Sim (Kit, OpenUSD, PhysX, RTX) and/or Unreal Engine as a simulation foundation; Applied Intuition, CARLA, Isaac Lab, MuJoCo, or Project Chrono a plus. High-Fidelity Physics – Multibody dynamics, contact and friction, deformable terrain and granular material, track/tire-ground interaction, hydraulics and powertrain; models calibrated and validated against test data. Sensor Simulation – Physically based camera, LiDAR, radar, GNSS, and IMU models including dust, weather, noise, and calibration effects, validated against real sensor logs; exposure to 3D Gaussian Splatting / NeRF. World and Scenario Simulation – Large outdoor terrain and geospatial environments; procedural and generative scenario generation with coverage tied to the ODD; familiarity with ASAM OpenSCENARIO and SOTIF / ISO 26262. Reinforcement Learning and Neural Simulation – Gym-style RL environments and large-scale closed-loop training (Isaac Lab, Ray); understanding of world foundation models (NVIDIA Cosmos) alongside physics simulation. Scale and Performance – Simulation on GPU clusters and cloud (Kubernetes, Slurm, Ray, CUDA) with a record of improving throughput, determinism, and cost per simulation. Software Engineering – Expert modern C++ and strong Python; gRPC / Protocol Buffers, Bazel or CMake, CI/CD for large monorepos; Rust or CUDA a plus. Architecture Leadership – Served as architectural authority across multiple teams; influences senior leaders and mentors principal, staff, and senior engineers. Domain Exposure – Off-highway, mining, or construction autonomy, or AV/robotics simulation at companies such as Applied Intuition, NVIDIA, Waabi, Wayve, Zoox, GM/Cruise, or Foretellix. Bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field, or equivalent experience. 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 available with this position. Why Caterpillar You'll work on some of the most challenging applications of AI in the physical world, helping build systems that transform vast amounts of machine and sensor data into the intelligence that powers autonomous and AI-enabled equipment. If you're excited about applying AI to real-world machines operating in complex environments, we'd like to hear from you. Summary Pay Range: $159,120.00 - $258,570.00 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. Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community .