Data Engineering Specialist — Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia Full Time

If you have spent your career building data pipelines, architecting data lakes, and designing ETL processes at enterprise scale — and you are ready to bring that expertise to one of the world’s largest and most consequential energy companies — this role deserves your attention.

Saudi Aramco is seeking a Data Engineering Specialist to join its Downstream Global Optimizer (GO) team. This is a high-impact position where you will design, develop, and maintain the scalable data platforms that power the company’s intelligent Global Optimizer (iGO) ecosystem. The iGO ecosystem drives commercial optimization across Saudi Aramco’s integrated downstream value chain, including domestic and international refining assets. If that sounds like the kind of environment where your data engineering skills would be stretched and valued, read on.

Quick Job Overview

About the Employer

Saudi Aramco is one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies. Headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the company operates across the entire hydrocarbon value chain — from exploration and production to refining, petrochemicals, and distribution. Aramco is consistently ranked among the most profitable companies globally and is one of the top five companies in the world by market capitalization.

The company’s workforce spans dozens of nationalities and its operations touch energy markets on every continent. For expatriate professionals, Aramco offers a comprehensive relocation package that typically includes housing, healthcare, education support for dependents, and annual leave travel. The working environment is described as technically demanding but well-resourced — the company invests heavily in technology infrastructure and talent development, including one of the largest workforce development programmes in the world.

Aramco’s Downstream Global Optimizer team, where this role sits, is responsible for driving commercial optimization across the company’s integrated downstream value chain. The team identifies and captures optimization opportunities to enhance system netback and deliver shareholder value. Building robust data infrastructure and enabling real-time analytics are central to that mission.

What This Role Involves

This is not a junior data engineering role. Aramco is looking for someone with deep experience in designing enterprise-grade data platforms — someone who can walk into a complex, cross-functional environment and build the data infrastructure that supports real-time analytics, optimization models, and machine learning pipelines at scale.

Your primary responsibility will be to design, develop, and maintain scalable data platforms that power the iGO ecosystem. You will build and maintain ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes that move and transform data from diverse sources into formats suitable for analysis. Data quality will be in your hands — you will implement validation and cleansing processes to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency across the entire data pipeline.

Beyond the technical work, you will architect and manage data storage solutions, including data lakes and data warehouses, to meet the organization’s needs. You will work closely with data scientists and business stakeholders to understand data requirements and translate them into appropriate data solutions. Performance optimization is also central to the role — you will need to ensure that pipelines and architectures can handle large volumes of data efficiently.

The role also involves maintaining thorough documentation of data systems, pipelines, and processes. Aramco places significant emphasis on clarity and continuity, so this is not a throwaway requirement. You will be expected to mentor junior engineers and articulate technical designs to non-technical stakeholders, which means communication skills matter as much as technical depth.

Required Skills and Qualifications

Aramco has set a high bar for this position. As the successful candidate, you will need the following:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related field from a recognized institution. A Master’s or advanced degree is preferred.
• At least 10 years of experience in data engineering, data architecture, or enterprise data platform development, including 5 or more years specifically in designing and managing enterprise-grade data pipelines.
• Strong technical proficiency in programming languages including Python, SQL, and Scala.
• Hands-on experience with data engineering frameworks such as Apache Spark, Kafka, Airflow, and Flink.
• Proven track record of building data lakes, data warehouses, and ETL/ELT pipelines for large-scale, heterogeneous datasets.
• In-depth knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and distributed data processing tools such as Databricks, Cloudera, and Snowflake.
• Experience with data governance, metadata management, and data quality frameworks.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and version control systems like Git.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to articulate technical designs to stakeholders and mentor junior team members.
• Familiarity with industrial or energy sector data ecosystems — including OT/IT systems, SCADA, ERP, and market data — is preferred but not mandatory.
• Certifications in cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) or data engineering specializations are a plus.

Salary, Benefits, and Relocation Support

Salary details are not specified on the job listing. Aramco states that employees are “remunerated accordingly,” which in practice means a competitive package commensurate with experience. For expatriate employees at this level, Aramco typically offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes housing allowance or company-provided accommodation, medical insurance, education support for dependents, annual leave with travel tickets, and end-of-service benefits in line with Saudi labour law.

The exact package will be discussed during the recruitment process. Given the seniority of this role and the 10+ years of experience required, candidates can expect the compensation to be competitive by both regional and international standards.

Work Permit / Visa Note

This is an expatriate position listed on Aramco’s international careers portal. Saudi Aramco routinely sponsors work visas and residence permits (Iqama) for expatriate hires — one of the many high-income skills that lead to visa sponsorship jobs abroad and provides a structured relocation programme. The job posting is accessible through both the US and UK expat portals, confirming that international applicants are being actively considered.

Saudi Arabia offers several residency pathways for skilled professionals, including the Premium Residency (Saudi Green Card) programme for highly qualified individuals. Aramco’s HR team manages the entire visa and relocation process for successful candidates, so you would not need to navigate the Saudi immigration system on your own.

Who This Role May Suit

This position is best suited for experienced data engineers who have already worked at enterprise scale — building data platforms that serve multiple teams, handle heterogeneous data sources, and support analytics and machine learning workloads in production. If you have spent a decade or more in data engineering or data architecture, particularly in industries like energy, manufacturing, finance, or large-scale technology, this could be a logical next step.

The role may also appeal if you are based in Europe, North America, or Asia and are open to an international assignment in the Gulf region. Aramco’s expat packages are well-regarded, and the technical challenges — working with some of the world’s largest energy datasets — are genuinely unique. The closing date of 30 December 2026 gives you plenty of time to consider and apply.

How to Apply Officially

You can apply directly through Saudi Aramco’s official careers page:

Apply for Data Engineering Specialist on Saudi Aramco Careers

Do not apply through any third-party site. Go straight to the source. The closing date is 30 December 2026, so there is ample time — but Aramco may begin reviewing applications and conducting interviews before the deadline, so applying earlier is advisable.

Required Documents

Saudi Aramco’s application process typically asks for:

• An up-to-date CV or resume formatted for international job applications, detailing your relevant experience, particularly in data engineering, data architecture, and enterprise data platform development
• Copies of educational qualifications (Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees if applicable)
• Professional certifications in cloud platforms or data engineering, if you hold them

The exact document requirements will be confirmed on the application portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a remote role?

The listing does not specify a work model. The position is tied to Saudi Arabia, and given the nature of the work — building data infrastructure for Aramco’s downstream operations — on-site presence in Saudi Arabia is almost certainly required. The specific work location within Saudi Arabia will be confirmed in the job offer.

What does the Global Optimizer team do?

The Downstream Global Optimizer team drives commercial optimization across Saudi Aramco’s integrated downstream value chain, including both domestic and international refining assets. The team uses data, analytics, and optimization models to identify and capture opportunities that enhance profitability and shareholder value.

Is a Master’s degree required?

No, a Master’s or advanced degree is preferred but not mandatory. The minimum requirement is a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, plus 10 or more years of relevant professional experience.

Will Saudi Aramco sponsor a visa for this role?

Yes. This is an expatriate position listed on Aramco’s international careers portals. The company routinely sponsors work visas and residence permits for international hires and provides a structured relocation programme.

What programming languages and tools should I know?

You should be proficient in Python, SQL, and either Java or Scala. Experience with Apache Spark, Kafka, Airflow, and Flink is expected. Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and tools like Databricks, Cloudera, and Snowflake is also important.

Relevant Internal Links

• IT & Technology Jobs on JobsRivo
• Saudi Arabia Jobs on JobsRivo
• Engineering & Construction Jobs on JobsRivo

Disclaimer

JobsRivo is an independent job listing portal and is not the employer. Applicants should apply only through the official employer website. JobsRivo does not charge fees, process visas, or guarantee job offers.