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Technology

Head of Data Science

Riyadh · 10+

Technology
Monthly Pay (Median)
78,000SAR
per month
Verified Pay Index · 2026 sources
Refreshed 2 months ago
MinMedianMax
78,000
66,500 SAR91,500 SAR
Refreshed September 2026 · 2026 sources

Principal Engineer / Head of Data on the Technology ladder

Full Technology ladder →

The Data & Engineering track in Saudi, every published level. Pay envelope by level, SAR per month.

  1. Junior Engineer / Data AnalystSAR 25,000 – 52,000
  2. Engineer / Data ScientistSAR 28,000 – 58,000
  3. Senior Engineer / Senior Data ScientistSAR 29,000 – 58,000
  4. Staff Engineer / Lead EngineerSAR 38,000 – 77,000
  5. Principal Engineer / Head of DataThis roleSAR 67,000 – 135,000
  6. VP Engineering / CTOSAR 83,000 – 168,000

Monthly total fixed pay, from the Standard-tier floor to the Exceptional-tier ceiling.

Median pay by seniority: Technology, Saudi Arabia

Head of Data Science salary range, Riyadh

Saudi Arabia · total cash per month

Verified Pay Index
Median monthly pay
SAR78,000/ month
Typical experience: 10+
Range, percentiles, bonus, total comp and per-firm benchmarks included with Pro
Bands referenced
1 across UAE and Saudi
Last refresh
Sep 2026
How we compile this data →

See the full range, percentiles, bonus, total comp, and per-firm benchmarks for Head of Data Science in Riyadh, included with Tenure Pro.

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Live Head of Data Science roles in Riyadh

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Screened openings from the Tenure board, each benchmarked against the Pay Index for the role, level and market.

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CMA CGM · Abu Dhabi, UAE · Junior

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Integration and Data Engineer

Penta Consulting · Abu Dhabi, UAE · Mid-level

Pay benchmark above AED 25k/month · Technology

Browse every live role in Riyadh.

What’s next on Tenure

Frequently asked questions

What does a Head of Data Science earn in Riyadh?

The Tenure Pay Index median for a Head of Data Science in Riyadh is SAR 78,000 a month. The published range for this role and employer bracket runs SAR 66,500 to SAR 91,500 a month. Figures are monthly total fixed cash, the way Gulf offers are quoted, and they exclude bonus, housing paid separately, and gratuity.

What is the full pay range for this level in Saudi?

Across employer calibre, Principal Engineer / Head of Data roles in Saudi run SAR 67,000 – 135,000 a month, from the market floor to the top of the range. Where an individual offer sits inside that span is mostly a function of employer calibre, and the calibrated split by tier is part of Tenure Pro.

How much more does the level above pay?

The next step up on the Data & Engineering ladder is VP Engineering / CTO, which runs SAR 83,000 – 168,000 a month in Saudi against SAR 67,000 – 135,000 for Principal Engineer / Head of Data. Both spans are floor to ceiling across employer calibre, so they overlap: a strong offer at this level can beat a weak one a rung up.

What does the level below this one pay?

Staff Engineer / Lead Engineer, the rung beneath Principal Engineer / Head of Data on the Data & Engineering ladder, runs SAR 38,000 – 77,000 a month in Saudi. The step between the two is the clearest read on what a promotion at this stage is worth.

Is this base salary or total pay?

It is total fixed monthly pay, which is how compensation is quoted in the Gulf: the guaranteed cash an employer pays every month, including any fixed allowances rolled into the package. It does not include bonus, gratuity, or a housing allowance paid separately from salary. Technology bonus and allowance norms are covered in the gated sections of this page.

Where does this figure come from?

From primary sources Tenure holds on file: written offer letters shared by members, anonymised before mapping, and extracts from established Gulf compensation surveys. Nothing is crowdsourced and nothing is modelled from job-ad text. No band publishes on fewer than three independent verified sources, and a band that falls below that floor is withdrawn rather than shown. The Index is refreshed quarterly.