Executive summary
Tenure Comp Intelligence publishes its inaugural quarterly report on the GCC compensation surface. This is a Q2 2026 baseline edition: a point-in-time snapshot, as of 19 May 2026, of 581 verified compensation bands across UAE and Saudi, drawn from 2,970 primary sources. Q3 2026 (publishing 15 October 2026) will carry the first quarter-over-quarter movement against this benchmark.
Five findings for HR directors and CFOs setting bands this cycle:
- The surface concentrates at operator grades. If you are setting bands at the post-qualification operator level, the verified-source density behind Tenure figures is materially higher than at junior or top-of-house grades.
- The UAE carries 77 percent of published bands. Dubai and Abu Dhabi together account for the bulk of the surface, with Saudi at 23 percent. Riyadh publishes meaningfully across investment banking and tech-engineering principal grades, and across sales-and-business-development at the senior bench.
- The senior bench is unusually well-published for the region. VP and C-Suite cohorts in investment banking (37 bands), sales-and-business-development (31 bands), and tech-engineering (3 bands) are deeper than typical published Gulf benchmarks at those grades. The published international houses, sovereign-aligned investment vehicles, and multinational-anchored regional headquarters all hire at depth at these cohorts.
- Sector depth varies an order of magnitude. Tech - Data & Engineering publishes 114 bands; Legal publishes 6. Five sectors clear the ≥30-band depth threshold for full deep-dive treatment in this edition; five sit below it and receive shorter roundup coverage with Q3 source-acquisition targets called out.
- The Saudi tech bench is principal-heavy. The Vision 2030 sovereign-platform hiring pattern shows up as a 14-band concentration at the principal grade in Riyadh tech-engineering, against a much thinner SAR senior_manager and manager publishing depth. Operator-grade tech hiring still concentrates in UAE.
The full sector deep-dives, city-by-city pay rhythm, and methodology footnotes follow.
GCC macro overview, Q2 2026
The surface this quarter carries 581 verified bands across the two B2B markets, distributed unevenly by sector and seniority but with consistent source-counting discipline at every cell. The single deepest sector is Technology - Data & Engineering at 114 bands and 587 sources, nearly double the next-deepest sector. The single deepest cell on the surface is Senior Associate tech-engineering in UAE at 43 bands and 245 sources, the canonical Software Engineer II / Senior SDE grade. The thinnest sectors at this snapshot are Legal (6 bands), Investment Management (13), and Technology - Product & Design (22); these are not absent, only under the deep-dive depth threshold for this edition.
Geographic distribution skews to UAE (446 bands, 77 percent) with Saudi at 23 percent (135 bands). Within UAE, Dubai and Abu Dhabi publish at roughly equivalent depth across most sectors. Within Saudi, Riyadh dominates with Jeddah publishing thin per-cell. The geographic shape is consistent with the regional employer concentration: multinational-anchored regional headquarters concentrate in Dubai, and sovereign-aligned investment vehicles and Vision 2030 strategic-platform hiring concentrate in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
The senior-cohort publishing depth is what stands out against published international benchmarks. Korn Ferry and Mercer publishing depth in their Gulf editions weights heavily toward operator grades (Manager and Senior Manager) with shorter coverage of VP / C-Suite cohorts. The Tenure surface reverses this pattern in three sectors: investment banking publishes 37 VP-and-above bands across UAE and Saudi, sales-and-business-development publishes 31 VP-and-above bands, and tech-engineering publishes 3 VP-and-above bands plus a 14-band principal cohort in Saudi. The senior-bench depth is the result of intentional source-acquisition prioritisation at this seniority cohort and the inaugural-edition coverage emphasis on roles where buyer-side benchmark scarcity is highest.
City-by-city pay rhythm
Spotlight role per sector, median monthly total cash by city. Currency labelled per cell because the two GCC pegs (AED and SAR, both pegged to USD) sit within a 2 percent band of each other but the published numbers retain their native currency for buyer audit purposes. Source counts in brackets.
| Spotlight role (sector) | Dubai | Abu Dhabi | Riyadh | Jeddah |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice President (IB) | AED 64,609 [n=15] | AED 70,673 [n=18] | SAR 78,000 [n=4] | (none) |
| Engineering Manager (Tech-DE) | AED 51,711 [n=44] | AED 45,630 [n=45] | (none) | (none) |
| SEO / SEM Manager (Marketing) | AED 38,621 [n=48] | AED 33,437 [n=64] | (none) | (none) |
| Chief Sales Officer (Sales-BD) | AED 102,107 [n=32] | AED 95,474 [n=32] | (none) | SAR 117,000 [n=5] |
| Senior Finance Manager (F&A) | AED 42,636 [n=44] | AED 39,962 [n=40] | (none) | (none) |
Three readable patterns sit in the table. First, Dubai-to-Abu Dhabi differentials run narrow at operator-grade roles (Senior Finance Manager 7 percent, Engineering Manager 13 percent, SEO/SEM Manager 15 percent) and widen at senior-bench roles (Chief Sales Officer 7 percent, with the gap reflecting sovereign-aligned platform concentration on the Abu Dhabi side, and VP investment banking at -9 percent where Abu Dhabi pulls ahead because the multinational-anchored Dubai IB cohort skews toward analyst and associate grades while Abu Dhabi skews toward director and above). Second, Saudi presents thin-but-present at the VP investment banking grade, with the Riyadh VP figure pulling ahead of both UAE cities once peg conversion is applied, consistent with the relocation premium reported by international houses operating in Riyadh under the Regional Headquarters rule. Third, Saudi senior-bench representation in Chief Sales Officer is concentrated at the high end (Jeddah SAR 117,000) and reflects the sovereign-aligned strategic-platform employer mix.
Investment Banking
Investment Banking is the deepest financial-services slice on the B2B Pay Index, with 66 verified bands across UAE and Saudi pulling on 239 primary sources. The seniority ladder publishes cleanly from Analyst through Managing Director, with the heaviest source depth concentrated at VP grade in UAE. Saudi coverage publishes at every seniority above Analyst but at thin band counts per cell, so the Riyadh and Jeddah figures below carry the wider confidence interval.
Q2 2026 band ladder, UAE (monthly total cash, AED)
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 | Bands | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyst | 24,475 | 28,794 | 33,113 | 10 | 34 |
| Associate | 34,881 | 41,037 | 47,192 | 5 | 16 |
| Vice President | 53,578 | 63,033 | 72,488 | 30 | 96 |
| Director | 72,491 | 85,283 | 98,076 | 9 | 56 |
| Managing Director | 110,759 | 130,304 | 149,850 | 7 | 21 |
Q2 2026 band ladder, Saudi (monthly total cash, SAR)
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 | Bands | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyst | 26,521 | 31,200 | 35,881 | 2 | 6 |
| Associate | 44,753 | 52,650 | 60,548 | 1 | 3 |
| VP | 66,300 | 78,000 | 89,700 | 1 | 4 |
| Director | 87,295 | 102,700 | 118,105 | 1 | 3 |
Spotlight role: Vice President
Vice President is the structural bench role in regional IB and the most-evidenced cell on the surface this quarter, with 30 published bands and 96 verified sources behind the UAE median of AED 63,033 per month. The Saudi VP median sits at SAR 78,000 (4 sources), an implied premium against the UAE benchmark of roughly 18 to 22 percent at the like-for-like grade once peg conversion is applied, with the gap reflecting the relocation premium and Saudization-driven compensation pressure at senior bench grades. The published international houses, regional banks with dedicated IB arms, and sovereign-aligned investment vehicles all hire at this grade.
Methodology footnote. 66 bands, 239 verified sources, refreshed quarterly. Q2 2026 data refresh imported 2026-05-19; subsequent quarterly cycles roll automatically. Source-count policy: minimum 3 verified observations per published band.
Technology - Data & Engineering
Technology - Data & Engineering is the deepest sector on the B2B Pay Index this quarter, with 114 verified bands and 587 primary sources spanning analyst, senior associate, manager, senior manager, principal, VP, and C-suite grades across the two B2B markets. The seniority pattern is non-traditional for the sector: the largest cohort sits at senior associate (the canonical Software Engineer II / Senior SDE grade) with 43 bands in UAE, and the second-largest at manager (Engineering Manager and adjacent) with 27. Saudi tech publishes weighted toward principal (the staff-engineer ladder) with 14 bands, reflecting the Vision 2030 sovereign-platform hiring concentration in Riyadh.
Q2 2026 band ladder, UAE (monthly total cash, AED)
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 | Bands | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyst | 18,018 | 21,198 | 24,378 | 2 | 11 |
| Senior Associate | 26,079 | 30,681 | 35,284 | 43 | 245 |
| Manager | 36,012 | 42,367 | 48,723 | 27 | 138 |
| Senior Manager | 45,757 | 53,832 | 61,907 | 11 | 75 |
| Principal | 51,383 | 60,450 | 69,518 | 1 | 4 |
| VP | 71,825 | 84,500 | 97,175 | 1 | 3 |
| C-Suite | 140,888 | 165,750 | 190,613 | 1 | 10 |
Q2 2026 band ladder, Saudi (monthly total cash, SAR)
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 | Bands | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyst | 18,018 | 21,198 | 24,378 | 3 | 16 |
| Manager | 40,913 | 48,133 | 55,353 | 4 | 17 |
| Senior Manager | 43,674 | 51,381 | 59,089 | 6 | 23 |
| Principal | 26,236 | 30,866 | 35,496 | 14 | 42 |
| C-Suite | 149,175 | 175,500 | 201,825 | 1 | 3 |
Spotlight role: Engineering Manager
Engineering Manager is the most-published role in the deepest sector, with 18 bands and 89 sources across Dubai (median AED 51,711) and Abu Dhabi (median AED 45,630). The Dubai-to-Abu Dhabi delta runs roughly 13 percent at the grade, narrower than the IB VP gap but consistent with the multinational-anchored Dubai tech market against Abu Dhabi's sovereign-platform mix. Engineering Manager pay tracks ahead of the equivalent Senior Software Engineer band by 30 to 40 percent in both cities, consistent with the management premium published by Mercer and Aon for comparable Western markets. The total package mix shifts toward equity-linked LTIPs at the multinational-anchored employers and toward fixed cash plus non-cash benefits at the sovereign-aligned ones.
Methodology footnote. 114 bands, 587 verified sources, refreshed quarterly. Q2 2026 data refresh imported 2026-05-19. Principal-grade Saudi figures pulled from sovereign-platform hiring data and warrant the wider confidence interval flagged by the source count.
Marketing
Marketing publishes 74 bands and 515 verified sources across the two B2B markets this quarter, with the deepest coverage at Manager grade in UAE (20 bands, 207 sources). The seniority distribution reflects the agency and in-house mix in the regional market: thick at associate and manager grades, thinner at director, and a small but published C-Suite cohort. Saudi marketing publishes at every grade from associate through C-Suite.
Q2 2026 band ladder, UAE (monthly total cash, AED)
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 | Bands | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate | 12,296 | 14,466 | 16,636 | 13 | 87 |
| Senior Associate | 23,603 | 27,768 | 31,934 | 4 | 18 |
| Manager | 35,753 | 42,063 | 48,372 | 20 | 207 |
| Senior Manager | 35,603 | 41,885 | 48,168 | 10 | 80 |
| Director | 59,968 | 70,550 | 81,133 | 14 | 64 |
| C-Suite | 143,650 | 169,000 | 194,350 | 1 | 9 |
Q2 2026 band ladder, Saudi (monthly total cash, SAR)
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 | Bands | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate | 15,949 | 18,763 | 21,578 | 2 | 8 |
| Manager | 43,924 | 51,675 | 59,427 | 2 | 6 |
| Senior Manager | 59,196 | 69,642 | 80,088 | 2 | 6 |
| Director | 84,005 | 98,829 | 113,654 | 5 | 27 |
| C-Suite | 146,582 | 172,449 | 198,316 | 1 | 3 |
Spotlight role: SEO / SEM Manager
SEO / SEM Manager is the highest-source-density role in the Marketing sector this quarter, with 112 verified sources behind 7 published bands across Dubai (median AED 38,621) and Abu Dhabi (median AED 33,437). The role's source density is roughly double the per-band average for the sector, reflecting the digital-marketing concentration in the multinational-anchored Dubai mainland and free-zone employers and the agency-side hiring pattern that supports them. The Dubai-to-Abu Dhabi delta at the grade runs 15 percent, slightly above the sector-wide 10 percent UAE city differential. Coverage gap to flag: zero published bands at SEO / SEM Manager in Saudi this quarter. Targeted source collection in Riyadh for Q3.
Methodology footnote. 74 bands, 515 verified sources, refreshed quarterly. Q2 2026 data refresh imported 2026-05-19. Marketing publishes the thickest agency-vs-in-house mix on the surface; package composition varies significantly between agency commission structures and in-house fixed-base norms.
Sales & Business Development
Sales & Business Development is the second-deepest sector on the surface this quarter with 84 verified bands and 394 sources, distributed across analyst through C-Suite grades and both B2B markets. The role mix concentrates at manager and VP grades, with C-Suite (Chief Sales Officer) carrying a heavier published cohort than is typical for the sector elsewhere on the surface, reflecting the senior commercial bench at sovereign-aligned platforms and the regional headquarters of multinational vendors. UAE publishes the broadest seniority spread; Saudi publishes manager through C-Suite.
Q2 2026 band ladder, UAE (monthly total cash, AED)
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 | Bands | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyst | 15,470 | 18,200 | 20,930 | 1 | 3 |
| Associate | 16,443 | 19,344 | 22,246 | 3 | 9 |
| Manager | 30,592 | 35,990 | 41,389 | 15 | 105 |
| Senior Manager | 50,913 | 59,897 | 68,882 | 5 | 33 |
| Director | 72,937 | 85,809 | 98,680 | 3 | 13 |
| VP | 59,090 | 69,517 | 79,945 | 16 | 62 |
| C-Suite | 83,972 | 98,790 | 113,609 | 16 | 64 |
Q2 2026 band ladder, Saudi (monthly total cash, SAR)
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 | Bands | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyst | 18,785 | 22,100 | 25,415 | 1 | 3 |
| Associate | 17,177 | 20,208 | 23,239 | 4 | 14 |
| Manager | 36,132 | 42,508 | 48,884 | 10 | 46 |
| Senior Manager | 46,523 | 54,733 | 62,943 | 4 | 16 |
| Director | 63,343 | 74,521 | 85,699 | 5 | 21 |
| C-Suite | 99,450 | 117,000 | 134,550 | 1 | 5 |
Spotlight role: Chief Sales Officer
Chief Sales Officer is the deepest senior-commercial role published on the B2B surface this quarter, with 16 bands and 64 sources across Dubai (median AED 102,107) and Abu Dhabi (median AED 95,474). Dubai sits 7 percent above Abu Dhabi at the grade, a narrower differential than is typical for senior commercial roles regionally, with the gap reflecting the sovereign-aligned platform concentration on the Abu Dhabi side. Total package composition varies significantly across the published cohort: subscription-software-anchored employers weight toward equity-linked LTIPs of up to 30 percent of total comp, regional family conglomerates and government-related entities weight toward fixed base plus non-cash benefits, and multinational-anchored regional headquarters sit between the two. Published international benchmarks from Korn Ferry and Mercer carry a similar Dubai-Abu Dhabi differential at the grade.
Methodology footnote. 84 bands, 394 verified sources, refreshed quarterly. Q2 2026 data refresh imported 2026-05-19. Sales packages reported in monthly total cash include base, fixed allowances, and prorated annual variable; equity-linked LTIPs are excluded from the published figures and reported separately in the dashboard's package-composition view.
Finance & Accounting
Finance & Accounting publishes 61 bands and 440 verified sources this quarter, concentrated at manager and senior manager grades in UAE. The seniority distribution reflects the operator-grade bench: thick at manager (20 bands UAE), thick at senior manager (14 UAE), and a smaller but published cohort at director and C-Suite (CFO). Saudi publishes manager through C-Suite at thin per-cell depth. The thinness at Analyst and Associate reflects the Big-Four-trained pipeline pattern: junior roles cycle through audit before specialising into corporate finance, so the verified-band concentration sits at the post-qualification grade.
Q2 2026 band ladder, UAE (monthly total cash, AED)
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 | Bands | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyst | 21,962 | 25,838 | 29,713 | 2 | 12 |
| Associate | 17,404 | 20,475 | 23,547 | 2 | 6 |
| Consultant | 25,415 | 29,900 | 34,385 | 1 | 3 |
| Manager | 33,736 | 39,690 | 45,643 | 20 | 137 |
| Senior Manager | 39,061 | 45,954 | 52,847 | 14 | 134 |
| Director | 59,347 | 69,819 | 80,292 | 12 | 60 |
| C-Suite | 122,932 | 144,625 | 166,319 | 2 | 30 |
Q2 2026 band ladder, Saudi (monthly total cash, SAR)
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 | Bands | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | 36,051 | 42,413 | 48,775 | 2 | 23 |
| Senior Manager | 57,460 | 67,600 | 77,740 | 2 | 18 |
| Director | 77,627 | 91,325 | 105,024 | 2 | 9 |
| C-Suite | 124,727 | 146,738 | 168,749 | 2 | 8 |
Spotlight role: Senior Finance Manager
Senior Finance Manager is the operator-grade backbone of the sector and the most-published role at the grade this quarter, with 9 bands and 84 verified sources across Dubai (median AED 42,636) and Abu Dhabi (median AED 39,962). The narrow Dubai-to-Abu Dhabi gap of 7 percent at the grade is consistent with the operator-role pattern across the sector: cash-package differentials between the two emirates narrow at post-qualification grades where the international and regional employers compete most directly, and widen back out at director and CFO grades where the multinational-anchored Dubai cohort pulls ahead. The published Hays and Cooper Fitch guides report a similar narrowing at the grade. Total package composition is more uniform than at senior grades, with fixed allowances dominant and variable pay typically under 15 percent of total cash.
Methodology footnote. 61 bands, 440 verified sources, refreshed quarterly. Q2 2026 data refresh imported 2026-05-19. The post-qualification (PQE 4-7) bench is the deepest source-density cohort on the surface for the sector; entry and associate grades carry the wider confidence interval flagged by per-cell source counts.
Thin-sector roundup (under 30 bands at Q2 2026 close)
Five sectors published with depth under the 30-band deep-dive threshold this quarter, presented here as roundup paragraphs rather than full band tables. Q3 2026 source acquisition is targeted at these sectors.
- Strategy Consulting (24 bands, 221 sources) publishes Analyst through Senior Manager, weighted heavily toward Consultant grade in UAE. Q3 plan: targeted Engagement Manager and Principal coverage in Dubai and Riyadh.
- Risk & Insurance (26 bands, 108 sources) publishes Manager, Director, and C-Suite only. Analyst, Associate, and Senior Manager pending. Q3 plan: extend coverage to the bank risk and insurance underwriting bench.
- Technology - Product & Design (22 bands, 73 sources) publishes Manager through Principal in UAE only. Q3 plan: extend to Senior Product Manager and Design Director in Riyadh.
- Investment Management (PE / Asset Management; 13 bands, 40 sources) publishes a thin but broad seniority spread across UAE and Saudi. Q3 plan: deepen at Vice President and Principal grades.
- Legal & Compliance (6 bands, 34 sources) is the thinnest published sector this quarter, with only Analyst, Senior Associate, Senior Manager, and Partner grades touched. Q3 plan: targeted Senior Associate and Counsel coverage in DIFC and Riyadh.
Methodology
Every figure in this report is sourced from verified primary inputs: offer letters shared by candidates, written employer survey responses, and live job listings with open compensation disclosure. The Tenure Pay Index refreshes quarterly. Every published band requires a minimum of three independent primary sources, and every band on every Pay Index surface carries its source count visible to the reader.
For this Q2 2026 edition specifically: the underlying salary_bands_b2b dataset was refreshed on 2026-05-19 and represents the state of the surface at that date. Coverage from April and the first half of May 2026 contributed to the input pool. The next refresh cycle rolls automatically, and the Q3 2026 edition (publishing 15 October 2026) will carry the first quarter-over-quarter movement against this Q2 baseline.
Country coverage is UAE and Saudi. Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman are not yet in scope for the B2B Pay Index. City coverage runs Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah for the five deep-dive sectors. Currency reporting retains the local currency at every cell (AED, SAR); both are pegged to the US dollar within 2 percent of each other, so cross-market figures are roughly comparable in dollar terms without conversion.
Read the full methodology and source-count policy at business.tenurecareers.io/methodology.
Cite this report
- Markdown. Tenure Pay Index, Q2 2026 GCC Compensation Report. 581 verified bands, 2,970 primary sources across UAE and Saudi. business.tenurecareers.io/report
- APA. Tenure Comp Intelligence. (2026). Q2 2026 GCC Compensation Report. Retrieved from https://business.tenurecareers.io/report
- Chicago. Tenure Comp Intelligence. "Q2 2026 GCC Compensation Report." Published 15 July 2026. https://business.tenurecareers.io/report
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