The opportunity timeline

• Overview

  Caterpillar is hiring a Principal Software Engineer in Dearborn, MI.

• Role description

  This freelance Principal Software Engineer seat at Caterpillar pays $127,000 - $173,000 and comes with a backlog of genuinely interesting technology problems. This trust-the-team principal role offers $127,000 - $173,000, the freedom to own your roadmap, and a team that helps you grow.

  Key Responsibilities

  • Profile MySQL memory use and chase down the leaks crashing Dearborn nodes
  • Sit with technology users in Dearborn to learn what the Conflict Resolution tool really needs
  • Stitch MySQL events into the C# pipeline feeding Caterpillar's technology reports
  • Optimize application performance, latency, and resource utilization at scale
  • Defend Caterpillar uptime through the 2 a.m. Dearborn pages nobody volunteers for

  What You'll Bring

  • Demonstrated ability to teach what you know to someone greener
  • 9+ years owning outcomes, not just completing tasks
  • The kind of reliability that earns you the hard assignments
  • A learner's pace that keeps up with shifting requirements
  • Practical MySQL skills sharpened in a freelance setting

  Caterpillar is a scrappy-but-steady, customer-obsessed technology company proudly built in Dearborn, MI. Around here, "I don't know yet" is a perfectly respectable sentence and often the start of something good.

  We back our team with $127,000 - $173,000, equity, top-tier health benefits, and the flexibility to work where you do your best thinking.

  Fresh as of this morning, Caterpillar marked the principal seat available.

  If a Principal Software Engineer role in MI fits the life you're building, let's connect.

• Required skills

  • C#
  • MySQL
  • Flask
  • Vue.js
  • Strategic Planning
  • Conflict Resolution

• Benefits & perks

  • Snacks and Beverages
  • 401(k) Matching
  • Employee of the Month
  • No-meeting Fridays
  • Quarterly all-hands meetings
  • Paid vacation days
  • Home office stipend
  • Charitable donation matching
  • Compressed Workweek
  • Online course subscriptions
  • Holiday Parties

• Apply before 2026-08-05

  Submit your application for this Freelance technology position.