Senior Autonomy System Designer / Concepteur principal de systèmes d’autonomie

Caterpillar Inc.•Laval, QC

3d•Onsite

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. Cat Technology collaborates with partners across the Caterpillar enterprise to advance technologies including autonomy and automation, which helps enhance site safety, productivity and efficiency across customer operations worldwide. Cat Technology also owns enterprise-wide initiatives in innovation, research and development, manufacturing automation and advanced materials, ensuring Caterpillar continues to lead the industry in technological excellence and engineering innovation. As the Senior Autonomy System Designer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategy, architecture, and execution of advanced robotic and autonomous systems. You will serve as the technical authority, translating complex business needs into scalable, high-performance robotics solutions while driving innovation across software development, integration, and validation processes. In this role you will lead cross-functional efforts to design, develop, and deploy cutting-edge robotics systems, ensuring alignment with enterprise objectives, operational environments, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. You will influence product direction, establish technical standards, and guide teams through the full lifecycle, from concept and architecture through testing, validation and release. This position requires a blend of strategic thinking, deep technical expertise, and collaborative leadership to deliver robust, reliable autonomy solutions that enhance product capability and business value.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (electrical, software, computer) or equivalent experience in lieu of degree.
Fluency in English and French (both written and spoken) is preferred to effectively communicate with diverse stakeholders and ensure accurate interpretation of information.
Communicating Complex Concepts: Knowledge of effective presentation tools and techniques to ensure clear understanding; ability to use summarization and simplification techniques to explain complex technical concepts in simple, clear language appropriate to the audience.
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.
Managing Multiple Priorities: Knowledge of effective self-management practices; ability to manage multiple concurrent objectives, projects, groups, or activities, making effective judgments as to prioritizing and time allocation.
Technical Excellence: Knowledge of a given technology and various application methods; ability to develop and provide solutions to significant technical challenges.
Strategic Thinking: Knowledge of the importance of "big picture" thinking and planning; ability to apply organizational acumen and competitiveness to identify and maintain focus on key success factors for the organization.
Influencing Through Expertise: Knowledge of effective influencing tactics and strategies; ability to use these to deepen own expertise and impact or challenge decisions within and outside own organization.
Software Product Design/Architecture: Knowledge of software product design; ability to convert market requirements into the software product design.
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.

Nice To Haves

Proven ability to collaborate effectively within cross-functional, Agile teams, working closely with software, hardware systems, and product stakeholders to drive alignment, share knowledge, and deliver integrated solutions.
Demonstrates strong communication skills, adaptability, and a team-oriented mindset when navigating complex technical challenges and competing priorities.
Demonstrated success in the design, development, testing, or validation of complex, multi-disciplinary systems, preferably in robotics, autonomy, or distributed embedded environments.
Ability to navigate system-level challenges such as real-time constraints, safety considerations, and hardware/software co-design.
Previous experience driving production validation in Agile or hybrid development environments, including continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), automated testing frameworks, and iterative release cycles.
Strong understanding of how to balance speed, quality, and reliability in mission-critical systems.
Hands on experience with communication technologies such as GPS positioning, Wi-Fi, and network protocols (TCP/IP, UDP/IP, SSL), with a strong understanding of how connectivity impacts autonomy performance, data integrity, and system reliability in real-world environments.
Familiarity with CAN bus systems and J1939 protocols, including their application in heavy equipment, automotive, or industrial robotics environments.
Ability to design and troubleshoot robust communication interfaces between subsystems.
Strong experience working within Linux operating systems for embedded or robotics applications, including system configuration, performance tuning, debugging, and deployment in distributed or edge computing environments.
Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python to support rapid prototyping, test automation, data analysis, and tool development.
Ability to create scalable scripts that improve engineering efficiency and validation coverage.
Practical experience applying AI/ML techniques (perception, localization, path planning, decision-making) to real-world use cases.
Understanding of how AI integrates into robotics systems to enhance autonomy, adaptability, and operational performance.
Experience integrating software with sensors, actuators, control systems, and enterprise platforms.
Ability to think holistically across electrical, mechanical, and software domains to deliver cohesive and reliable solutions.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to diagnose and resolve complex system issues across hardware, software, and network layers, particularly in field or production environments.
Experience working closely with product teams or end users to translate operational needs into technical solutions, ensuring the delivered system provides measurable business value and usability.
Comfort working across geographically distributed teams and stakeholders, including suppliers, partners, and internal teams, while effectively navigating cultural and communication differences.

Responsibilities

Translate business requirements into end-to-end robotics system designs, defining functional requirements, system architecture, and integration strategies for autonomous solutions.
Act as a subject matter expert and technical leader, guiding engineering teams through complex software development challenges, design decisions, and system trade-offs.
Lead the system design, development, implementation, and release of robotics system, ensuring scalability, reliability, and alignment with product and platform strategies.
Champion quality and compliance by participating in and leading test design and reviews, analysis, witnessing, and certification activities to ensure robust system performance in real-world environments.
Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies, including AI/ML, connectivity, and sensing, to continuously enhance the capabilities of the robotics software system portfolio.
Provide expert consultation on integrating robotics software with existing infrastructure, embedded systems, communication networks, and enterprise platforms.
Identify performance bottlenecks and architect solutions to improve system efficiency, reliability, safety, and scalability across diverse operating environments.
Work closely with product management, hardware and software engineering, validation teams, product support and global stakeholders to ensure alignment with organizational goals and market needs.
Share expertise and provide technical coaching to engineers and teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and engineering excellence.
Contribute to strategic and operational initiatives as assigned, supporting evolving business needs and innovation priorities.
Other duties as assigned by Caterpillar management from time-to-time.