This role pays less than
60%
of similar roles. Most pay
$176,012–$255,000
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$194k
versus about
$216k
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
76 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$128,470–$190,176
across 74 roles with salary data.
As a Principal Engineer - Digital Twin & Simulation, you will lead the strategy, design, and implementation of high-fidelity digital twins for machines, job sites, and end-to-end workflows supporting automation and robotics. You will collaborate with senior management to define long-term visions, establish multi-year plans, and create system-level architecture deliverables in partnership with architects and robotics teams. Your daily work involves determining integration patterns, overseeing model validation against physical test data, and consolidating simulation assets into a cohesive ecosystem. The role requires expertise in NVIDIA Omniverse, perception engineering, and information architecture for simulation data. You will utilize tools such as CARLA, Dynasty, Simulink/Modelica, AMESim, ANSYS, Adams, GT-Suite, Unity, or Unreal. This position addresses the complex challenge of construction autonomy by developing simulation environments to support intelligent machines operating in dynamic job sites.
What does a Engineer earn in Texas?
Median $182000 from 39 postings across 14 companies.
Lead the strategy, design, and implementation of high-fidelity digital twins for machines and job sites.
Develop multi-year roadmaps and long-term visions for simulation environments in partnership with leadership.
Create scalable platform architectures to support automation and robotics workflows.
Determine the specific technologies, platforms, and integration patterns required for simulation capabilities.
Consolidate and integrate existing simulation assets into a cohesive digital ecosystem.
Oversee model validation and correlation with physical test data to ensure digital twin accuracy.
Evaluate emerging technologies to provide strategic recommendations for simulation and robotics adoption.
What we're looking for
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related discipline (Master’s or PhD preferred).
10+ years of experience in simulation, robotics, or autonomy.
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 like CARLA, Dynasty, Simulink/Modelica, AMESim, ANSYS, Adams, GT-Suite, Unity/Unreal, or robotics frameworks.
Knowledge of information architecture for simulation data and perception engineering.
Deep understanding of simulation architecture, model governance, verification/validation practices, and integration with real-time data sources.
Background in construction, mining automation, and robotics (preferred).
Data Architecture
AI
Machine Learning
Physical AI
Edge Computing
Digital Twin
Synthetic Data
Data Engineering
Simulation
Robotics
Telemetry
Sensor Data
Cloud Architecture
Data Pipelines
Requirement Analysis
NVIDIA Newton
Isaac Sim
Omniverse
OpenUSD
Python
C++
ROS2
Physical AI
Digital Twins
Machine Dynamics
Reinforcement Learning
Synthetic Data Generation
Simulation
Robotics
Kinematics
Hydraulics
CAE
GitHub Copilot