Competitive Intelligence Manager for Machine Control

Caterpillar•Dayton, OH

1d•Onsite

About The Position

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. The Construction Machine Control Competitive Intelligence Manager at CTCT serves as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) on the global competitive landscape. In this individual contributor role, you will bridge the gap between technical performance and business strategy by leading evaluations of internal and competitive systems. You will operationalize a newly developed evaluations framework, transforming it from concept to standard practice. You will need to be intensely curious about novel and innovative ways of using AI to support this framework. As the central liaison between CTCT, Caterpillar, and Trimble, you will orchestrate testing efforts across various specialized teams, aggregating their findings to clarify product gaps, advantages, and customer value drivers. You must have a collaborative approach and exhibit adaptability. Existing industry knowledge and hands-on experience in construction technology are considered a significant plus for this role.

Requirements

Coordination: Ability to organize and align decentralized testing activities across multiple teams, ensuring consistent methodology and unified reporting without direct authority.
Technical Proficiency: Ability to operate and troubleshoot machine control systems, GNSS hardware, and construction software.
Data Integrity: Impeccable attention to detail in recording results and maintaining database accuracy.
Self-Motivation: Proven ability to work autonomously and manage deliverables without direct oversight.
Project Management: Capability to juggle multiple evaluation timelines and projects simultaneously.
Creativity Sourcing Strategy: Devise innovative, ethical methods to acquire competitive intelligence and systems outside standard channels.
Scenario Design: Create novel testing scenarios that expose nuances standard spec sheets miss.
Integration Solving: Develop creative workarounds to install and test competitive systems on non-native machines.
Effective Communications SME Leadership: Act as the authoritative voice on competitive positioning in executive, engineering, and sales forums.
Simplification: Distill complex technical data into clear narratives that highlight business impact for non-technical audiences.
Facilitation: Lead engaging cross-functional meetings that foster open dialogue and effective information exchange.
Working Knowledge Industry Experience: Prior experience in the heavy civil construction or machine control industry is highly preferred.
Domain Expertise: Understanding of 2D/3D machine control, grade control, onsite connectivity, and offboard software.
Market Awareness: Familiarity with key competitors and their respective product portfolios.
Customer Segmentation: Knowledge of how different user groups (e.g., owner-operators vs. fleets) value specific features.
Influencing Roadmap Direction: Use data-driven insights to persuade teams to prioritize features that address critical competitive disadvantages.
Strategic Focus: Guide the organization on what not to focus on by validating where gaps are irrelevant to customers.
Stakeholder Alignment: Drive consensus between Cat and Trimble stakeholders on competitive realities and counter-tactics.
Relationship Management Internal Collaboration: Build strong bridges with functional experts across Caterpillar, Trimble, and CTCT to facilitate their specific testing contributions.
Network Development: Cultivate external relationships with dealers and industry networks to access information and equipment.
Field Engagement: Actively listen to sales and support teams to understand real-world competitive pressures.
Strategic Thinking Value Analysis: Analyze the economic and operational impact of technical gaps on the end-user.
Contextual Evaluation: Assess competitive moves within the broader context of industry trends like automation.
Future Vision: Help shape long-term strategy by predicting competitor trajectories based on current data.

Nice To Haves

A deep understanding of the grade control and construction technology industry
Experience institutionalizing frameworks across an organization through influence and facilitating that change management
Impeccable organizational skills, with capabilities to gather, curate, manage and disseminate competitive information
Strong communications skills, demonstrating the ability to tailor messages for each level of an org hierarchy
Familiarity with AI tools and a curiosity in how it can be thoughtfully leveraged
A growth mindset, confident in their expertise but open to having their mind changed through competing views
Some level of field experience in the construction industry is highly desirable

Responsibilities

Framework Execution: Operationalize the new competitive evaluations framework, moving it from high-level concept to standardized testing protocols.
Evaluation Coordination: Oversee and synchronize competitive testing conducted by specialized internal groups (e.g., hardware, software, perception), ensuring their specific data feeds correctly into the central framework.
Process Optimization: Establish streamlined workflows for requesting, conducting, and reporting on evaluations to increase speed to insight.
AI Innovation: Lead investigation into novel and innovative ways of using AI in support of these processes and frameworks.
Technical Assessment: Plan and execute hands-on evaluations of CTCT and competitive systems to validate performance claims.
Landscape Monitoring: Host monthly calls with CTCT, Cat, and Trimble personnel to disseminate findings and gather intelligence.
Data Governance: Own the competitive database, ensuring all intelligence—whether self-generated or sourced from other teams—is accurate and up-to-date.
Asset Procurement: Manage the acquisition or rental of competitive hardware and software required for testing.
Strategic Guidance: Define product gaps and advantages to advise the business on where to focus development efforts.