Lead Data Scientist

Career Area Technology, Digital and Data

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. This role will lead a team of data engineers and data scientists, owning data pipeline development primarily for the SPPD Digital Analytics and Business Insights teams. Beyond technical delivery, this team lead is responsible for balancing team workload, coaching junior analysts, and growing the capability of the team, ensuring both sustainable delivery and individual development.

Key Responsibilities Team Leadership & Management

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of data engineers and data scientists.
• Facilitate Agile practices and ensure timely delivery of high-quality solutions.
• Manage incoming demand to ensure strategic initiatives are prioritized while maintaining a sustainable workload for the team.

Technical Strategy & Architecture

• Architect and oversee the development of Procurement and Supply Chain data pipelines.
• Coordinate with Data Platform teams to ensure developed data flows align with the strategic safe sources and the Digital Product Portfolio.
• Establish a culture of data quality and escalation of safe source issues to the appropriate owners for comprehensive resolution.

Data Engineering & Snowflake Expertise

• Lead the development of robust data pipelines for ingestion, transformation, and delivery using Snowflake and Python.
• Support the larger Data Services Team’s effort to transform the legacy SAS technology stack to a Snowflake Procedural stack.
• Assist the creation and cultural adherence to standard coding practices and consumable data outputs.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with Digital Product Owners, Business Process Owners, and the combined Analytics and Business Insights team to solve data needs.
• Communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences and influence strategic decisions.
• Collaborate with multiple teams to ensure each delivery aligns with the overall SPPD Digital Product Portfolio.

Leadership Attributes

• People development: actively coaches and mentors junior data scientists and engineers, creating growth paths and stretch opportunities.
• Workload orchestration: balances incoming demand across the team, protecting focus and a sustainable pace while keeping strategic initiatives on track.
• Decisiveness and prioritization: makes clear trade-off calls when demand exceeds capacity and communicates the rationale transparently.
• Influence: builds trust across Product, Business Process, and Platform teams to align on shared outcomes.
• Accountability and ownership: sets the standard for data quality and delivery, and owns escalation of issues to resolution.

Must-Have Skills

• Experience with Github/Github Copilot/VScode
• Experience in Big Data processing and Data Warehousing.
• Familiarity with Snowflake, SQL, and Python.
• Strong architecture exposure for building robust, scalable Data Pipelines.
• Experience with data transformation, modeling, and normalization concepts.
• Strong analytical skills and solid knowledge of computer science fundamentals.
• Good understanding of AI concepts and latest developments (Gen AI, MCP, ATA, etc.).
• Ability to develop junior Data Scientists and Data Engineers in these skills.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Familiarity with Data Build Tool (DBT)
• Familiarity with Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) and transforming legacy Data Pipelines.
• Experience building AI-enabled solutions and Semantic Data Layers.
• Familiarity with modern data visualization and BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in data engineering
• Demonstrated success in complex data solutions.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• This position requires working onsite five days a week.

Additional Information

• The location for this position is Chennai, India.
• Domestic relocation assistance is available for this position.
• This position will require less than 10% travel. Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position. This employer is not currently hiring foreign national applicants that require or will require sponsorship tied to a specific employer, such as, H, L, TN, F, J, E, O. As a global company, Caterpillar offers many job opportunities outside of the U.S which can be found through our employment website at www.caterpillar.com/careers. EEO/AA Employer. All qualified individuals - Including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities - are encouraged to apply. This position requires working onsite five days a week. Relocation is available for this position. Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Posting Dates July 7, 2026 - July 14, 2026 Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community.