Senior Data Scientist - Procurement

Caterpillar•Peoria, IL

6d•$112,710 - $183,140•Onsite

About The Position

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. As the Senior Data Scientist with Caterpillar’s Digital Supply and Capacity Planning Team you will help unlock measurable cost, business risk, and production capacity planning opportunities by turning complex data into clear, actionable insights. You will lead complex data transformation and modeling efforts, apply machine learning and advanced analytics, and deliver decision-ready intelligence through modern visualizations and analytics. This role blends deep technical capability with business partnership - you’ll collaborate with partners across the enterprise to define problem statements, build models, and scale solutions that drive value. What you will do: Lead large-scale data gathering, data mining, and data processing across multiple internal and external sources; develop fit-for-purpose data models for procurement decision-making. Apply machine learning, text analytics, and natural language processing (NLP) to procurement use cases (e.g., contract clause extraction, supplier risk signals, category insights). Define the requirements and scope of analyses with stakeholders; translate ambiguous procurement problems into structured analytical workstreams and measurable outcomes. Build and present business insights through data visualization and clear executive-ready narratives (dashboards, scorecards, performance insights). Research, prototype, and optimize algorithms/models to improve effectiveness and accuracy; iterate based on validation, bias checks, and operational feedback. Support procurement-focused analytics capabilities such as predictive analytics, e-procurement enablement, and insights that strengthen the procurement function (category, sourcing, supplier, process). What makes this role exciting: This role provides decision support for enterprise‑wide capacity planning, impacting the entire company across facilities, suppliers, dealers, and all major business divisions. The analytics produced are complex, probabilistic and have far‑reaching and strategic impact, influencing how the organization plans, scales, and allocates resources. Ideal for someone who wants to solve big, complex problems, work across boundaries, and see their work directly shape leadership decisions.

Requirements

Accuracy and Attention to Detail Demonstrates strong discipline in data accuracy, validation, and quality assurance when working with large, complex, and interconnected datasets. Ensures analytical outputs are precise, well‑documented, and reliable for high-stakes enterprise decision support. Maintains rigor while moving quickly in an environment where analytics directly influence capacity, supplier, and facilities planning at scale.
Analytical Thinking Applies structured and creative analytical approaches to solve complex, ambiguous problems related to capacity planning across facilities and suppliers Uses probabilistic thinking and root‑cause analysis to understand system constraints, trade‑offs, and uncertainty in large-scale planning models. Generates alternative solutions, clearly articulates recommendations, having confidence to challenge assumptions and contribute original ideas.
Programming Languages Proficient in programming languages commonly used in data science and analytics (such as Python) to build models, simulations, and analytical workflows. Writes clear, maintainable, and reusable code to support probabilistic modeling, decision support tools, and scalable analytics solutions. Uses programming skills to automate analysis, explore complex systems, and rapidly prototype new ideas. Strong hands‑on experience using SQL to extract, join, and transform data from multiple enterprise data sources.
Query and Database Access Tools Ability to provide visualization and simplifications of complex data Technical experience building analytical outputs and decision‑support solutions using Power BI and Power Apps. Works comfortably across structured datasets to connect business information into a unified analytical view and turning complex data into actionable insights.
Machine Learning Basic knowledge of machine learning, statistical modeling, and probabilistic techniques used to support forecasting, simulation, and capacity planning.

Nice To Haves

Strong interpersonal and communication skills; comfortable sharing perspectives, asking questions, and constructively challenging ideas.
Motivated, resourceful, and curious — enjoys solving hard problems and working through new challenges.
Exposure to digital product ownership and/or digital project management is a plus, particularly in analytics‑driven environments.
STEM higher education background

Responsibilities

Lead large-scale data gathering, data mining, and data processing across multiple internal and external sources; develop fit-for-purpose data models for procurement decision-making.
Apply machine learning, text analytics, and natural language processing (NLP) to procurement use cases (e.g., contract clause extraction, supplier risk signals, category insights).
Define the requirements and scope of analyses with stakeholders; translate ambiguous procurement problems into structured analytical workstreams and measurable outcomes.
Build and present business insights through data visualization and clear executive-ready narratives (dashboards, scorecards, performance insights).
Research, prototype, and optimize algorithms/models to improve effectiveness and accuracy; iterate based on validation, bias checks, and operational feedback.
Support procurement-focused analytics capabilities such as predictive analytics, e-procurement enablement, and insights that strengthen the procurement function (category, sourcing, supplier, process).