Engineering Manager, Saudi Arabia

Scale AI
Riyadh, SA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Best suited to mid-level engineering managers with AI/ML expertise and government client-facing experience working in the GCC region.

Best fit for

  • Technical leaders who can bridge AI engineering and government stakeholder communication.
    — “comfortable presenting to a government stakeholder as they are reviewing a system architecture
  • Full-stack engineers with production AI/ML deployment experience in high-stakes environments.
    — “hands-on experience building, training, fine-tuning, or deploying machine learning models
  • Candidates with established GCC regional experience and Arabic language skills.
    — “Experience working in or with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is strongly preferred

Things to consider

  • Direct government engagement requires non-technical communication adaptability.
    — “translating complex engineering concepts into clear, accessible language for non-technical audiences
  • 90-day waiting period applies for reapplying to the same role.
    — “Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates

How to stand out

  • Demonstrate specific examples of LLM-powered feature deployments.
    — “Develop and deploy AI/ML solutions including LLM-powered features
  • Highlight government system integration experience in your technical portfolio.
    — “Build and maintain robust API integrations connecting Scale's platform with government systems
  • Prepare case studies of mentoring engineers through AI product lifecycles.
    — “Inspire, mentor, and grow engineers on the team
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · CompanyLevel · Senior

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • leading_development_of_ai_applications_for_saudi_government_clients
  • representing_scale_ai_in_client_facing_settings
Typical background
6_years_of_software_engineering_experience3_years_of_engineering_leadership_experience

Skills & requirements

Required

Ai_ml_engineeringFull_stack_developmentTeam_leadershipCustomer_engagementProduct_lifecycle_management

Preferred

Public_sector_experienceGovernment_relations

Stack & domain

Ai/ml EngineeringFull Stack DevelopmentSystem ArchitectureApi IntegrationsCustomer OrientationTechnical LeadershipTeam BuildingAi ApplicationsPublic Sector

About the role

Original posting from Scale AI via Greenhouse

About Scale AI

Scale's rapidly growing Global  Public Sector team is focused on using AI to address critical challenges facing governments around the world. Our core work consists of:

Creating custom AI applications that will impact millions of citizens

Generating high-quality training data for national LLMs

Upskilling and advisory services to spread the impact of AI

As these applications move from prototype to production, we're investing heavily in the infrastructure and people that keep them reliable, secure, and trusted by our government partners.

At Scale, we're not just building AI solutions - we're enabling the public sector to transform their operations and better serve citizens through cutting-edge technology. If you're ready to shape the future of AI in the public sector and be a founding member of our team, we'd love to hear from you.

Role Overview

We are looking for a technically strong and customer-oriented Engineering Manager to lead the development of AI applications for Saudi government clients. This role sits at the intersection of engineering leadership, AI/ML delivery, and direct client engagement—requiring someone who is equally comfortable presenting to a government stakeholder as they are reviewing a system architecture or shipping code.

As a founding member of our regional team, you will help define how Scale AI shows up for some of the most ambitious public sector AI initiatives in the Gulf. If you thrive in fast-paced, high-impact environments and want to shape the future of AI in government, we would love to hear from you.

What You'll Do

Lead and manage a team of engineers delivering AI-powered applications for KSA  government clients, ensuring high-quality output and on-time delivery

Serve as the primary technical point of contact for KSA government stakeholders—translating complex engineering concepts into clear, accessible language for non-technical audiences

Design, build, and optimize full stack AI applications end-to-end, from data pipelines and ML model integration through to APIs and frontend delivery

Develop and deploy AI/ML solutions including LLM-powered features, AI agents, and intelligent automation tailored to government use cases

Build and maintain robust API integrations connecting Scale's platform with government systems and third-party services

Partner with product, go to market, and government counterparts to define requirements, scope solutions, and drive delivery from conceptualization through production

Represent Scale in client-facing settings including workshops, demos, and executive briefings with KSA government agencies

Manage the full product lifecycle across multiple workstreams simultaneously, balancing speed and quality in a fast-paced environment

Inspire, mentor, and grow engineers on the team, fostering a culture of technical excellence and customer focus

Influence team culture, engineering processes, and best practices as a senior leader within the Global  Public Sector organization

What We're Looking For

6+ years of total software engineering experience, with a strong background in AI/ML engineering and full stack development

3+ years of engineering leadership experience, with a demonstrated ability to manage and develop high-performing technical teams

Strong AI/ML engineering foundation—hands-on experience building, training, fine-tuning, or deploying machine learning models and LLM-based applications in production

Full stack engineering proficiency across the entire application stack, including backend services, APIs, data pipelines, and frontend interfaces

Proven experience in a customer-facing or client-embedded engineering role—comfortable engaging directly with government or enterprise clients, leading technical discussions, and building trust with non-technical stakeholders

Experience designing and integrating APIs at scale, including RESTful services and AI/ML APIs

Ability to translate complex government business requirements into practical, scalable engineering solutions

Track record of shipping high-quality products and features at pace in dynamic, ambiguous environments

Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to adapt technical content for diverse audiences

Desire to work in a very fast-paced, high-stakes environment where your work directly impacts citizens

Experience working in or with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is strongly preferred; Arabic language skills a plus

PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.

About Us:

At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Ernst & Young, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.

We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status. 

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@scale.com. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information.

We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision. 

PLEASE NOTE: We collect, retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes, including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants’ needs, provide our services, and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our internal policies and programs designed to protect personal data. Please see our privacy policy for additional information.

Source: Scale AI careers (Greenhouse)

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