Autonomy Engineering Specialist
Caterpillar · Irving, TX
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $128k–$209k
- Travel
- 10%
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 11 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level manufacturing role at Caterpillar (industrial) in Irving, TX.
- Tools it names
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ)
- Base pay
- $128k–$209k
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage · about 10% travel · relocation help
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in Texas: typical posted base $85k–$132k. This one lists $128k–$209k.
Median of the low and high ends of 44 live postings that list pay, out of 237 manufacturing engineer openings in Texas, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Texas plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 236 other live manufacturing postings in Texas.
- Base pay
- About 60% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $79k–$132k, from 43 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 45%
- Root cause 43%
- Automation 35%
- Lean 35%
- ✓ New product launch 33%
- SPC 27%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Caterpillar
We found 1 person at this company and state: 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Brian → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- The posting says about 10% travel. Between which sites?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Caterpillar in Irving
4 other open roles at this site · 1 person we found in manufacturing roles at Caterpillar.
- Senior Data Quality Engineer, Data Quality Services · Quality · Senior
- AI Automation Engineer, Data Annotation Services · Controls
- Lead AI Automation Engineer, Data Annotation Services · Controls · Manager
- Simulation Quality Automation Engineer · Quality
Full description from CaterpillarAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
What You Will Do
- ◆Lead product group adoption of these solutions, ensuring standardized physical and software interfaces align with product group software releases.
- ◆Develop system requirements, interface definitions, and functional specifications for integration between edge systems and Machine Software.
- ◆Translate customer, regulatory, and business
requirements
into technical system solutions.
- ✓Define clear integration strategies and support product group alignment and adoption.
- ✓Drive improvements that enable system teams to effectively deploy and manage edge AI-based features.
- ✓Plan and track system-level testing, validation, and verification of integrated Machine and edge AI features.
- ✓Support vehicle- and machine-level integration testing across lab, bench, and field environments.
- ✓Continuously improve machine and edge AI feature integration using field data and customer feedback.
- ✓Provide people and technical leadership in system integration and software development to advance the enterprise machine and edge AI compute feature strategy.
- ✓Communicate program status and development timing to stakeholders and product teams.
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.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
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.
Role Definition
This role leads the end-to-end design, integration, validation, and deployment of Edge AI solutions across Caterpillar's machine portfolio, ensuring they integrate seamlessly with each machine platform.
The engineer collaborates across L6 Machine and Autonomy Systems, electrical, hardware, software, and cybersecurity teams to deliver reliable, secure, and scalable solutions throughout the product lifecycle.
What You Will Have
- •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.
- •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.
- •Embedded Systems: Knowledge of embedded systems and their applications; ability to develop embedded systems with varying levels of complexity to control the operations of the machine it is embedded within.
Top Candidates Will Have
- •Ability to approach communication challenges from various angles based upon audience.
- •Experience and knowledge of embedded systems and multi-system integration.
- •Involvement with NPI deployment in machine programs
- •Capable of successful resolutions to critical or wide-impact problems using standard practices for problem-solving approaches, tools, and processes.
- •Strong communication skills
Additional Information
- •Position is on-site, 5 days per week in Irving, TX
- •Relocation assistance may be available in accordance with Caterpillar policies.
- •Sponsorship is not available for this position.
- •Travel is 10%
#LI
Summary Pay Range
$128,470.00 - $208,770.00
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 not available for this position.
Posting Dates
October 27, 2026 - November 16, 2026
Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.
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