Saudi Arabia - The unique challenges of making your first GTM hire in the Kingdom's fast-evolving tech ecosystem

The Local Context

Under Vision 2030, Saudi is rapidly diversifying beyond oil, investing in tech, renewables and giga projects

But that means the pressure to hire local talent has never been higher, especially for high impact tech roles.

1. Compliance with Saudization

Companies must meet specific Saudization quotas for hiring Saudi nationals

This drastically narrows the candidate pool for senior sales and GTM roles, where experience is key.

2. Skills-Gap Between Talent & Opportunity

Despite more Saudis entering the workforce, there’s a pervasive mismatch between available local skills and high end GTM roles

Local candidates often lack enterprise level selling or SaaS experience plus the often pre-requisite experience of being a founding appointment in a new Country.

3. Employer Brand & Candidate Perception

Many tech firms in Saudi lack robust global brand presence. This makes attracting top tier GTM talent hard

Even Saudi nationals with relevant experience are often already part of major Gulf players (STC, Aramco, established international SaaS / technology vendors).

4. High Compensation Pressure

Competitive positioning and Saudization are driving up salary demands, GTM salaries are on average increasing 30% higher year on year, with the pressure to locate a Saudi National with Start-up experience driving this percentage even higher!.

First time GTM hires expect bordering on VP leadership international compensation packages, which can be difficult for startups or scale-ups to reach!

How Iperium using talent intelligence from talent.ai makes a difference

1. Data-powered insights

Understand where ideal Saudi GTM profiles exist today – both within your competitive ecosystem and your target sector

2. Passive candidate sourcing

Engage discreetly with high potential individuals who are not actively job hunting, versus the literal 1000s of non-relevant applicants you receive.

3. Speed + compliance

Targeting and outreach is laser-focused, reducing hiring timelines dramatically

4. Employer brand uplift

Tailored messaging showcases your technology, culture, and growth narrative to stand out

Best Practices for First GTM Hire in Saudi

Challenge	Strategy
Saudization quotas	Combine local development with targeted expat sourcing
Skills shortfall	Design training on boarding + mentoring programs
Slow processes	Outsource hiring to experienced partners who drive accountability
Weak employer brand	Launch bespoke marketing campaigns & digital presence
Competing offers	Use Iperium Saudi expertise to benchmark compensation smartly

Closing Thoughts

Securing your first GTM hire in Saudi is less about casting a wide net, and more about precision targeting, agility, and local understanding.

Digital tools like talent.ai can surface otherwise hidden gems and accelerate engagement with top local candidates.

Pair that with smart hiring practices, and you’ll minimize risk, hit speed goals, and land a great leader to spearhead your growth in the Kingdom.

Want to explore how Iperium using the talent.ai talent intelligence platform can transform your Saudi launch? Let’s chat!

David Ward

David is Co-Founder of Iperium, a global headhunter with over 20 years’ experience building leadership teams for PE and VC-backed technology companies. He has led executive searches across 80+ countries, scaling global teams for some of Silicon Valley’s fastest-growing firms and hiring strategic leaders into private equity owned companies to drive transformation worldwide.

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