below marketmost similar roles pay hereabove market
This role pays more than
51%
of similar roles. Most pay
$177,250–$256,262
— the blue band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$209k
versus about
$217k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
About Caterpillar
Caterpillar Inc. is the world''s largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. Industry: Heavy Equipment & Manufacturing
Caterpillar currently has
131 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$128,470–$192,710
across 125 roles with salary data.
The Principal Digital Twin Engineer joins the Technology, Digital and Data team to lead the strategy, design, and implementation of high-fidelity digital twins for machines, job sites, and end-to-end workflows. This role supports construction autonomy by translating business requirements into simulation solutions and creating system-level architecture deliverables. Key responsibilities include establishing multi-year roadmaps, overseeing model validation against physical test data, and integrating simulation assets into a cohesive ecosystem. The position requires deep expertise in NVIDIA Omniverse, perception engineering, and information architecture for simulation data. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency with tools such as CARLA, Dynasty, Simulink/Modelica, AMESim, ANSYS, Adams, GT-Suite, Unity, and Unreal. The work focuses on solving complex challenges in physical AI, sensing, and edge computing for intelligent machines in dynamic jobsites.
Define the long-term vision and multi-year roadmap for simulation and digital twin technologies.
Translate business and autonomy requirements into functional simulation solutions for robotics.
Create detailed system-level architecture deliverables in partnership with the chief architect and robotics team.
Determine the technologies, platforms, and integration patterns required to support simulation capabilities.
Assess current simulation assets to define a strategy for a cohesive digital ecosystem.
Oversee model validation, correlation with physical test data, and governance processes.
Integrate simulation solutions with real-time data sources and existing enterprise systems.
What we're looking for
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related discipline.
Master’s or PhD in a relevant field (preferred).
10+ years of experience in simulation, robotics, or autonomy (preferred).
Strong expertise in system-level simulation and digital twin technologies with a background in robotics.
Deep expertise in NVIDIA Omniverse for building digital twins supporting robotics (preferred).
Experience architecting or integrating modeling ecosystems with tools such as CARLA, Dynasty, Simulink/Modelica, AMESim, ANSYS, Adams, GT-Suite, Unity/Unreal, or robotics/automation frameworks.
Deep understanding of simulation architecture, model governance, verification/validation practices, and integration of simulations with real-time data sources.
Background in construction, mining automation, and robotics (preferred).
Python
C++
NVIDIA Omniverse
Isaac Sim
Unreal Engine
ROS2
Gazebo
CARLA
AirSim
Kubernetes
CI/CD
SIL
HIL
Digital Twin
Distributed Systems
API Design
SDKs
HPC
Test Automation
NVIDIA Newton
NVIDIA Isaac Sim
OpenUSD
Python
C++
ROS2
Digital Twins
Physical AI
Reinforcement Learning
Machine Dynamics
Robotics Simulation
Synthetic Data Generation
Reduced Order Models (ROM
Software-in-the-loop
GitHub Copilot