Average Chief Operating Officer Salary in Saudi Arabia for 2026
A chief operating officer in Saudi Arabia earns about 308,300 SAR a year. That's 54% above the national average of 200,000 SAR.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Saudi Arabia sit around 146,200 SAR a year, while the very top stretches to 489,600 SAR. Everything on this page is in Saudi riyal (SAR, symbol ر.س), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Saudi Arabia, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a chief operating officer make in Saudi Arabia?
A typical chief operating officer working in Saudi Arabia brings home around 25,691 SAR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 146,200 SAR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 489,600 SAR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior chief operating officer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How chief operating officer pay ranges in Saudi Arabia
A good way to think about salary in Saudi Arabia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all chief operating officers in Saudi Arabia earn less than 327,800 SAR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 212,500 SAR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 431,300 SAR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of chief operating officers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 146,200 SAR. The highest stretch to 489,600 SAR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Chief operating officer pay by experience in Saudi Arabia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a chief operating officer in Saudi Arabia, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical chief operating officer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years167,100 SAR
- 2-5 Years+39% from previous232,900 SAR
- 5-10 Years+41% from previous327,300 SAR
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous399,900 SAR
- 15-20 Years+6% from previous424,300 SAR
- 20+ Years+9% from previous462,300 SAR
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a chief operating officer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Chief operating officer pay by education in Saudi Arabia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving chief operating officer pay in Saudi Arabia. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average chief operating officer salary in Saudi Arabia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School207,700 SAR
- Certificate or Diploma+15% from previous239,300 SAR
- Bachelor's Degree+47% from previous351,900 SAR
- Master's Degree+31% from previous462,300 SAR
Chief operating officer gender pay gap in Saudi Arabia
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. Male chief operating officers in Saudi Arabia earn an average of 330,900 SAR a year, while female chief operating officers earn around 292,000 SAR. That works out to a 13% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Chief Operating Officer gender pay gap
12%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Saudi Arabia.
Pay raises for a chief operating officer in Saudi Arabia
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Saudi Arabia sees a raise of about 13% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 10% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Saudi Arabia, the national average raise is around 8% every 17 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Saudi Arabia:
- Banking2%
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel1%
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Chief operating officer bonus rates in Saudi Arabia
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
83% of chief operating officers in Saudi Arabia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a chief operating officer a high-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary. The remaining 17% of chief operating officers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Saudi Arabia
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Chief operating officer: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Saudi Arabia is about 8% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
7%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Saudi Arabia on average.
Chief operating officer salary by city in Saudi Arabia
Chief operating officer pay is not even across Saudi Arabia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Riyadh
- Jeddah
- Mecca
- Medina
- Dammam
- Abha
- Tabuk
- Taif
- Khubar
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | City | 339,100 SAR | 339,100 SAR | 167,100-520,900 SAR |
| Jeddah | City | 332,100 SAR | 362,200 SAR | 152,300-533,100 SAR |
| Mecca | City | 330,900 SAR | 325,600 SAR | 169,000-510,300 SAR |
| Medina | City | 327,300 SAR | 349,300 SAR | 154,700-518,900 SAR |
| Dammam | City | 325,600 SAR | 311,700 SAR | 169,000-499,300 SAR |
| Abha | City | 325,600 SAR | 297,000 SAR | 174,000-491,000 SAR |
| Tabuk | City | 308,300 SAR | 313,700 SAR | 152,100-483,400 SAR |
| Taif | City | 308,300 SAR | 320,500 SAR | 150,000-485,200 SAR |
| Khubar | City | 307,400 SAR | 330,900 SAR | 138,800-487,600 SAR |
Chief Operating Officer in Saudi Arabia: FAQs
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How much does a chief operating officer make per month in Saudi Arabia?
A chief operating officer in Saudi Arabia earns about 25,691 SAR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 308,300 SAR.
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What's the salary range for a chief operating officer in Saudi Arabia?
Entry-level chief operating officers in Saudi Arabia start near 146,200 SAR. Top-end pay reaches around 489,600 SAR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 212,500 and 431,300 SAR.
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Is the median chief operating officer salary in Saudi Arabia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 327,800 SAR, higher than the average of 308,300 SAR. Half of chief operating officers in Saudi Arabia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for chief operating officers in Saudi Arabia?
Men working as a chief operating officer in Saudi Arabia earn around 13% more than women on average (330,900 vs 292,000 SAR a year).
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Do chief operating officers in Saudi Arabia get bonuses?
About 83% of chief operating officers in Saudi Arabia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.
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Do chief operating officers earn more in the public or private sector in Saudi Arabia?
In Saudi Arabia, the public sector pays a chief operating officer about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do chief operating officers in Saudi Arabia get a pay raise?
A chief operating officer in Saudi Arabia sees a raise of around 13% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.