Career Area:
Engineering
Job Description:
Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.
When you join Caterpillar, youre 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 dont 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.
We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Python Developer / Tech Lead with deep expertise in Geospatial Sciences and Terrain Data Processing. You will lead the design and development of scalable geospatial data pipelines, terrain modeling systems, and analytics platforms that support our autonomy and mapping initiatives.
Responsibilities
- Lead the architecture, design, and implementation of Python-based systems for geospatial data processing and terrain analysis.
- Develop and optimize algorithms for terrain modeling, elevation data handling (e.g., DEM, DSM, DTM), and spatial interpolation.
- Integrate and manage large-scale geospatial datasets (e.g., LiDAR, satellite imagery, GPS tracks).
- Collaborate with data scientists, GIS analysts, and autonomy engineers to deliver high-performance solutions.
- Mentor junior developers and contribute to code reviews, best practices, and technical leadership.
- Ensure code quality, scalability, and maintainability across the geospatial data stack.
- Experience with 3D terrain modeling, mesh generation, or point cloud processing.
- Knowledge of machine learning applications in geospatial analysis.
- Exposure to tools like QGIS, CesiumJS, or OpenLayers.
- Experience with containerization (Docker), CI/CD pipelines, and cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure).
Degree Requirement:
- 8+ years of experience in Python development, with at least 2 years in a technical leadership role.
- Strong understanding of geospatial concepts and coordinate systems (e.g., WGS84, UTM).
- Hands-on experience with geospatial libraries and tools such as GDAL, Rasterio, Fiona, Shapely, Pyproj, GeoPandas.
- Experience with terrain data formats and processing workflows (e.g., LiDAR, SRTM, GeoTIFF).
- Familiarity with spatial databases (e.g., PostGIS) and cloud-based geospatial data handling.
- Proficiency in designing RESTful APIs and integrating geospatial services.
- Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment
Skill Descriptors
Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Ensures capture of lessons to be learned from a problem-solving effort.
- Organizes potential problem solvers and leads problem resolution efforts.
- Uses varying problem-solving approaches and techniques as appropriate.
- Contributes to standard practices for problem-solving approaches, tools, and processes.
- Analyzes and synthesizes information and devises alternative resolution strategies.
- Develops successful resolutions to critical or wide-impact problems.
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.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Explains how to use multiple, vendor-provided or in-house structured methodologies.
- Describes tasks, tools and practices for converting software product requirements into a design.
- Demonstrates experience with all phases and deliverables of the product development methodology.
- Implements the generic functions, features and facilities of modern structured methods.
- Explores and evaluates major structured methodologies available in the marketplace.
- Consults on effective application of structured product development methodologies.
Software Product Testing: Knowledge of software product testing; ability to design, plan, and execute testing strategies and tactics to ensure software product quality and adherence to stated requirements.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Has experience with planning and executing full spectrum of tests for multiple products.
- Provides input to design team to ensure testing considerations are incorporated into system design.
- Creates test scenarios that ensure all error handling processes perform as expected.
- Defines, creates, and executes test plans and cases; estimates time, effort and resources required.
- Explains approaches and tools for functional, reliability, and vulnerability testing.
- Discusses applications of iterative testing using agile methodologies.
Application Development Tools: Knowledge of application and system development; ability to utilize a variety of specific tools and toolkits for developing applications.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Evaluates toolkits used to support major production systems.
- Resolves issues regarding functions, features and components of multiple toolkits.
- Provides implementation support on toolkit enhancements or changes.
- Interprets benefits and drawbacks of procedural and event-driven toolkits.
- Oversees the evaluation and recommendation of delivery tools and platforms.
- Coaches others on appropriate uses of all major tools in a toolkit for a specific platform.
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.
Level Working Knowledge:
- Performs basic tasks within a specific artificial intelligence area, such as self-driving cars, medical diagnosis, playing games, financial fraud detection, etc.
- Assists in business requirements analysis in the AI solution design or deployment process.
- Maintains and/or updates AI systems and equipment on a regular basis.
- Deploys, develops or operates specific AI products, equipment, systems and/or platforms to achieve certain business goals.
- Tests and troubleshoots the functionality of AI applications and systems within a specific area.
Programming: Knowledge of relevant programming languages and tools; ability to test, write, design, debug, troubleshoot and maintain source codes and computer programs.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Conducts walkthroughs and monitors the quality of development activities.
- Assesses the impact of new productivity improvement tools on ones own area of responsibility.
- Compares and contrasts similarities and differences between multiple programming languages.
- Oversees major developmental efforts adhering to application systems design.
- Evaluates characteristics and advantages of different programming techniques.
- Coaches juniors on multiple programming languages.
Technical Troubleshooting: Knowledge of technical troubleshooting approaches, tools and techniques; ability to anticipate, recognize, and resolve technical issues on hardware, software, application or operation.
Level Extensive Experience:
- Emphasizes the business impact of failure and the criticality and timing of needed resolution so that problems can be avoided in the future.
- Creates trouble reports for all issues found and reviews solutions for completeness and correctness.
- Directs the resolution of communications problems in multi-vendor environments.
- Resolves a variety of hardware, software, and communications malfunctions.
- Coaches others on advanced diagnostic techniques and tools for unusual or performance-related problems.
- Facilitates the distribution of releases reports and correction packages to departments or clients.
Relocation is available for this position.
