Software Engineer Jobs in Houston, TX
Software engineers in Houston write code for energy trading desks, food distribution, power grids and spaceflight, not just startups. The metro median for software developers is about $129,000 a year, and ExxonMobil, Sysco and Axiom Space are among the local employers. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to break in.
Current software engineer Openings in Houston, TX
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Software Engineer Work in Houston
Houston's software jobs follow its industries rather than a single tech district. ExxonMobil hires full stack developers for its trading desk and upstream teams at its Spring campus off the North Freeway, Chevron writes high-performance code for seismic imaging, and Hitachi Energy builds grid management software. Sysco, headquartered in Houston, runs hybrid engineering teams that want people living in Greater Houston, and Axiom Space hires software and quality engineers for its commercial spaceflight work.
That mix means domain knowledge counts here. Engineers who understand trading, seismic data, utilities or flight systems have an edge over generalists, and the work runs from C and C++ on GPU clusters to modern web stacks. The Ion, the innovation hub in Midtown, is the center of the startup scene, and big employers such as Sysco post hybrid schedules, so the commute still matters in a metro where the Katy Freeway and the North Freeway set your day.
Top Houston Employers Hiring Software Engineers
These Houston employers have posted software engineering roles on their own careers sites:
- Sysco - the Houston-based food distributor hires senior software engineers and software development interns on hybrid schedules.
- ExxonMobil - hires full stack developers for trading and upstream teams at its Spring campus, including roles for new graduates.
- Chevron - has hired HPC software engineers in Houston to move geophysics code from CPUs to GPUs.
- Hitachi Energy - hires software application engineers in Houston for its grid management systems.
- Axiom Space - the commercial space company hires software quality and software systems engineers in Houston.
Software Engineer Salaries in Houston
- Entry level: about $80,000 to $100,000 a year.
- Experienced: roughly $110,000 to $150,000 a year, with the Houston median near $129,000.
- Senior: $160,000 to $180,000 or more a year for senior and staff engineers.
These are estimates based on federal wage data for the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro. Houston pays slightly below the Texas median for software developers, and software QA and test roles run lower, with a local median near $99,000. Pay rises with specialty skills such as HPC, cloud and data engineering, with industry knowledge in energy or trading, and with senior titles.
How to Become a Software Engineer in Houston
Texas does not license software engineers, so employers judge you on your degree, your portfolio and their technical interviews. Most postings ask for a bachelor's in computer science or a related field. The University of Houston offers a BS in Computer Science on its main campus in the Third Ward and a Computer Information Systems degree at UH at Sugar Land; Rice University and Texas Southern University both offer computer science degrees, and UH-Clear Lake has an MS in Software Engineering. For a two-year start, Houston City College, formerly Houston Community College, offers an Application Development AAS, and Lone Star College offers a Computer Programming Specialist AAS at campuses including CyFair and Tomball.
What the Job Involves
Software engineers design, write, test and maintain code. A typical week includes building features with product and business teams, reviewing other engineers' code, writing automated tests, fixing production bugs, and improving performance and reliability. In energy and space roles the work often includes processing large technical data sets or meeting strict quality and safety requirements.
Skills Employers Look For
- Strong programming in languages such as Python, Java, C#, C or C++
- Web frameworks and API design
- Cloud platforms and containers
- SQL and data modeling
- Automated testing and version control with Git
- Clear communication with non-technical teams
Career Path and Advancement
Many Houston engineers start as interns or new-graduate hires at large employers like Sysco or ExxonMobil, then move to software engineer, senior engineer and staff or principal engineer. Others step into tech lead and engineering manager roles. Because so much local software serves energy, logistics, utilities and space, engineers who build deep knowledge of one of those industries can move between employers in the same field across the metro.
Related Careers in Houston
If software engineering interests you, these related Houston roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do software engineers need a license in Texas?
No. Texas does not require a license to work as a software engineer. The national Professional Engineer exam in software engineering was discontinued after 2019, so employers rely on degrees, portfolios and interviews instead.
How much do software engineers make in Houston?
Federal wage data puts the Houston median for software developers near $129,000 a year. The bottom 10 percent earn around $80,000 and the top 10 percent more than $181,000.
Which industries hire software engineers in Houston?
Energy is a major one, with ExxonMobil and Chevron hiring for trading, upstream and seismic work. Food distribution through Sysco, grid software through Hitachi Energy and commercial space through Axiom Space round out the list.
Are Houston software jobs remote?
Many are hybrid. Sysco's senior software engineer posting calls for three to four days on site, and its internship asks that candidates live in Greater Houston. Check each posting, because on-site expectations vary by employer and team.
Can I get hired without a computer science degree?
Sometimes. A two-year programming degree from Houston City College or Lone Star College, plus a strong portfolio, can help you compete for junior roles, though many large employers list a bachelor's as the requirement.
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