Lead Software Test Engineer

Career Area:Technology, Digital and DataJob 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.Cat Digital is the digital and technology arm of Caterpillar Inc., leveraging the latest technologies to build industry leading digital solutions for our customers and dealers. With over 1.5 million connected assets worldwide, our teams use data, technology, advanced analytics, telematics, and AI capabilities to help our customers build a better, more sustainable world.Job Summary: Provides advanced technical leadership in the design, development, and execution of application quality engineering and performance testing strategies for Parts.cat.com, Caterpillar’s global eCommerce platform.Responsible for ensuring that complex, distributed software systems meet defined functional requirements, performance expectations, and production readiness standards. Operates at a system level to influence software design, validate application behavior, and ensure performance integrity across the full software development lifecycle.This role requires deep, hands-on expertise in functional test automation and performance engineering tools, combined with the ability to guide engineering teams and shape practices that improve application stability, scalability, and customer experience.What You Will Do:Quality Engineering & System Validation:Designs and leads execution of functional testing strategies across UI, API, and integration layers using modern automation tools (e.g., Playwright).Validates behavior of complex, multi-tier, distributed applications, ensuring correct transaction flow across frontend, services, and backend systems.Defines and enforces test strategies, coverage models, and release readiness criteria.Leads end-to-end validation across testing phases including in-sprint, regression, system integration (SIT), and E2E.Ensures software products meet defined functional requirements, customer journeys, and business workflows.Performance Engineering:Leads design and execution of performance testing strategies using tools such as k6, JMeter, and Artillery.Designs and executes load, stress, endurance, and scalability testing aligned to production conditions.Defines and enforces non-functional requirements (NFRs) and performance service level objectives.Conducts performance diagnostics using logs, metrics, API traces, and observability data to identify system bottlenecks.Drives root-cause analysis and resolution of performance issues across application and infrastructure layers.Ensures performance validation reflects real customer usage patterns and end-to-end system behavior.Software Development & Engineering Collaboration:Partners with development teams to improve application design, performance, and testability.Reviews and influences technical solutions and architecture decisions to ensure alignment with quality and performance standards.Provides technical guidance on automation frameworks, testing tools, and performance engineering approaches.Supports definition of technical requirements and acceptance criteria, including functional and non-functional considerations.Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Leadership:Applies structured methodologies to support delivery and validation across the SDLC.Drives adoption of shift-left testing practices, enabling earlier identification of defects and performance risks.Collaborates with Product, Development, and SRE to align on release scope, quality expectations, and delivery timelines.Ensures consistent execution of processes across development, testing, and release phases.Automation & CI/CD Integration:Defines and leads implementation of automated testing strategies across:Functional testing (Playwright)Performance testing (k6, JMeter, Artillery)Integrates testing into CI/CD pipelines to enable:Automated regression validationPerformance gating at build and release levelsPromotes scalable automation practices across engineering teams.Decision Making & Technical Leadership:Applies advanced decision-making and critical thinking to evaluate technical trade-offs and guide engineering direction.Advises teams on risk mitigation, testing strategies, and performance optimization.Reviews technical solutions for alignment with quality, scalability, and maintainability expectations.Mentors engineers and supports adoption of strong engineering and testing practices across teams.What You Will Have:Decision Making and Critical Thinking – Extensive ExperienceEvaluates complex technical scenarios and determines solutions based on risk, impact, and system behavior.Applies structured approaches to analyze issues and guide decision-making.Advises stakeholders on trade-offs affecting quality, performance, and delivery outcomes.Effective Communications – Extensive ExperienceCommunicates technical information clearly across engineering, product, and leadership audiences.Adapts messaging based on stakeholder needs and technical depth.Provides feedback and coaching on technical approaches and testing strategies.Software Development – Extensive ExperienceDemonstrates strong knowledge of modern software development tools, frameworks, and practices.Evaluates development approaches to ensure alignment with quality and performance requirements.Provides consulting on tool selection and engineering practices.Software Development Life Cycle – Working Knowledge / Advanced ApplicationApplies structured methodology across development, testing, and release phases.Identifies and resolves issues across the lifecycle to improve delivery quality.Aligns testin