Lead Software Engineer - Search

Caterpillar Inc.

Lead Software Engineer overseeing advanced search solutions for Caterpillar's eCommerce platforms. Responsible for setting technical direction and developing scalable, high-performance search capabilities.

Posted 6/19/2026full-timeChicago • Illinois, Texas • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $128,470 - $208,770 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudITSMJavaPythonScala

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define and implement a long-term technical vision for the search platform to ensure scalability and adaptability to growing data volumes and query complexity.
Mentor and guide a team of search engineers through technical reviews, best practices, and collaborative problem-solving.
Introduce advanced capabilities such as NLP, vector search, and personalization to enhance relevance and accuracy.
Build search capabilities with measurable KPIs (e.g., CTR, Query Distribution, Zero Search) and leverage analytics to continuously improve search performance.
Partner with product managers, data scientists, and engineering teams to align search initiatives with business objectives.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Progressively complex professional experience.
Experience as a lead software engineer, Architect, engineering manager.
Experience leading technical teams and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
Experience working within ITSM processes (incident, change, problem).
Strong communication, organization, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to handle sensitive, complex, or high-visibility issues.
Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
Experience in eCommerce Search deployments.
Previous experience with Search products such as OpenSearch, Elastic Search, SOLR, Lucene, Coveo, and LucidWorks Fusion.
Strong expertise in building head-less frameworks to integrate with ecommerce applications.
Proven experience building large-scale, highly available systems.
Proficiency in Java, Python, or Scala, including source control tools and practices for managing code and changes to it.
Proficiency in software debugging and problem-solving techniques.
Proficiency in AI code generation tools such as Claude Code, ChatGPT, or GitHub Copilot.
Familiarity with DevOps tools and techniques for cloud deployment.
Producing and consuming APIs.
Familiarity with event streaming and cloud platforms.
Practical experience applying ML to improve search relevance.

Benefits

Comp & perks

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

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

JavaPythonScalaNLPvector searchpersonalizationAI code generationsoftware debuggingbuilding head-less frameworksproducing and consuming APIs

Soft Skills

communicationorganizationstakeholder managementmentoringcollaborative problem-solvinghandling complex issuestechnical reviews