Principal Digital Program Manager

Caterpillar · Irving · $147,760–$221,640 (stated in the posting)

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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.

Help Build the Future of Caterpillar

At Caterpillar, technology always has a purpose, which is to solve our customers’ toughest challenges. Through Cat Technology, we are solving problems by building the intelligence layer that connects machines, data, and people to make jobsites safer, more productive, and more sustainable. By combining deep domain expertise in physical systems with software, connectivity, autonomy, and AI, we deliver solutions that work in the real world—on real jobsites, at global scale. 

You’ll build and deploy against one of the most unique data foundations—over 1.6 million connected assets generating real-world data daily.  These data and platform capabilities are enabling the development of AI models, edge computing architectures, and software systems that scale across fleets, products, and industries. The result will be a new generation of machines that continuously learn, improve, and deliver performance at scale.

Be Part of What’s Next in Autonomous Construction Sites

Construction autonomy is one of the most complex challenges in applied AI, and at Caterpillar, advancements in physical AI, simulation, sensing, and edge computing are turning things that once felt impossible—intelligent machines operating in dynamic jobsites—into reality. 

Our connected ecosystem brings together massive volumes of high-quality data to create a foundation where engineers like you can build and deploy against. 

If this work motivates you, we invite you to join our team. In these roles, you’ll work at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. You’ll help design and deliver intelligent systems that enable machines to perceive their environment, make informed decisions, and support safer, more productive operations. 

Apply today to build the new era of construction autonomy at Caterpillar.  

Job Summary:

Cat Technology’s Physical AI Platform & Construction Autonomy organization is seeking a Principal Digital Program Manager to lead financial program management, portfolio governance, and business operations across a complex portfolio of digital, engineering, and autonomy investments.

In this highly visible role, you will establish a disciplined operating model that provides timely insight into financial performance, workforce plans, purchasing activity, and investment decisions. You will serve as a central portfolio partner, helping directors and technical leaders focus on delivery while ensuring risks, variances, and resource needs are identified early.

You will combine complex program leadership with financial planning, portfolio analysis, workforce administration, cloud and compute cost management, capital coordination, purchasing support, and executive decision support. The successful candidate will translate detailed financial and operational information into clear insights, options, and recommendations for leadership.

What You Will Do:

• Lead the financial planning, governance, and operational management of the portfolio, connecting strategy and funding with forecasts, actual expenditures, workforce plans, capital investments, purchasing activity, and delivery outcomes.
• Establish reliable financial and operational information across the portfolio.
• Consolidate cross-portfolio forecasts and provide timely updates throughout the business planning cycle.
• Identify variances and recommend corrective actions before leadership reviews.
• Improve the speed and consistency of purchasing and capital activities.
• Provide leadership with clear options, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations.

     Portfolio and Program Governance

• Establish a consistent financial and business-operations cadence across the portfolio.
• Integrate portfolio roadmaps, investment plans, delivery milestones, forecasts, and workforce assumptions.
• Lead cross-functional reviews of financial performance, operational risks, and portfolio dependencies.
• Ensure material risks, decisions, assumptions, and corrective actions have clear owners.
• Develop repeatable templates, reporting standards, controls, and governance practices.
• Monitor program activities to ensure complex initiatives remain aligned with approved scope, timing, resources, and financial expectations.

     Financial Planning, Forecasting and Analysis

• Own consolidated portfolio forecasts, actuals, run-rate analysis, and financial reporting.
• Coordinate quarterly forecast collection across organizations and portfolios.
• Prepare recurring business-planning updates, variance analyses, financial outlooks, and supporting materials.
• Compare actual expenditures with approved plans and current forecasts.
• Identify emerging variances, financial risks, and corrective actions before leadership reviews.
• Support ROM estimates and financial assumptions for new initiatives and investment decisions.
• Develop decision-ready reporting that explains what changed, why it changed, and what leadership action is required.
• Maintain appropriate job-code structures and financial reporting relationships across the portfolio.

     Cloud and Compute Financial Management

• Lead financial governance for cloud, GPU, compute, and infrastructure investments.
• Support cloud and compute forecast development, reservation planning, cost tagging, and program chargeback.
• Partner with technical and financial stakeholders to improve visibility into utilization, commitments, and expected demand.
• Develop forward-looking views of cloud and infrastructure requirements to support portfolio planning and investment decisions.

     Workforce and Position Management

• Administer and govern portfolio headcount and position-control information.
• Coordinate workforce forecasts with directors, mission teams, Finance, Human Resources, and Business Resource Management.
• Track planned positions, open positions, hiring activity, onboarding, and changes to workforce assumptions.
• Support hiring and requisition processes by providing accurate position and funding information.
• Connect workforce plans to the program’s financial forecast and delivery priorities.

     Capital, Time Reporting and Asset Management

• Serve as the coordination point for capital requests and related financial information.
• Establish a consistent path for developing, reviewing, and tracking capital investments.
• Support administration and governance of time-reporting tools and processes.
• Monitor time-reporting compliance and address portfolio-level reporting gaps.
• Coordinate capital and asset tracking for laboratory, simulation, field-trial, infrastructure, and deployment activities.

     Purchasing and Business Operations

• Coordinate purchasing activities across the portfolio.
• Improve consistency and transparency for purchase requests, purchase orders, software licensing, laboratory operations, and field-trial support.
• Maintain visibility into financial commitments and upcoming purchasing requirements.
• Support operational activities that enable engineering and mission teams to execute effectively.
• Partner with Procurement and other functional organizations to resolve purchasing and financial process issues.
• Coordinate software license planning, true-ups, renewal requirements, and related financial impacts.

     Executive Reporting and Decision Support

• Prepare concise, executive-ready materials for recurring business reviews, quarterly reviews, and senior leadership discussions.
• Translate detailed financial information into clear business implications and recommendations.
• Present portfolio performance, forecast changes, investment requirements, resource risks, and corrective actions to senior leaders.
• Develop scenario analyses that help leadership understand the financial and delivery implications of alternative decisions.
• Provide directors with forward-looking information rather than after-the-fact reporting.

What You Will Have:

• Extensive demonstrated professional experience leading complex digital, technology, engineering, financial, or enterprise transformation programs.
• Strong people management experience with the ability to lead, coach, and mentor team members.
• Extensive experience with program planning, governance, execution, risk management, and stakeholder communication.
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets, forecasts, actuals, financial variances, or investment portfolios.
• Ability to integrate financial, workforce, operational, and delivery information into a coherent portfolio view.
• Experience preparing and presenting recommendations to senior leadership.
• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills with the ability to evaluate alternatives and recommend productive decisions.
• Proven ability to influence directors, technical leaders, Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, and other stakeholders without relying on direct authority.
• Ability to establish standards, procedures, governance mechanisms, and repeatable operating practices.
• Strong written, verbal, and executive-presentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex priorities in an evolving environment.

Top Candidates Will Have:

• Experience managing financial operations for a large digital or engineering portfolio.
• Extensive and successful people management and leadership experience
• Experience with annual planning, quarterly forecasting, rolling forecasts, or comparable enterprise financial-planning processes.
• Experience with cloud FinOps, GPU or compute cost management, reservation planning, tagging, or chargeback.
• Experience with workforce planning, position control, hiring forecasts, or headcount administration.
• Experience coordinating capital requests, purchasing, time reporting, asset management, or software licensing.
• Experience working with engineering, autonomy, simulation, architecture, infrastructure, or product-management organizations.
• Experience developing executive dashboards and automated portfolio reporting.
• Familiarity with Agile, SAFe, Lean Portfolio Management, or product and mission-team operating models.
• Project, program, financial-management, Agile, or FinOps certification.

Additional Details:

• This position requires the candidate to work full-time onsite at the Irving, TX office (Dallas)
• Domestic relocation assistance is available for this position.
• Visa sponsorship is NOT available for this position

Summary Pay Range:

Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, job level, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, individual performance and experience. Please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Caterpillar. 

Benefits:

Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of benefits.

• 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

* These benefits also apply to part-time employees

Posting Dates:

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities.  Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.

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