Autonomy Validation Lead

Career Area

Engineering

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. The Validation Lead position is within CAT Technology, Solutions Integration & Validation (SI&V) organization. This role is responsible for leading validation activities for Construction Industries (CI) Autonomy programs by defining validation strategies, managing validation processes, coordinating cross-functional testing efforts, and providing technical leadership to a team of Validation Engineers.

The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring the quality, reliability, safety, and performance of autonomous machine systems through comprehensive verification and validation activities across simulation, software, hardware, and machine-level testing environments. This position will also drive continuous improvement of validation processes, Agile execution, and test automation initiatives to accelerate product delivery and improve product quality.

• Lead validation strategy and execution for autonomous machine products and supporting technologies.
• Manage end-to-end validation processes, including requirements traceability, test execution, defect management, and validation reporting.
• Provide technical leadership, guidance, and mentoring to Validation Engineers across projects and validation environments.
• Integrate validation deliverables into Agile release cycles, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, release planning, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Collaborate with software, controls, systems, simulation, product, and TPM teams to ensure validation coverage aligns with program priorities.
• Support validation across SIL, HIL, simulation, laboratory, and machine-level test environments.
• Drive root cause investigations, bug triage, BIQ analysis, corrective actions, and validation issue resolution.
• Support development and implementation of test automation frameworks and AI-enabled validation solutions.
• Ensure validation activities comply with quality, safety, regulatory, and organizational standards.
• Drive continuous improvement to increase validation efficiency, effectiveness, scalability, and product quality.

Validation Leadership and Technical Expertise

• Leading validation efforts for complex systems, software, controls, or autonomous products.
• Defining validation strategies, test plans, acceptance criteria, and release readiness measures.
• Managing validation metrics, test results analysis, requirements traceability, and readiness assessments.
• Coordinating validation deliverables within Agile release cycles using Scrum, SAFe, Kanban, or similar methodologies.
• Providing technical direction and mentoring to validation and test engineering teams.
• Establishing, improving, and standardizing validation processes and best practices.

Decision Making and Problem Solving

• Analyzing complex technical problems and identifying practical, data-driven solutions.
• Evaluating validation risks and recommending mitigation strategies that balance product quality, schedule, and resources.
• Leading defect triage, root cause corrective analysis, BIQ analysis, and validation issue resolution.
• Using validation evidence, metrics, and test results to support technical decisions and release readiness recommendations.
• Facilitating cross-functional discussions to resolve technical challenges and remove validation blockers.

Collaboration and Communication

• Working effectively across global, cross-functional teams.
• Collaborating with Product Owners, System Leads, TPMs, software, controls, systems, simulation, and product engineering teams.
• Communicating validation status, risks, blockers, and recommendations to project stakeholders.
• Facilitating validation huddles, technical reviews, retrospectives, and validation readiness assessments.
• Building strong working relationships with internal and external partners to support aligned execution and timely issue resolution.

• Experience leading Validation Engineers or test teams on complex product development programs.
• Strong knowledge of verification and…