Most IT jobs in Saudi Arabia that are open to foreigners and run in English are in Riyadh. On Gulf Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026 we listed 278 English-speaking tech jobs in Riyadh at 60 companies, against 12 in Jeddah, 11 in Al Khobar and 7 in Dammam. The employers hiring most are IT services and consulting firms, the developers behind Saudi Arabia’s giga-projects, fintechs and global tech vendors.
This guide shows who is hiring, which roles are in demand, and what a foreigner needs to know about work visas before applying. All counts are from our own board, which lists only companies where English is the working language. It is not the whole Saudi job market.
Where the IT jobs in Saudi Arabia are
Riyadh is the largest city on the whole board. In our October 2026 report, it had 21% of all 1,307 live jobs, ahead of Abu Dhabi (20%) and Dubai (15%).
| City | English-speaking tech jobs on Gulf Dev Jobs (16 October 2026) | Companies |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | 278 | 60 |
| Jeddah | 12 | 5 |
| Al Khobar | 11 | 7 |
| Dammam | 7 | 3 |
Part of the reason is policy. The Ministry of Investment’s Regional Headquarters Program has pushed international companies to base their regional head offices in Riyadh, and the programme’s site says more than 600 regional headquarters are now in Saudi Arabia, in sectors including ICT (MISA RHQ).
Jeddah’s tech jobs are mostly at e-commerce platform Salla, Amadeus and IT consultancies. Al Khobar and Dammam, in the Eastern Province, lean towards industrial and energy technology: automation, operational technology security and field engineering at companies like ABB, Emerson, GE Vernova and Thales.
Tech companies in Riyadh that are hiring
These were the companies with the most open jobs in Riyadh on Gulf Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026. Counts change every day, so click through for the current list.
| Company | Open jobs in Riyadh | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TAWANTECH | about 50 | Saudi IT services firm; ads mention SQL, Azure and Java; sponsors visas |
| Qiddiya Investment Company | about 31 | Developer of the Qiddiya entertainment giga-project |
| InnovationTeam | about 21 | Saudi IT services firm; ads mention Docker, Kubernetes and Azure |
| webook.com | about 15 | Ticketing and events platform |
| Nagarro | about 12 | Software engineering services |
| Master-Works | about 11 | Saudi firm; ads mention SQL, Python and Azure |
| Almosafer | about 10 | Travel booking platform |
| Mozn | about 7 | Saudi AI company; ads mention Python and LLMs |
| Delivery Hero, robusta | about 6 each | Delivery platform; software services |
| Devoteam, Artefact, DXC Technology | about 5 each | Cloud, data and IT consulting |
Big and US tech companies in Riyadh
Global vendors mostly hire for sales engineering, solutions architecture and technical account roles in Riyadh, not for core product engineering. On the day we checked, that included Cisco, Fortinet, Salesforce, Mastercard, Ericsson and Lucid Motors, plus the big consultancies (Accenture, PwC Middle East, EY and Boston Consulting Group).
Saudi tech startups in Riyadh
Saudi product companies hire engineers for their own platforms. On Gulf Dev Jobs we list, among others, Tamara and Tabby (buy now, pay later), Lean Technologies and Moyasar (payments and open banking), Foodics (restaurant software), Lucidya (AI customer experience), Gathern (holiday rentals), Jeeny (ride hailing) and Sarj.ai. Our list of companies that hire English speakers covers the full set across the Gulf.
Which tech roles are in demand
Across Riyadh on 16 October 2026, the role pages with the most jobs were:
| Role | Jobs in Riyadh |
|---|---|
| DevOps and SRE | 25 |
| Machine learning and AI | 17 |
| Security | 17 |
| Backend | 12 |
| Product | 11 |
| Data science | 10 |
Many Riyadh jobs don’t fit one engineering category: solution architects, technical project managers, ERP and CRM consultants, and cloud specialists. Python, AWS and Azure are common in the ads (Python jobs in Riyadh, Azure jobs in Riyadh). For AI work specifically, see our guide to AI, ML and data jobs in the Gulf.
Software engineer jobs in Riyadh for freshers
Entry-level roles exist but are few. Across the whole board, the October 2026 report counted 19 internships and 43 junior jobs out of 1,307 (report). Some graduate programmes are aimed at Saudi nationals, so check each ad’s eligibility section. Your best chances as a fresher from abroad are internships at product companies and graduate roles at large IT services firms.
Jobs in Saudi Arabia for foreigners: what to know
Do you need Arabic?
Not for the jobs on this board. Of the 278 Riyadh jobs, 277 don’t ask for any Arabic, and the other asks only for basic Arabic (Riyadh jobs). Arabic helps with government-facing and client-facing roles. Our guide on tech jobs in the Gulf without Arabic explains when it matters and how Saudization (Nitaqat) affects hiring.
Visa sponsorship
In Saudi Arabia, the employer sponsors your work visa and residence permit (iqama) through the government platforms, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa platform and Qiwa. You don’t apply on your own.
Few ads say “visa sponsorship” in words. In Riyadh, 7 of 278 jobs did on 16 October 2026, at companies including TAWANTECH and Delivery Hero (Riyadh jobs). That undercounts real sponsorship: any employer who hires you from abroad has to sponsor your visa. Our list of companies that sponsor visas and the visa sponsorship jobs page are the best places to start.
Who pays the visa costs
Your employer does. Article 40 of the Saudi Labour Law says the employer bears “the costs of recruiting the foreign worker, the residence and work permit fees and their renewals”, the fees for changing profession, exit and re-entry fees, and your return ticket home when the contract ends (HRSD, Labour Law Part Three). If a recruiter asks you to pay for your visa, walk away.
Dependants are different. Ask before you sign who pays the fees for your family’s residence permits.
Premium Residency
If you are senior or highly specialised, Saudi Premium Residency lets you live in Saudi Arabia without an employer sponsor. Special Talent residency needs a job at an approved employer and a monthly salary of at least SAR 14,000, SAR 35,000 or SAR 80,000 depending on the track, and costs SAR 4,000 for five years (Premium Residency Center). Our work visa guide has the full conditions.
Applying from abroad and remote work
Most Riyadh jobs expect you to move. On 16 October 2026, 11 of the 278 said you can apply from anywhere and 5 were fully remote (Riyadh jobs). See jobs you can apply for from abroad across the Gulf.
Notice periods and end of service
Saudi labour law sets a notice period of at least 30 days when you resign from an open-ended contract on a monthly salary, and 60 days when the employer ends it (HRSD, Labour Law Part Five). When you leave, you are owed an end-of-service award. Our guide to end-of-service gratuity in the UAE and Saudi Arabia explains how it is calculated.
IT jobs in Saudi Arabia with salary
Very few Saudi tech ads state a salary. Across the whole board, only 2% of live jobs gave a figure in October 2026 (report). For pay ranges and how Saudi packages split into basic salary, housing and transport, see our software engineer salary guide and how to read a Gulf job offer. If you are weighing Riyadh against the UAE, our comparison of Dubai vs Abu Dhabi vs Riyadh and the cost of living in Riyadh will help.
How to apply
- Search by city and role. Start with Riyadh, then filter by role or technology.
- Apply on the employer’s own site. Every job on Gulf Dev Jobs links to the company’s careers page.
- Prepare your documents early. Your degree will need attestation for the work visa. Our guide to degree attestation for UAE and Saudi work visas explains the steps.
- Check the offer. Make sure it states basic salary, allowances, flights, medical cover and who pays family visa fees.
- Set a job alert so new Riyadh jobs reach you the day they are posted.
Rules on visas and labour law change. This guide is general information, not legal advice, so check the official links before you act.
Frequently asked questions
Can foreigners get IT jobs in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. On Gulf Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026 we listed 278 English-speaking tech jobs in Riyadh alone, and 277 of them asked for no Arabic. Your employer sponsors your work visa and iqama, and Saudi labour law makes the employer pay the recruitment, work permit and residence permit fees.
Which tech companies are hiring in Riyadh?
On 16 October 2026 the most active were TAWANTECH, Qiddiya Investment Company, InnovationTeam, webook.com, Nagarro, Master-Works and Almosafer. Global vendors such as Cisco, Fortinet and Salesforce, the big consultancies, and Saudi fintechs like Tamara, Lean Technologies and Moyasar were also hiring.
Are there IT jobs in Saudi Arabia with visa sponsorship?
Yes, though few ads say so. 7 of 278 Riyadh jobs mentioned visa sponsorship on 16 October 2026. Any employer that hires you from abroad has to sponsor your visa, so also look at companies that hire internationally and at jobs that accept applicants from abroad.
Is it hard to find a software engineer job in Riyadh as a fresher?
It is harder than for experienced engineers. Across the whole board, 19 internships and 43 junior roles were live in October 2026, out of 1,307 jobs. Some graduate programmes are aimed at Saudi nationals, so read the eligibility rules. Product companies and large IT services firms are your best targets.
Do I need to speak Arabic to work in tech in Saudi Arabia?
Usually not. Every company on Gulf Dev Jobs works in English, and jobs needing business-level Arabic are left out. Arabic helps for client-facing government projects and in daily life, but most engineering, data and cloud roles in Riyadh are run in English.
Which city in Saudi Arabia has the most tech jobs?
Riyadh, by far. It had 278 English-speaking tech jobs on Gulf Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026, against 12 in Jeddah, 11 in Al Khobar and 7 in Dammam. The Eastern Province cities focus more on industrial and energy technology.