Top 10 Tech Startups Hiring Junior Developers in Amarillo, TX in 2026

Table of Contents

• Introduction to Amarillo's Tech Opportunities
• Why Choose a Startup for Your First Job
• Fermi LLC
• Pantex Plant
• Sage Oil Vac
• Bell Textron
• Cognizant Technology Solutions
• ROI Online
• Connecticut Controls Corp
• Epic
• Speechify
• DataAnnotation
• Cultivating Your Career in the Panhandle
• Frequently Asked Questions

Why Choose a Startup for Your First Job

For a junior developer, joining an early-stage company is a calculated risk with potentially high reward, akin to planting in nutrient-rich but untested soil. You’ll gain broader ownership of projects, see your code ship faster, and wear multiple hats, accelerating your learning curve far beyond a specialized role in a large corporation. This immersive environment forces rapid skill acquisition and professional growth.

The trade-off is less formal structure and the inherent uncertainty of a company's future. The key is thorough due diligence: evaluate a startup’s stability by checking its funding runway, looking for revenue growth signals, and noting team expansion on LinkedIn. In Amarillo’s close-knit ecosystem, this research is more accessible. You can often connect directly with founders through local networks like Elevate Amarillo, which provides mentorship and leadership training for young professionals.

This path aligns with the broader trend of local businesses leveraging technology for growth. As explored in stories about how Amarillo embraces technology, the barrier to building a tech business here is lower than ever. For a junior developer, this means a tangible opportunity to contribute to a company's foundational story while building a versatile, impactful skill set in a supportive community.

Fermi LLC

For junior developers seeking a foundation built on guidance, Fermi LLC represents the gold standard in structured mentorship. This specialized engineering and technology firm has codified professional development into its core culture. Their 2026 job descriptions for senior engineers explicitly task them with "mentoring junior engineers to drive product innovation," signaling a deliberate apprenticeship model within teams focused on advanced design and manufacturing systems.

Technically, you’ll get hands-on with industry-standard tools like AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and MATLAB, alongside custom software integration. This provides a powerful blend of mechanical and software engineering exposure, a valuable skillset in Amarillo's tech-forward manufacturing landscape. As a small, growth-stage team, the culture is built around direct access to experienced professionals invested in your development.

Finding your path in requires a strategic look at their postings. While they may not always list "Junior Developer" roles, monitoring for "Associate Engineer" positions or the career pages following senior hires is key, as these indicate an active pipeline for supporting new talent. This approach is reflected in broader local hiring trends, where junior-to-mid level software developer opportunities in Amarillo often emphasize rapid skill acquisition in applied environments.

Pantex Plant

The Pantex Plant offers a unique proposition for junior developers: mission-critical AI work within an environment of unparalleled stability. Operated by Consolidated Nuclear Security, this cornerstone of Amarillo’s economy is undergoing a significant tech transformation, actively seeking AI Software Engineers and Windchill Software Engineers in 2026. This provides a rare entry point to work on secure applications in data analytics, process automation, and enterprise systems within a national security context.

This isn't theoretical work. Industry observers note that by 2026, roles like these expect juniors to understand how to integrate generative AI tools to solve real-world industrial problems. You gain the mission-driven purpose and job security of a federal facility while working at the forefront of applied industrial AI, directly supporting the region's identity as an ideal testbed for scalable automation.

The pathway in, while requiring diligence, includes a significant career investment. Positions are listed on federal job sites and major boards. A security clearance is typically required, which the plant often sponsors for qualified candidates, adding a valuable credential to your professional profile. This combination of cutting-edge tech application, long-term stability, and sponsored career advancement makes Pantex a deeply rooted opportunity in the Panhandle soil.

Sage Oil Vac

Sage Oil Vac operates at the compelling intersection of established industry and scaling product innovation, offering junior developers a deeply hands-on role in the full product lifecycle. This company, which develops advanced mobile oil change systems, seeks "motivated engineers who want hands-on experience," targeting entry-to-mid-level talent for immediate design and improvement roles. You’ll bridge the digital and physical worlds, working with 3D CAD in SolidWorks and the proprietary software that controls system performance.

This product-centric focus is invaluable for developers interested in IoT, embedded systems, or Industry 4.0, providing a clear line of sight from your code to a functioning machine. The culture emphasizes ownership in a scaling environment, forcing rapid skill acquisition and professional growth as you contribute directly to the firm's expansion in the Panhandle and beyond.

This model exemplifies how local firms leverage technology for growth, a trend noted in stories about how Amarillo embraces technology. For a junior developer, it translates to an immersive opportunity to grow with a company, building a versatile skill set while your work has a tangible impact on a physical product. With an average junior developer salary in Texas at $82,894, this kind of applied, high-responsibility role offers exceptional foundational experience.

Bell Textron

At Bell Textron's Amarillo Assembly Center, junior developers find a unique hybrid: the urgent, focused velocity of a startup backed by the vast resources and stability of a corporate parent. While Textron is a large entity, its Amarillo site functions as a dedicated innovation hub for next-generation aviation, including tiltrotor and tail-sitting vehicle programs. Their 2026 postings for specific roles like Entry Level - Industrial Engineering emphasize developing productivity strategies and factory layout analysis, requiring close collaboration with software and data teams.

In this environment, you’ll work with industrial software suites like Power BI and Kinaxis to solve real-time production and logistics challenges, gaining direct expertise in how software drives manufacturing efficiency and lean operations. The collaborative, cross-functional culture means you’ll work alongside aerospace engineers, data analysts, and operations specialists, building a powerful professional network and a systems-thinking mindset crucial for complex product development.

This role is a prime example of the region's strategic shift, as highlighted in analyses of how AI and automation are reshaping Amarillo’s manufacturing industry. It offers the accelerated learning and high-impact project work of a new venture with the career security and benefits of an established aerospace leader. You can explore these specific opportunities, like the 2026 entry-level industrial engineering role in Amarillo, which underscores the demand for tech-integrated talent in advanced manufacturing.

Cognizant Technology Solutions

For junior developers seeking a more guided introduction to enterprise-scale development, Cognizant Technology Solutions provides a structured pathway within its significant Amarillo hub. As a global IT services firm with a strong local presence, Cognizant is known for formal training programs and hybrid work models that are ideal for those who value a clear onboarding process and exposure to established agile methodologies and development practices.

A key differentiator is the sector specialization available. Many of Cognizant's Amarillo projects serve the healthcare industry, providing exposure to complex, regulated environments where code quality, security, and compliance with standards like HIPAA are paramount. Building expertise in medical software and systems integration creates a valuable, high-demand niche on any developer's resume.

This role offers the scale of a vast global organization, including extensive internal mobility and the chance to connect with mentors and peers worldwide, while still being anchored in the Amarillo community. It represents a stable, growth-oriented option in a city where software developer roles are increasingly found in both corporate and specialized industrial settings, offering a balanced career launchpad with significant learning resources.

ROI Online

ROI Online stands as a testament to homegrown tech entrepreneurship in the Texas Panhandle, offering junior developers a chance to dive into the full stack of a modern digital business. This locally-grown firm specializes in cloud-based marketing technology and automation, where you'll work on everything from backend cloud infrastructure (often AWS or Azure) to frontend UX and data-driven marketing tools.

The company's very existence highlights a key shift in the local economy. Founder insights underscore that cloud computing has made it possible to build and scale a tech business from Amarillo with just "a few laptops and reliable internet." Working here, you'll learn these essential, scalable cloud architectures firsthand while seeing how software directly drives client revenue and business outcomes.

As a community anchor, ROI Online immerses you in Amarillo's own business and tech network. It's a prime example of the trend explored in stories about how Amarillo embraces technology for business growth. For a developer, this means contributing to a local success story while building highly transferable skills in a market where junior software developer roles increasingly value this full-spectrum, business-impact mindset.

Connecticut Controls Corp

Connecticut Controls Corp represents the frontier of industrial automation in the Panhandle, offering junior developers a specialized and in-demand career path. The company hires for roles like Automation Controls Programmers, which sit at the critical intersection of software, electrical engineering, and industrial robotics. For a developer fascinated by how code commands physical processes - from conveyor belts to robotic arms - this is a deep-end dive into Industry 4.0.

You’ll gain expertise in high-demand, well-compensated niches like PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) programming and SCADA systems, writing code that has immediate, tangible effects in the physical world. This role is a direct reflection of Amarillo’s strategic shift towards advanced manufacturing, positioning you at the leading edge of the region's industrial tech transformation.

This experience is highly future-proof. As AI and machine learning increasingly move onto the factory floor, the foundational skills in automation and systems integration you build here will be essential. It aligns perfectly with the region's identity as an ideal testbed for scalable automation solutions. For those seeking a non-traditional software career with deep roots in Amarillo's economic fabric, this is a compelling and stable foundation, reflected in the steady demand for such software engineering roles in the area.

Epic

For junior developers seeking depth and mastery within a single, critical domain, Epic's Amarillo office offers an unparalleled education in large-scale, high-reliability software systems. As the leading developer of electronic health record (EHR) software, Epic provides roles for Software Engineers and Technical/Integration Solutions Engineers that immerse you in one of the world's most complex and impactful codebases.

You'll gain a deep understanding of software engineering principles applied to systems used by thousands of hospitals and millions of patients, focusing on scalability, security, and interoperability at an extreme level. The company is known for its rigorous training programs in its proprietary tech stack, which, while niche, represents a highly valuable and stable specialization within the essential healthcare sector.

The problems you'll solve are both technically challenging and deeply meaningful, involving the integration of disparate hospital systems, ensuring absolute data integrity, and streamlining patient care workflows. This role connects you to Amarillo's growing med-tech sector and is a consistent presence in the local market, as seen on platforms like Indeed's listings for software developers in Amarillo. It’s a career foundation built on solving some of the most consequential problems in software.

Speechify

Speechify’s presence in Amarillo places junior developers directly into the fast-paced world of consumer-facing AI product development. The company, a leading text-to-speech AI platform, actively hires for software engineer roles focused on macOS, Windows, and web platforms. Working here means contributing to applications that serve millions of users, with a focus on accessibility, natural language processing, and seamless user experience.

This role offers hands-on experience with AI product integration, where you’ll work on improving and deploying core AI models within real applications. You’ll use contemporary frameworks and cloud services, building highly transferable skills in modern development practices. The work culture often includes hybrid or remote flexibility, connecting you to a Silicon Valley-style product development environment while allowing you to live and work in Amarillo.

This opportunity aligns with the broader industry shift where junior developers are now expected to understand how to integrate generative AI tools. It represents a modern software career path available in the Panhandle, where the average salary for a junior developer in Texas reaches approximately $82,894. For those looking to build a career in applied AI while enjoying Amarillo’s lower cost of living, Speechify offers a compelling blend of cutting-edge work and regional lifestyle advantages.

DataAnnotation

While not a traditional employer, DataAnnotation serves as a vital and flexible platform for junior developers in 2026 to build practical experience and income. It offers remote opportunities to train and evaluate AI models through complex coding tasks, providing a tangible way to understand AI model behavior and demonstrate problem-solving skills to future employers.

The work inherently builds AI fluency, requiring you to think like both a developer and an AI trainer. This develops essential intuition for how generative AI tools function - a skill set that industry observers note is now considered mandatory for many junior roles. Completing these tasks creates verifiable portfolio pieces that can help bridge the experience gap often cited in the competitive 2026 market.

This platform functions as a strategic bridge to local, permanent opportunities. It provides relevant experience and income while you engage with Amarillo's tech ecosystem through networks like Elevate Amarillo or pursue more structured upskilling. For those navigating the realities highlighted in discussions about the harsh truth about being a junior developer in 2026, DataAnnotation represents a pragmatic tool for cultivating skills and maintaining momentum while planting deeper roots in the Panhandle soil.

Cultivating Your Career in the Panhandle

The "top" company for you isn't merely the one with the most funding; it's the one whose soil - its mentorship, applied technology, and growth trajectory - best matches your roots. In Amarillo, that soil is uniquely rich, amplified by no state income tax, a lower cost of living, and a community actively investing in new talent through programs like Uncover Amarillo.

Your strategy must extend beyond big job boards. Look for these companies on AngelList, follow Texas startup founders, join Panhandle tech Slack groups, and attend local meetups. For those building foundational skills, accessible education paths exist. Programs like Nucamp's Back End, SQL and DevOps with Python bootcamp (16 weeks, $2,124) provide the core technical skills needed for these local AI and automation roles, with flexible scheduling suited for career changers in the Panhandle.

In 2026, your first job is more than a salary; it's the foundation you plant. With an average junior developer salary of $82,894 holding greater purchasing power here, choose the ground where you can grow deep roots and strong branches, contributing to Amarillo's evolution as a testbed for the next generation of technology.

Frequently Asked Questions