Senior Data Scientist - Artificial Intelligence R&D

• Design and execute AI experiments across the full model lifecycle: hypothesis formulation data preparation model development evaluation and iteration maintaining research rigor in an ambiguous fast-moving environment.
• Develop fine-tune and benchmark LLMs and multimodal AI models (text vision speech) including systematic evaluation of quality latency cost and safety tradeoffs across model variants and providers.
• Explore and optimize knowledge retrieval systems (RAG pipelines vector databases hybrid search) and agentic workflows ensuring relevance accuracy and scalability for enterprise use cases.
• Lead data preparation workstreams for model training fine-tuning and validation including dataset curation labeling strategy synthetic data generation and quality assurance.
• Instrument AI systems for observability and reproducibility using experiment tracking frameworks (e.g. Langfuse MLflow) maintaining clear documentation of model versions evaluation datasets and performance baselines.
• Translate research findings into production-ready prototypes collaborating with Engineering and Product teams to define technical requirements integration paths and deployment readiness criteria.
• Evaluate emerging AI capabilities and tools (open-source and commercial) providing structured assessments and recommendations to inform the team's technology strategy.
• Mentor and coach junior Data Scientists establishing best practices for experimentation model evaluation and responsible AI development across the team.
• Communicate insights and results to technical and non-technical stakeholders including product managers engineers and senior leadership with clarity and business impact framing.

• Applied Statistics & Quantitative Methods: Experience applying statistical thinking to experimentation evaluation and decision-making in ambiguous research-driven environments.
• Analytical Rigor & Attention to Detail: Proven ability to design precise experiments validate assumptions and ensure accuracy and reproducibility of results.
• Advanced Machine Learning & AI: Knowledge of modern ML techniques including deep learning generative AI NLP computer vision and multimodal systems with hands-on implementation experience.
• Model Evaluation & Optimization: Strong experience evaluating model quality and system-level tradeoffs across accuracy latency cost and scalability dimensions.
• Programming Expertise: Proficiency in Python for AI and ML development including use of modern AI frameworks and tooling.
• Data Engineering & Access: Strong understanding of data storage retrieval and processing systems required to support large-scale training and experimentation workflows.
• Requirements & Systems Thinking: Ability to define technical and non-functional requirements that bridge research engineering and production concerns.

• Bachelor's Master's or PhD degree in Data Science Computer Science Machine Learning Statistics Applied Mathematics Engineering or a closely related technical field.
• Proven experience building and deploying advanced ML models beyond traditional analytics use cases.
• Extensive proficiency in Python (NumPy Pandas PyTorch LangChain etc.); ability to write clean maintainable production-oriented code and contribute to shared AI infrastructure.
• Strong hands-on experience with generative AI large language models deep neural networks and modern ML frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience designing evaluation frameworks and benchmarks for AI systems.
• Familiarity with AI infrastructure cloud platforms (AWS Azure) and scalable experimentation environments.
• Advanced experience with version control experiment tracking and collaborative development (e.g. Git-based workflows).
• Experience working in Agile cross-functional product development environments.
• Prior exposure to industrial manufacturing heavy equipment or complex physical systems is a strong plus but not required.

• Medical dental and vision benefits*
• Paid time off plan (Vacation Holidays Volunteer etc.)*
• 401(k) savings plans*
• Health Savings Account (HSA)*
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*
• Health Lifestyle Programs*
• Employee Assistance Program*
• Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts*
• Career Development*
• Incentive bonus*
• Disability benefits
• Life Insurance
• Parental leave
• Adoption benefits
• Tuition Reimbursement

What We Do

Cat Digital is the digital and technology arm of Caterpillar Inc. responsible for bringing digital capabilities to our world-famous yellow iron. With over 1.5M connected assets worldwide our teams use data technology advanced analytics and AI capabilities to help our customers build a better world.

Why Work With Us

The Cat Digital team is at the forefront of Caterpillar’s evolution. We take pride in solving complex problems by building new systems from the ground up. On our team you’ll leverage data from across our entire enterprise to find solutions that open a new world of possibilities for our customers and dealers. Join us in building a better tomorrow.

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