Saudization Recruitment and Selection: Hiring Saudi Talent to Meet Nitaqat Targets – London, 24–28 May 2027

Programme overview

Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Role-play

Introduction

Saudization targets under Saudi Arabia's Nitaqat Mutawar programme are met or missed in the recruitment process. Establishments that treat them as a headcount exercise hire quickly, then lose new Saudi employees within months, or fill roles in name only, leaving both the Nitaqat band and the business need exposed. This Core Concept course equips recruitment and HR staff to turn Nitaqat and profession-specific Saudization targets into a role-by-role hiring plan, attract Saudi talent and select it with structured, valid and fair methods. Through interview role-plays, participants build a Saudization Recruitment Plan with an interview kit and selection scorecard.

Course Objectives

• Translate Nitaqat Mutawar and profession-specific Saudization targets into a role-by-role hiring demand using workforce planning methods
• Design an attraction and sourcing plan for Saudi graduates, experienced professionals and returners using Jadarat, Tamheer and HRDF (Hadaf) programmes
• Conduct structured behavioural interviews and score candidates consistently against defined competencies
• Apply selection methods with proven validity while meeting fair selection principles
• Protect Nitaqat credit and reduce early attrition through Qiwa contract documentation, genuine role design and onboarding
• Produce a Saudization Recruitment Plan with an interview kit and selection scorecard ready for approval

Target Audience

• Talent acquisition and recruitment specialists responsible for filling Saudized roles
• HR generalists running end-to-end hiring for business units
• Interview panel members and assessors taking part in selection decisions
• Graduate programme and campus relations coordinators building early-career pipelines
• Onboarding coordinators responsible for the first months of new hires

Course Outline

Day 1: Nitaqat Targets and Hiring Demand

• Nitaqat Mutawar Programme: Economic Activities, Establishment Size and Required Saudization Rates
• Nitaqat Counting Rules: SAR 4,000 Full-Count Wage, GOSI Registration and Qiwa-Documented Contracts
• Saudization Target Conversion into a Hiring Demand Sheet Using ISO 30409
• Profession-Specific Saudization Decisions and Role Suitability Mapping Under ISO 30434
• Saudi Talent Market Scan and Recruitment Current-State Audit Against ISO 30405

Day 2: Recruitment Standards and Selection Evidence

• ISO 30405:2023 Recruitment Process from Sourcing to Onboarding
• ISO 10667 Assessment Service Delivery Requirements for Clients and Providers
• Selection Method Validity Evidence: Structured Interviews, Work Samples and Ability Tests
• Job Analysis Using the Critical Incident Technique
• Fair Selection Principles Under ILO Convention No. 111

Day 3: Attracting and Selecting Saudi Talent

• Employer Value Proposition Design for Saudi Talent Segments
• Sourcing Channel Mix: Jadarat Platform, Universities, Referrals and Tamheer Placements
• Competency-Based Job Advertisement and Screening Criteria Matrix
• Structured Behavioural Interview Guide Using the STAR Method
• Selection Scorecard and Panel Decision Rules

Day 4: Hiring Risks, Retention and Measurement

• Offer Design with HRDF (Hadaf) Employment Support and Early Attrition Risk Analysis
• Fake Saudization Risk Controls and Genuine Role Verification Checklist
• Qiwa Contract Documentation and 90-Day Onboarding Plan for New Saudi Hires
• Recruitment Metrics Under ISO 30414: Time to Fill, Quality of Hire and Saudization Rate
• Interviewer Bias Diagnosis and Panel Calibration

Day 5: Role-Play and the Saudization Recruitment Plan

• Role-Play: Structured Behavioural Interview with Observer Scoring
• Role-Play: Presenting an Offer to a Saudi Candidate Weighing Competing Offers
• Role-Play: Hiring Manager Intake Meeting on a Hard-to-Saudize Role
• Saudization Recruitment Plan Drafting: Pipeline, Interview Kit and Scorecard
• Plan Presentation and Peer Challenge

Skills You Will Gain

• Saudization Hiring Demand Planning
• Employer Branding
• Talent Sourcing
• Competency-Based Interviewing
• Candidate Assessment
• Selection Bias Mitigation
• Onboarding Design
• Recruitment Analytics

Why Attend This Course

• Return with a Saudization Recruitment Plan, interview kit and scorecard tested in realistic interview role-plays
• Fill Saudized roles with people who stay and perform, rather than hires that count towards Nitaqat on paper only
• Handle hiring manager objections to Saudizing a role with evidence on role suitability and candidate supply
• Exchange sourcing and interviewing practice with recruiters from other sectors and establishments

Conclusion

A Nitaqat band is sustainable only when the Saudi nationals hired to reach it fit real roles and remain in them. This course moves from Nitaqat Mutawar counting rules and hiring demand, through recruitment standards and selection evidence, to attraction through Jadarat and HRDF programmes, structured interviewing, Qiwa documentation and the attrition and fake Saudization risks that undermine results. Final-day role-plays rehearse the conversations recruiters face every week and produce a Saudization Recruitment Plan for the next hiring round.