Principal Architect – Digital Twin
Caterpillar· enterprise· Oct 23, 2026 · 5d ago
Irving, Texas
In office
Full-time
Principal
$148K–$240K
Job description
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.
Help Build the Future of Caterpillar –
At Caterpillar, technology always has a purpose, which is to solve our customers’ toughest challenges. Through Cat Technology, we are solving problems by building the intelligence layer that connects machines, data, and people to make jobsites safer, more productive, and more sustainable. By combining deep domain expertise in physical systems with software, connectivity, autonomy, and AI, we deliver solutions that work in the real world—on real jobsites, at global scale.
You’ll build and deploy against one of the most unique data foundations—over 1.6 million connected assets generating real-world data daily. These data and platform capabilities are enabling the development of AI models, edge computing architectures, and software systems that scale across fleets, products, and industries. The result will be a new generation of machines that continuously learn, improve, and deliver performance at scale.
Be Part of What’s Next in Autonomous Construction Sites
Construction autonomy is one of the most complex challenges in applied AI, and at Caterpillar, advancements in physical AI, simulation, sensing, and edge computing are turning things that once felt impossible—intelligent machines operating in dynamic jobsites—into reality.
Our connected ecosystem brings together massive volumes of high-quality data to create a foundation where engineers like you can build and deploy against.
If this work motivates you, we invite you to join our team. In these roles, you’ll work at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. You’ll help design and deliver intelligent systems that enable machines to perceive their environment, make informed decisions, and support safer, more productive operations.
Apply today to build the new era of construction autonomy at Caterpillar.
Job Summary:
The Digital Twin Architect owns what is in our virtual world and how faithful it is — the machine, the jobsite, the sensors, and the live data that keeps them honest.
The Principal Digital Architect – Digital Twin is responsible for the architecture of the digital twins that Physical AI, simulation, and autonomy are developed and validated against. This spans three twin families: machine twins (kinematics, multibody dynamics, hydraulics, powertrain, implements and tools, and their interaction with material), jobsite / environment twins (terrain and design surfaces from survey, drone photogrammetry and LiDAR scans, GIS and geospatial data, site infrastructure, dynamic site state, weather and lighting), and sensor twins (camera, LiDAR, radar, GNSS, IMU models mounted in their true frames on the machine). Each twin must be simulation-ready, physically based, versioned, and validated against the real machine and site.
The architect defines the asset and scene pipeline that turns CAD, PLM, survey, and reality-capture data into simulation-ready OpenUSD assets and environments for NVIDIA Omniverse / Isaac Sim and Unreal Engine; the data model that connects twins to machine telemetry and fleet data so twins reflect the as-operated machine and as-built site; the validation and correlation program (test data correlation, scenario-based testing, regression testing, telematics comparison) that quantifies twin fidelity; and the synthetic data and neural reconstruction (3D Gaussian Splatting, NeRF, real-to-sim) workflows that scale twin creation. The role works closely with the Simulation Engine architect, who owns the runtime the twins execute in, and with the AI Factory architect, who consumes twin-generated data.
This role bridges architecture and engineering: translating the digital twin vision into detailed solution designs, reusable patterns, standards, and implementation guidance, and guiding the engineering teams that build them.
What You Will Do:
Developing detailed architecture deliverables to solve business problems.
Designing an application s technical infrastructure, such as specific databases, programming languages, utilities, and testing approaches.
Leading the evaluation and deployment of new technologies to add or enhance existing digital technical capabilities.
Participating in addressing business requirements for applications and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver digital solutions that meets business results.
What You Will Have:
Requirements Analysis: Knowledge of tools, methods, and techniques of requirement analysis; ability to elicit, analyze and record required business functionality and non-functionality requirements to ensure the success of a system or software development project.
Analytical Thinking: Knowledge of techniques and tools that promote effective analysis; ability to determine the root cause of organizational problems and create alternative solutions that resolve these problems.
Platform Architecture: Knowledge of technologies and methods to design processing mechanisms and roadmaps to execute business application systems; ability to design these roadmaps and deploy supportive interfaces for end-users to access related systems, in accordance with standards and processes.
Target Architecture: Knowledge of target architecture; ability to develop the IT blueprint and roadmap while aligning the architecture and processes with business strategies and objectives.
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.
Top Candidates Will Have: -
Digital Twin Platforms – Delivering physically based digital twins of machines, vehicles, robots, or industrial sites used for simulation, validation, or AI training, including twin fidelity tiers, versioning, and lifecycle.
NVIDIA Omniverse and OpenUSD – Hands-on Omniverse (Kit, Isaac Sim, Replicator, Nucleus) and OpenUSD (composition, schemas, USD Physics, SimReady assets); CAD-to-USD conversion at scale; Unreal Engine or Unity for large outdoor environments.
Machine and Physics Modeling – Multibody dynamics, articulations, hydraulics, powertrain, and implement-material interaction in URDF / MJCF / USD Physics; model calibration and system identification against measured data; CAE / PLM exposure (Siemens NX, Ansys, Modelica, Adams) a plus.
Jobsite, Terrain, and Geospatial Twins – Building 3D environments from drone photogrammetry, LiDAR, survey and design surfaces, and GIS data; procedural site generation; construction or mining site data (Trimble, Topcon, Hexagon, Cat MineStar / Grade) highly desirable.
Sensor Twins and Synthetic Data – Physically based camera, LiDAR, radar, GNSS, IMU models with calibration frames and environmental effects; synthetic data with ground truth and domain randomization (Omniverse Replicator).
Neural Reconstruction and Real-to-Sim – 3D Gaussian Splatting, NeRF, or world foundation models (e.g. NVIDIA Cosmos) to create sensor-realistic environments from fleet data, combined with physics-based twins.
Connected Twin Data – Data models and pipelines linking twins to live machine telemetry and fleet data (ROS 2, MQTT, Kafka, DDS; edge-to-cloud) for event replay and twin validation.
Sim-to-Real Validation – Established acceptance criteria for twin fidelity: test data correlation, scenario-based and regression testing, HIL / SIL correlation, quantified sim-to-real gap metrics.
Software Engineering – Strong Python and C ; GPU / CUDA workloads, containers and Kubernetes, CI/CD, cloud (AWS / Azure); comfort with AI coding tools.
Architecture Leadership – Translates architecture into implementation plans, reusable patterns, and standards across teams; technical leadership of engineers.
Domain Exposure – Off-highway, construction, mining, or agriculture machines, or digital twin programs at NVIDIA, Applied Intuition, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, Komatsu, John Deere, Siemens, or Duality AI.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field; master’s or doctoral degree preferred.
Additional Details:
This position requires the candidate to work full-time at the Irving, TX office (Dallas)
Domestic relocation assistance is available for this position.
Visa sponsorship is available with this position.
Why Caterpillar
You ll work on some of the most challenging applications of AI in the physical world, helping build systems that transform vast amounts of machine and sensor data into the intelligence that powers autonomous and AI-enabled equipment. If you re excited about applying AI to real-world machines operating in complex environments, we d like to hear from you.
Summary Pay Range:
$147,760.00 - $240,110.00
Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, job level, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, individual performance and experience. Please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Caterpillar.
Benefits:
Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of benefits.
Medical, dental, and vision benefits*
Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)*
401(k) savings plans*
Health Savings Account (HSA)*
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*
Health Lifestyle Programs*
Employee Assistance Program*
Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts*
Career Development*
Incentive bonus*
Disability benefits
Life Insurance
Parental leave
Adoption benefits
Tuition Reimbursement
* These benefits also apply to part-time employees
This position requires working onsite five days a week.
Relocation is available for this position.
Visa sponsorship is available for eligible applicants.
Posting Dates:
Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.
Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.
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Benefits
Benefits detected in the listing.
Dental
Vision
401(K)
Paid Time Off
Parental Leave