Search Strategy Manager

Caterpillar•Chicago, IL

About The Position

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. Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. Cat Digital is the digital and technology arm of Caterpillar Inc., leveraging the latest technologies to build industry leading digital solutions for our customers and dealers. With over 1.5 million connected assets worldwide, our teams use data, technology, advanced analytics, telematics, and AI capabilities to help our customers build a better, more sustainable world. Job Summary: eCommerce is a key digital enabler to Caterpillar’s aftermarket parts and services growth strategy. Delivering on the Caterpillar brand promise of premium, high-quality solutions is an important element in accelerating the development and deployment of Caterpillar’s expanded capabilities in eCommerce. We are seeking a highly analytical and innovative search leader to drive our eCommerce search experiences as well as helping craft and influence experiences across our other Digital solutions. If you are passionate about improving how customers find the solutions they need – and leading search platforms that deliver those outcomes at scale – this is an opportunity to make a lasting impact. The eCommerce Search Strategy Manager works as a member of the eCommerce Product Management Team to define our search strategy. The ideal candidate will be a data-driven professional responsible for the performance, tuning, and testing of our eCommerce search solution – as well as helping the broader Cat Digital Team with expertise and know how - including the implementation of cutting-edge AI-powered search solutions. This role requires a blend of technical expertise, analytical skills, and a user-centric approach to ensure our customers can find the right products quickly and efficiently, thereby driving conversion and revenue growth. Summarized Accountability Own and drive the Search product strategy and vision for eCommerce while evolving the capability as a scalable platform supporting multiple customer journeys.

Requirements

Four year Bachelor’s d egree preferably in computer science, information systems, marketing, communications, engineering or related field
Experience as a product manager
Experience in eCommerce search related role

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with specific eCommerce search solutions (Algolia, Coveo, Constructor, Elastic/OpenSearch)
Led a multi-application search platform (web + mobile + intranet) at scale
Proven experience with Search platform architecture, ingestion pipelines, schema & taxonomy, federated search, relevance tuning, ranking frameworks and embedding strategies
Implemented hybrid/semantic search and shipped production RAG or answer generation features with evaluation
Reduced zero-results and improved conversion/search KPIs through systematic tuning and experimentation
Integrated diverse content sources (CMS, DAM, ticketing, knowledge bases) and managed multilingual search
Built governance around taxonomy, synonym management, and safe rollout of relevance changes
Superb communication, presentation, storytelling, interpersonal and analytical skills
Strong accountability, planning/organization, and teamwork
Designed and guided search solutions that support diverse customer journeys—ranging from shopping and support to marketing, mobile, and employee experiences.
Proven wins in product discovery: relevance boosts, attribute weighting, facet design, dynamic filters, merchandising rules, and personalization.
Experience balancing algorithmic relevance with business controls (boost/bury, pinning).
Well versed in search analytics: query distribution, zero-results, abandonment, CTR, dwell time.
Experience building search councils for taxonomy governance and experimentation cadence.
Demonstrated ability to empower teams.

Responsibilities

Search Engine Management & Tuning: Manage and optimize the platform's internal search engine (e.g., Elastic Search, Algolia, or platform-specific solutions) configurations and algorithms to improve result relevance and user experience.
Performance Analysis & Optimization: Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as conversion rates from search, average order value, and search exit rates. Use these insights to continually tune search relevancy and ranking models.
AI Solution Implementation: Provide direction and requirements to support the integration and implementation of new AI and machine learning-driven search solutions, such as vector databases for semantic search and generative AI features for product discovery, collaborating with data science and engineering teams.
Testing Framework Development: Design, implement, and manage comprehensive A/B and multivariate testing frameworks for search result configurations, UI changes, and new features to validate impact and ensure data-driven decision making.
Trend Analysis & Innovation: Stay updated with industry trends, search engine algorithm changes, and emerging eCommerce technologies to ensure our search strategy remains competitive and effective.