IT Software Engineer 5 - Lead Software Engineer - Ecommerce Search

Lead Software Engineer – Ecommerce Search Location: Preferred locations are the CAT Digital Hubs (Chicago, Dallas, Peoria, Broomfield)- no exception, they must be able to go in 2x days a week for now. Duration: 12 months Open to 100% remote candidates if they are ROCKSTARS who can start IMMEDIATELY! Required Tools/Technologies: Coveo Vertex AI Search / Vertex AI Search for Commerce AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, ElastiCache, Cloud Services) Elasticsearch / OpenSearch GitHub Required Skills: Search Engineering (NLP, Vector Search, Personalization, Relevance Optimization) Low-Latency API Development & Cloud Architecture Technical Leadership / Agile Team Leadership Job Description eCommerce is a key digital enabler to Caterpillar’s aftermarket parts and services growth strategy. Delivering on the Caterpillar brand promise of premium, high-quality solutions is an important element in accelerating the development and deployment of Caterpillar’s expanded capabilities in eCommerce. Position’s Contributions to Work Group : The Lead Software engineer – Ecommerce Search is responsible for setting the technical direction and overseeing the execution of advanced search solutions. This role combines strategic vision, hands-on technical expertise, and leadership to build scalable, high-performance search platforms that deliver exceptional user experiences. Education & Experience Required: Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or related field. 10+ years’ experience in total but with 7+ years of experience in search engineering. Also required are 3+ years in a technical leadership role. Required Technical Skills Strong understanding of modern search technologies and frameworks. Strong product experience in Coveo or any of the following: Vertex AI Search and Vertex AI Search for Commerce. Working experience with heavy equipment engineering or data analysis. Working experience with building Low-latency API in AWS using Memory-storage solutions. Familiarity with A/B testing frameworks for evaluating and improving Strong knowledge with cloud technologies (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc.) Advanced experience with version control / repositories such as GitHub Experience operating in an Agile / Global team environment Must demonstrate strong initiative, interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate effectively. Typical task breakdown: Technical Strategy: Define and implement a long-term technical vision for the search platform to ensure scalability and adaptability to growing data volumes and query complexity. Team Leadership: Mentor and guide a team of search engineers through technical reviews, best practices, and collaborative problem-solving. Feature Development: Introduce advanced capabilities such as NLP, vector search, and personalization to enhance relevance and accuracy. Data Analysis & Optimization: Build search capabilities with measurable KPIs (e.g., CTR, Query Distribution, Zero Search) and leverage analytics to continuously improve search performance. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product managers, data scientists, and engineering teams to align search initiatives with business objectives Interaction with team : Work environment : Hybrid role in Chicago office (2-3 days a week in office ) Disqualifiers/Red Flags/Overqualifications : Candidates’ current location must be on resume, if not it will be DQ not exceptions. If candidate is open to relocating on their own dime and be onsite day 1, please list that on the resume ( these candidates will not be shortlisted initially for WD review)