Principal Search Engineering Lead (E-Commerce)

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.

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.

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.

Job Summary:

You’ll lead innovation in search technology, shaping the future of how users interact with information. This is an opportunity to work on cutting-edge solutions in a collaborative, forward-thinking environment.

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.

The Principal Search Engineering Lead (E-Commerce) is responsible for setting the technical direction and overseeing the execution of advanced search solutions. This role combines strategic vision, hands-on technical expertise, and leadership to build scalable, high-performance search platforms that deliver exceptional user experiences.

What You Will Do:

• Technical Strategy: Define and implement a long-term technical vision for the search platform to ensure scalability and adaptability to growing data volumes and query complexity.

• Team Leadership: Mentor and guide a team of search engineers through technical reviews, best practices, and collaborative problem-solving.

• System Architecture: Design and deploy distributed, fault-tolerant search systems, including data pipelines and infrastructure optimizations.

• Feature Development: Introduce advanced capabilities such as NLP, vector search, and personalization to enhance relevance and accuracy.

• Data Analysis & Optimization: Establish KPIs (e.g., precision, recall) and leverage analytics to continuously improve algorithm performance.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product managers, data scientists, and engineering teams to align search initiatives with business objectives.

What You Will Have:

Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
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.
Software Development: Knowledge of software development tools and activities; ability to produce software products or systems in line with product requirements.
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.
Software Integration Engineering: Knowledge of software integration processes and functions; ability to design, develop and maintain interfaces and linkage to alternative platforms and software packages.
Software Product Design/Architecture: Knowledge of software product design; ability to convert market requirements into the software product design..

Considerations For Top Candidates:

Relevant work experience for a Principal Search Engineering Lead (E-Commerce)in the contex