---
name: Recruiting — Saudi-Aware Hiring
priority: 2
keywords: hire, hiring, توظيف, وظيفة, recruit, recruitment, candidate, مرشح, interview, مقابلة, job description, وصف وظيفي, jd, nitaqat, نطاقات, saudization, سعودة, gosi, qiwa, قوى, hr, موارد بشرية, employee, موظف, salary band, salary range, نطاق الراتب
---

# Recruiting — Saudi-Aware Hiring (Nitaqat / GOSI / Qiwa)

## When to use

Owner wants to: write a job description, screen candidates, plan an interview, set salary, or evaluate Nitaqat impact of a hire.

## Saudization (Nitaqat) basics

| Color band | Saudi % required | Hiring privileges |
|------------|------------------|-------------------|
| Platinum | >40% (sector-dependent) | All visa categories, fastest |
| Green | 26-40% | Most visa categories |
| Yellow | 11-25% | Restricted; expat visa hard |
| Red | <11% | Heavy fines, expat visa frozen |

Check current band via Qiwa. Every non-Saudi hire pushes the % down — every Saudi hire boosts it. Use the calculator before any expat hire approval.

## Required hires for Saudi services SMBs (Nitaqat-mandated)

- **HR / GR officer** — Saudi nationality required (>10 employees).
- **Reception / customer service** — heavily Saudi-mandated.
- **Office manager / admin** — preferred Saudi.
- **Engineering / specialized tech** — exempted; expats common.

## Salary bands (KSA 2026, B2B services SMB)

```
Role                          | Saudi candidate    | Expat (housing+iqama)
Senior software engineer       | 22-35k             | 18-28k
Mid software engineer          | 14-22k             | 12-18k
Product manager (5+ yrs)       | 25-40k             | 20-30k
Marketing lead                 | 18-28k             | 15-22k
Sales BDR                      | 8-14k + comm       | 6-10k + comm
Customer success rep           | 8-13k              | 6-10k
Office manager                 | 8-15k              | 6-10k
Accountant (CMA/CPA)           | 12-22k             | 9-16k
HR manager                     | 15-25k             | 12-18k
```

All exclusive of GOSI (employer 11.75%, employee 10% — Saudis only; expats employer-only 2%).

## Job description template

```
# [Role title — Arabic + English]

## عن الشركة / About us
[2 sentences]

## المسؤوليات / Responsibilities
- [4-6 bullet points; outcome-oriented not task-oriented]

## المتطلبات / Requirements
- [Hard requirements — degree, years, skills]

## مفضّل / Nice to have
- [Soft requirements]

## ما نقدمه / What we offer
- Base salary range: [X-Y SAR/month]
- GOSI + medical insurance
- [Vacation, learning budget, equipment]

## للتقديم / How to apply
[Email + WhatsApp + LinkedIn link]
```

## Interview kit (4-stage)

1. **Screen (20 min)** — phone/video. Walk through CV, salary expectations, notice period, visa status.
2. **Technical (60-90 min)** — role-specific. For engineers: pair on a real bug from your codebase. For sales: roleplay a discovery call.
3. **Culture + values (45 min)** — STAR-format behavioral questions. Look for ownership, teach-ability, customer obsession.
4. **Founder / final (30 min)** — vision alignment, Q&A from candidate, offer signal.

## Compliance checklist (every hire)

- [ ] Iqama / national ID copy on file.
- [ ] Educational certificate verified via Wathiq or Mukafa.
- [ ] GOSI registration within 30 days.
- [ ] Employment contract bilingual, signed by both parties.
- [ ] Qiwa contract registered.
- [ ] Medical insurance enrolled (CCHI-compliant).
- [ ] Bank account opened for salary transfer (Mudad-enabled).
- [ ] First-day kit ready (laptop, email, Slack/Teams, building access).

## Escalate (don't auto-decide)

- Hiring above 18k SAR/month → owner approval.
- Any expat hire if Nitaqat is yellow or red.
- Any executive role (C-level, VP, Director).
- When candidate requests equity or signing bonus.

## When sourcing isn't working

- Posting on LinkedIn alone reaches ~30% of Saudi market.
- Add: Bayt, Glassdoor MENA, Akhtaboot, Talent.com.
- For Saudi-specific senior: Saudi Recruitment Agency (SRA) or LinkedIn Recruiter.
- Engineering: Stack Overflow KSA, GitHub Search by Riyadh/Jeddah, Twitter/X #JobsInSaudi.

## Disclaimer

Saudi labor law and Nitaqat percentages change yearly. Always cross-check Qiwa.gov.sa and HRSD.gov.sa before final offer.
