Software Engineer Jobs in Philadelphia, PA
Software developers in the Philadelphia metro average about $136,000 a year, and most in-city hiring sits in Center City and University City at Comcast, Penn Medicine, Drexel and URBN. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring, what it pays and how to break in.
Current software engineer Openings in Philadelphia, PA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Software Engineer Work in Philadelphia
Philadelphia's software work clusters in two places. In Center City, Comcast runs engineering teams out of the Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street, and the City of Philadelphia's Office of Innovation and Technology builds phila.gov and city systems from offices on Market Street. Across the Schuylkill in University City, the big health system and universities hire their own developers: Penn Medicine for clinical and business applications, and Drexel IT for its enterprise systems.
That mix makes the city different from a pure tech hub. A large share of openings sit at "eds and meds" employers and public bodies that post salary ranges, run hybrid schedules and value platform knowledge such as ServiceNow or government data systems. Retail tech adds another lane through URBN, the parent of Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie. Many suburban tech jobs are out along the Schuylkill Expressway in King of Prussia and Malvern, so check the posting location before you apply.
Top Philadelphia Employers Hiring Software Engineers
These employers have posted software engineering roles in the city on their own careers sites:
- Comcast - the media and connectivity company hires software development engineers from entry level up, including ServiceNow developers, at the Comcast Technology Center.
- Penn Medicine - the University of Pennsylvania Health System hires mid-level and senior application developers in Philadelphia.
- Drexel University - Drexel IT hires software engineers for its core enterprise systems in University City and posts the pay range.
- URBN - the parent of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People and Nuuly posts software engineer and staff software engineer roles in Philadelphia.
- City of Philadelphia - city IT units hire web, SQL and software engineers for phila.gov and internal applications, and some roles require city residency within six months of hire.
Software Engineer Salaries in Philadelphia
- Entry level: about $75,000 to $95,000 a year for new graduates and junior engineers.
- Experienced: roughly $100,000 to $135,000 a year with three to six years of experience.
- Senior and staff: $150,000 to $165,000 or more for senior, staff and principal engineers.
These are estimates. Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry figures for May 2025 put software developers in the Philadelphia metro at a mean of $136,210 a year, with entry-level pay averaging $91,450. Posted ranges run lower at universities and government, such as $75,200 to $112,790 for a Drexel Software Engineer I and $80,000 to $87,000 for a city Web and SQL Developer, while corporate and senior roles pay more. Cloud, data and security skills and a computer science degree all move the offer.
How to Become a Software Engineer in Philadelphia
Most employers ask for a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering or a related field, plus a portfolio of real projects. Local options include the BS in Software Engineering at Drexel University in University City, the Computer Science major at Temple University's College of Science and Technology on North Broad Street, and the computer science degrees at Penn Engineering. Community College of Philadelphia offers an Associate in Science in Computer Science at its Spring Garden Street main campus as a transfer route, and Per Scholas Philadelphia runs a tuition-free 15-week AI Native Software Development course on JFK Boulevard. Pennsylvania has no license for software engineers; the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists licenses PEs, which software jobs generally do not require.
What the Job Involves
Software engineers design, write, test and maintain the code behind applications, websites and internal systems. A typical day mixes writing features, reviewing teammates' code, fixing bugs, writing automated tests and meeting with product owners or business users to clarify requirements. Engineers also deploy code through build pipelines, monitor how it runs in production and document what they built.
Skills Employers Look For
- Strong programming in languages such as Python, Java, JavaScript or Go
- Cloud platforms and containers, such as AWS and Kubernetes
- SQL and working with relational databases
- Git, code review and automated testing
- Clear communication with non-technical colleagues
- Debugging and problem solving under deadlines
Career Path and Advancement
Philadelphia engineers usually start as a junior engineer or Engineer 1, move to mid-level and senior engineer within a few years, then choose between a staff or principal technical track and engineering management. At Comcast the ladder runs through numbered engineer levels; at Penn Medicine, Drexel and the city it runs from developer to senior and lead roles. Many engineers move between University City institutions and Center City corporate teams, and some step into IT project management or architecture.
Related Careers in Philadelphia
If software engineering interests you, these Philadelphia roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to be a software engineer in Pennsylvania?
No. Pennsylvania does not license software engineers or developers. The state licenses Professional Engineers through the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, but software jobs in Philadelphia generally do not ask for a PE.
How much do software engineers make in Philadelphia?
State figures for May 2025 put the metro mean at $136,210 a year, with entry-level developers averaging about $91,450. Posted city ranges run from about $75,000 for junior university and government roles to well above $150,000 for senior and staff engineers.
Can you get a software job in Philadelphia without a four-year degree?
Most postings ask for a bachelor's degree, but a strong portfolio can open some doors. Community College of Philadelphia's Associate in Science in Computer Science is a lower-cost start that transfers to four-year schools, and Per Scholas Philadelphia offers a tuition-free 15-week software development course.
Are Philadelphia software engineering jobs remote?
Many are hybrid rather than fully remote. Comcast marks some engineering roles hybrid eligible, and university and health system teams often expect regular days on campus in University City or Center City, so read the work arrangement on each posting.
Where can you study software engineering in Philadelphia?
Drexel University offers a BS in Software Engineering with co-op in University City, Temple University offers a Computer Science major on North Broad Street, and Penn Engineering offers computer science degrees. Community College of Philadelphia and Per Scholas Philadelphia offer shorter starting points.
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