Lead Physical AI Engineer

Career Area:

Technology, Digital and Data

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.

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.

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.

If this work motivates you, we invite you to join our team. Apply today to build the new era of construction autonomy at Caterpillar.

The Lead Physical AI engineer will lead the development of high-fidelity digital twins and machine dynamics models for Caterpillar construction machines. The successful candidate will establish modeling standards, simulation methodologies, and best practices using NVIDIA Newton, Isaac Sim, Omniverse, OpenUSD, and related NVIDIA technologies. The role will bridge machine physics, robotics simulation, autonomy development, and Physical AI initiatives.

The Principal Engineer will serve as Caterpillar's primary subject matter expert for NVIDIA Newton and will provide technical leadership for the adoption and advancement of Newton-based simulation technologies across the enterprise. This individual will evaluate the capabilities of the Newton physics engine, establish modeling standards and development methodologies, and define best practices for creating scalable, reusable machine simulation solutions. The engineer will also work closely with NVIDIA and internal stakeholders to align Newton capabilities with Caterpillar's long-term simulation, autonomy, robotics, and Physical AI strategies.

A major responsibility of this role is the development of machine models that accurately represent the behavior, performance, and operational characteristics of Caterpillar construction equipment. The engineer will leverage NVIDIA Newton to model rigid-body dynamics, articulated mechanisms, powertrain systems, hydraulic actuation, tire-ground interaction, and machine-terrain interaction. The role requires developing physics-based representations of machine subsystems and their interactions under realistic operating conditions, enabling accurate simulation of machine mobility, implement operation, material handling, and terrain engagement.

The engineer will collaborate closely with autonomy, robotics, and AI teams to ensure machine models support advanced applications such as reinforcement learning, synthetic data generation, software-in-the-loop testing, and autonomous system validation. The role will enable integration between machine models, virtual environments,…