FLOW Saudization Staffing in Saudi Arabia

FLOW Saudization Staffing

• FLOW Operation and Maintenance introduces unique roles in Saudi Arabia as the first metro project introduced to the kingdom.
• The goal is to increase the number of Saudi nationals to cover the roles within the project's timeline.

Saudization Overview

• 1238 Saudi Nationals are employed out of 3597 total employees, resulting in a Saudization percentage of 34.42%.
• The number of Saudi employees: 862 males and 376 females.

FLOW Saudization by Department (Current)

• Automated Train Control: 6 Saudi Nationals out of 33 employees (18.18%)
• Contracts & Procurement: 5 Saudi Nationals out of 15 employees (33.33%)
• Depot Equipment Department: 6 Saudi Nationals out of 14 employees (42.86%)
• Engineering: 4 Saudi Nationals out of 22 employees (18.18%)
• Facility Management: 6 Saudi Nationals out of 84 employees (7.14%)
• Finance: 2 Saudi Nationals out of 16 employees (12.50%)
• Guideway & 3rd Rail: 5 Saudi Nationals out of 38 employees (13.16%)
• Health, Safety, Quality & Environment: 11 Saudi Nationals out of 29 employees (37.93%)
• Human Resources: 27 Saudi Nationals out of 43 employees (62.79%)
• Information Communication Technology: 3 Saudi Nationals out of 10 employees (30.00%)
• Infrastructure Maintenance: 1 Saudi Nationals out of 145 employees (0.69%)
• Operation Control Center: 31 Saudi Nationals out of 96 employees (32.29%)
• Operations: 629 Saudi Nationals out of 1375 employees (45.75%)
• Performance & Planning: 4 Saudi Nationals out of 26 employees (15.38%)
• Platform Screen Doors: 7 Saudi Nationals out of 28 employees (25.00%)
• Power Supply: 19 Saudi Nationals out of 83 employees (22.89%)
• Project Controls: 2 Saudi Nationals out of 6 employees (33.33%)
• Public Relations: 11 Saudi Nationals out of 14 employees (78.57%)
• Quality Control: 2 Saudi Nationals out of 3 employees (66.67%)
• Rolling Stock: 13 Saudi Nationals out of 52 employees (25.00%)
• Security: 429 Saudi Nationals out of 429 employees (100.00%)
• Stakeholder Management: 2 Saudi Nationals out of 16 employees (12.50%)
• Supply Chain: 3 Saudi Nationals out of 6 employees (50.00%)

Saudization by Company (FLOW members and subcontractors)

• Hitachi: 26 Saudi Nationals out of 78 employees (33.33%)
• ALSTOM: 61 Saudi Nationals out of 246 employees (24.8%)
• OPS: 594 Saudi Nationals out of 1369 employees (43.39%)
• NESMA: 406 Saudi Nationals out of 406 employees (100%)
• Other Subcon: 151 Saudi Nationals out of 1498 employees (10.08%)

Metro Roles (Filled by Saudi Nationals)

• Roles identified for the sector include:
  • Depot Controller
  • Group Station Master
  • Operations Control Center Manager
  • Operations Director
  • Metro Operations Manager
  • Rail Safety Manager
  • Station Controller
  • Station Manager
  • Station Supervisor
  • Transportation Control Center Controller
  • Traffic Controller
  • Train Ambassador
  • Train Staff Manager
  • Signaling & Communications Manager
  • Depot Equipment Manager
  • Reliability, Availability, Maintainability & Safety Manager
  • Guideway and 3rd Rail Maintenance Manager
  • Quality Engineer
  • Rolling Stock Maintenance Technical Support Engineer
  • Depot Equipment Leader
  • Rolling Stock Manager
  • Fleet / Asset Maintenance Planner
  • Transit System Power Supply & Platform Screen Door Maintenance Professional Supervisor
  • Power Supply & Platform Screen Door Leader
  • Signaling Low Voltage Maintenance Engineering Manager
  • Maintenance Technical Support Engineer
  • Signaling Technician
  • Rolling Stock Leader
  • Guideway Technician
  • Rolling Stock & Depot Equipment Engineering Manager
  • Guideway and 3rd Rail Maintenance Professional

Metro Operations Career Development (From Frontline to Managerial)

• Frontline:
  • Train Ambassador (TA)
  • Train Staff Supervisor (TSS)
  • Station Agent (SA)
  • Station Supervisor (SS)
• Supervisory:
  • Transportation Control Center (TCC) Controller
  • Depot Controller (DC)
  • Engineering and Fault Controller (EFC)
  • Station Controller (SC)
  • Traffic Controller (TC)
• Managerial:
  • Senior Traffic Controller (STC)
  • Operations Control Center Duty Manager (OCC DM)

Technician Roles Prerequisites

• Civil Structures Technician: Diploma in civil engineering
• Mechanical Electrical Plumbing (MEP) Technician: Diploma in civil, electrical, or mechanical
• Heat Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) Technician: Diploma in civil, electrical, or mechanical
• Fire Systems Services Technician: Diploma in civil, electrical, or mechanical
• Platform Screen Door Technician - PSD: Diploma in electrical or electronics
• Track Technician: Diploma in mechanical
• Rolling Stock Technician: Diploma in electrical, electronics, or mechanical
• Signaling Technician: Diploma in electrical or electronics
• Depot Warehouse Equipment Technician: Diploma in electrical, electronics, or mechanical

Training Curriculum

Shadowing Development Program

• FLOW has a shadowing development program where potential successors shadow experienced professionals in targeted positions.
• Examples: Group Station Master, Station Supervisor, Station Agent, Operations Control Center Manager, Operations Control Center Duty Manager, Traffic Controller.

Future Planning

• Succession Planning & Development (Knowledge Transfer).
• Mentoring.
• Partnership program with Ministry of Labor, University & Rail Institute To increase the number of Saudis covering metro specific roles.
• Global Seminars & Training to support global knowledge transfer.

Contractual requirements

• FLOW will meet the minimum Total Saudization Rate (TSR) targets as specified

Development & Training

• 56 Saudi Nationals have been trained as Key Instructors/Trainers to train other FLOW staff.
• 635 man-days of Soft Skills training delivered to Saudi Nationals :
  • 170 man-days for Time Management.
  • 170 man-days for Stress Management.
    • 60 man-days for Building High-Performance Teams.
    • 155 man-days for Terminal and Passenger Services (METRO) – Supervisor.
    • 80 man-days for Customer Experience Fast Track Diploma.
• 4,963 man-days of training provided for Saudi Staff to ensure they are fully trained and competent to operate and maintain the Riyadh Metro for FLOW.
• Some critical training courses offered to Saudi employees included
  • Safety Critical Communication Training.
  • First Aid & Fire Warden Certification.
  • Incident Investigation & Management.
  • Customer Service.
  • Competency Management System (CMS).

Key Challenges

• The human capital with the same expertise is limited due to the railway industry still developing .
• Employee retention is becoming challenging due to the market competitiveness and expansion of other mega/Giga projects.
• Fluctuation in the Saudization target due to the attrition of local workers.
• There are not enough institutes that support railway specialization, which grants a continuous talent pool.