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Lead Software Engineer

Caterpillar · Peoria, IL · $128,470–$208,770 a year · Full time

Posted Oct 4, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you led technical direction for a team. How did you get buy-in?

What they are checking: Whether they lead through clear reasoning and listening, not just seniority.

Tell me about a migration you led that had to happen without downtime.

What they are checking: Whether they can plan careful cutovers when other systems depend on theirs.

How do you mentor engineers on your team while still delivering your own work?

What they are checking: Whether they multiply the team's output rather than only producing code themselves.

What would you do

Two consuming teams want conflicting changes to the content API. How do you decide?

What they are checking: Whether they balance needs across consumers and protect the platform's stability.

How do you decide when to pay down technical debt versus ship new features?

What they are checking: Whether they make tradeoffs explicit and tie them to platform health and business needs.

About the work

The CPC platform feeds product and parts data to Cat.com, Parts.cat.com and dealer systems. How would you design it so many consumers can rely on it?

What they are checking: Whether they think about stable contracts, caching and versioning for a shared content platform.

How do you handle data quality problems in product content, like a wrong specification reaching a dealer site?

What they are checking: Whether they build validation and traceability so bad data is caught before customers see it.

How would you serve images and videos efficiently to sites with heavy traffic worldwide?

What they are checking: Whether they understand CDNs, asset management and performance at scale.

How do you approach search and filtering over a large parts catalog?

What they are checking: Whether they know practical indexing and search design for structured product data.

What observability would you want on a content platform like this, and what alerts matter most?

What they are checking: Whether they can spot failures that affect customers quickly, not just server health.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Caterpillar.

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. Job Summary: Perform implementation, regular problem solving, maintenance and support for a agile software development. What You Will Do: • Lead design, development, and deployment of full‑stack solutions using Next.js / Java/Spring Boot • Provide technical leadership to engineering teams, ensuring architecture quality, coding standards, and modern engineering practices. • Collaborate with product owners, architects, UX, and cross‑functional teams to refine requirements and deliver reliable, scalable solutions. • Drive continuous improvement through CI/CD automation, test coverage, observability, and cloud‑native design patterns. • Mentor and guide developers through code reviews, technical coaching, and pair programming. • Own and guide key technical decisions, ensuring systems are maintainable, performant, secure, and resilient. • Contribute to long‑term platform strategy, architectural planning, and component roadmaps. What You Will Have: 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. Software Product Technical Knowledge: Knowledge of technical aspects of a software products; ability to design, configure and integrate technical aspects of software products. Considerations For Top Candidates: Required Qualifications • Professional software engineering experience building enterprise‑grade applications. • Strong expertise in Next.js , React, and TypeScript for modern frontend development. • Deep hands‑on experience with Java Spring Boot , microservices, and REST API design. • Proven experience providing technical leadership or mentoring engineering teams. • Experience deploying and operating solutions on cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or similar). • Proficiency with CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, or equivalent. • Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to simplify complex challenges. Preferred Qualifications • Familiarity with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) , including component architecture and authoring workflows. • Experience with eCommerce platforms , such as HCL Commerce , Shopify Plus, Magento, or similar enterprise eCommerce solutions. • Prior Caterpillar experience or background in industrial, heavy equipment, or IoT platform ecosystems. • Knowledge of containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes). • Experience with GraphQL, caching strategies, SSR/edge rendering, or other advanced web patterns. What You Will Get: Working with a Fortune 100 leader, you can build your career on a global scale and take advantage of development opportunities with emerging technologies. We’ve created an inclusive environment for you to explore your passions, make an impact and do the work that really matters. Join Us. About Caterpillar: Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. For nearly 100 years, we’ve been helping customers build a better, more sustainable world and are committed to and contributing to a reduced-carbon future. Our innovative products and services, backed by our global dealer network, provide exceptional value that helps customers succeed. Summary Pay Range: $128,470.00 - $208,770.00 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 Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position. Posting Dates: October 4, 2026 - October 12, 2026 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. Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community .

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