Engineering Manager – xIL Product Management

Career Area:
Engineering

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.

The Engineering Manager – xIL Product Management will lead the strategy, product roadmap, adoption, and execution of Caterpillar’s X-in-the-Loop (xIL) engineering ecosystem within the Intelligent Machine Systems organization.

The xIL ecosystem provides scalable capabilities across Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), and related virtual and physical validation environments, enabling Caterpillar engineering teams to develop, integrate, test, and validate intelligent machine software earlier and with greater automation.

This leader will treat xIL capabilities as engineering products, with clear customers, roadmaps, service levels, adoption targets, and measurable outcomes. The role will partner across software, controls, systems engineering, validation, DevOps/software factory, architecture, infrastructure, and product groups to build a cohesive xIL strategy and accelerate the transition from hardware-dependent validation toward a virtual-first, continuous development, integration and validation model.

The position combines people leadership, technical product management, engineering transformation, and cross-functional execution.

What You Will Do:

Own the vision, strategy, and multi-year roadmap for the IMS xIL ecosystem, including SIL, HIL, vECUs, simulation, and continuous validation capabilities.

Establish and manage xIL capabilities as managed engineering products with defined customers, backlogs, releases, service expectations, adoption targets, and lifecycle plans.

Drive a virtual-first, shift-left engineering strategy, enabling earlier software integration, verification, and validation while reducing dependency on physical hardware and test assets.

Lead cross-functional collaboration across systems and software architecture, frameworks, software, plant modeling, DevOps, vECUs, and testing teams to deliver integrated, scalable xIL tools and platforms across the engineering lifecycle.

Translate customer and program needs into prioritized product capabilities, technical roadmaps, investment decisions, and build/buy/partner strategies.

Champion xIL adoption, standardization, and reuse across IMS, improving reuse of models, simulations, test assets, automation, environments, and engineering workflows.

Define, establish, and track KPIs and performance metrics to measure xIL adoption, engineering effectiveness, platform performance, quality, and business impact, using insights to drive continuous improvement.

Build and lead a high-performing xIL product and engineering organization, partnering across Software Factory, DevOps, architecture, controls, systems, validation, suppliers, and technology partners to deliver scalable enterprise capabilities.

Engineering Leadership

- Lead, coach, and develop a team of delivery leads/product owners and technical engineering professionals supporting xIL products.

- Lead the performance management of team members, including setting clear goals and expectations, providing ongoing feedback and coaching, evaluating performance, recognizing contributions, and addressing performance gaps.

- Build organizational capability through hiring, talent development, succession planning, and technical skill development.
- Create a culture of customer focus, engineering excellence, experimentation, ownership, and continuous improvement.
- Enable teams to make data-driven product and engineering decisions.

What You Will Have:

Planning: Tactical, Strategic: Knowledge of effective planning techniques and ability to contribute to operational (short term), tactical (1-2 years) and strategic (3-5 years) planning in support of the overall business plan.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Develops, refines, and communicates tactical plans for own responsibilities.

• Provides the right level of detail as input for strategic plan development.

• Demonstrates the value and necessity of linking tactical plans to overall strategic plan.

• Ensures attention to the detail and dependencies of existing departmental-level plans.

• Plans for allocation of resources in line with unit goals, technical and business objectives.

• Ensures the planning process is integrated with the overall business plan.

Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Differentiates assumptions, perspectives, and historical frameworks.

• Evaluates past decisions for insights to improve decision-making process.

• Assesses and validates decision options and points and predicts their potential impact.

• Advises others in analyzing and synthesizing relevant data and assessing alternatives.

• Uses effective decision-making approaches such as consultative, command, or consensus.

• Ensures that assumptions and received wisdom are objectively analyzed in decisions.

Technical Excellence: Knowledge of a given technology and various application methods; ability to develop and provide solutions to significant technical challenges.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Advises others on the assessment and provision of all technical solutions.

• Engages appropriate subject matter resources to effectively resolve technical issues.

• Mentors others to enhance their technical competence and its application to achieve more effective technical solutions.

• Coaches others in promoting, defining, analyzing, and providing superior technical solutions to business problems.

• Provides effective solutions to moderate technical challenges through strong technical competence, effectively examining implications of events and issues.

• Assumes accountability for personal technical performance and holds others responsible for theirs.

Communicating for Impact: Knowledge of the concepts, tools and techniques for effective listening and communicating; ability to apply these theories to receive, transmit and accurately interpret information and ideas to influence others in various situations.

Level Working Knowledge:

• Analyzes the interests or requirements of the audience; shares only relevant information in a direct and efficient manner.

• Adapts standard communication approaches when conducting dialogue with different audiences or conveying messages.

• Explains others' view points and asks questions to ensure mutual understanding.

• Recognizes and assesses cues or unstated intentions behind verbal and nonverbal communication.

• Provides persuasive messages using well-reasoned arguments to address audience concerns or reactions.

Customer/Market Focus: Understanding of the importance of remaining aware of shifting market priorities and ability to respond to internal and external customer needs in a manner that consistently adds value.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Implements improvements to methods for maintaining customer responsiveness.

• Recommends new products and services based on changing customer needs and success criteria.

• Responds proactively to market and competitive shifts so as to maintain advantage.