Product Lead Jobs in Illinois

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.

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:

The Digital Product Owner is responsible for driving backlog execution, delivery alignment, and cross-team coordination for Cat Foresight application domains. This role serves as the critical bridge between business stakeholders, product management, and engineering teams to ensure timely delivery of high-value features that enhance asset monitoring, predictive maintenance, and customer outcomes. This position operates at a technical product ownership level, managing multiple agile teams and ensuring alignment with strategic roadmap priorities.

What You Will Do:

• Product Ownership & Backlog Management: Own, prioritize, and manage the product backlog along with translate roadmap into user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Delivery Execution & Alignment: Drive delivery across multiple agile teams and ensure alignment between roadmap and execution.
• Cross-Team Coordination: Coordinate dependencies across teams and facilitate communication between stakeholders.
• Product & Domain Ownership: Own key services (e.g., Recommendations) and ensure alignment with business and customer needs.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Provide updates on progress, risks, and dependencies. Support roadmap and release planning.
• Agile Execution & Process Improvement: Lead agile ceremonies, backlog refinement, and drive continuous improvement.

What You Will Have:

• Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
• Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.
• Software Product Business Knowledge: Knowledge of and experience with the business aspects and operation of a software product; ability to manage install base, current uses, future plans, and product vision.
• Business Analysis: Knowledge of business analysis and the set of tasks, techniques and tools required to identify business needs; ability to recommend solutions that deliver value to stakeholders.

Considerations For Top Candidates:

• Demonstrated ability to own backlogs across multiple teams, not just a single squad
• Successfully managed cross-team dependencies in large-scale platforms
• Ability to break down complex systems into well-defined user stories
• Experience owning technical services/APIs or platform-level capabilities
• Ability to connect features to measurable business/customer outcomes
• Strong understanding of end-to-end workflows (not just features)
• Takes accountability for delivery outcomes, not just backlog hygiene
• Proactively identifies issues and drives resolution without escalation
• Experience in Agile product development.
• Experience managing backlogs and delivery execution.
• Strong understanding of prioritization trade-offs (business value vs technical constraints)
• Ability to de-risk delivery early by identifying integration challenges
• Provides clear, proactive status and risk communication to leadership
• Strong hands-on experience with Azure DevOps (ADO) or equivalent backlog tools

Summary Pay Range:

$97,530.00 - $158,480.00

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

Visa sponsorship is available for eligible applicants.

Posting Dates:

June 22, 2026 - June 26, 2026

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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