Neom Planners Seek Cheetah Manager and Hundreds More Workers

• Neom, the sprawling megalopolis of Saudi Arabia, is presented as a chance to live in the “new future”.
• Officials want to fill 262 vacant positions. The unusual roles show what it will take to run the city.
• The responsibilities of a role involve creating a cheetah management plan.

Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with ambitious plans for Neom, a futuristic metropolis spanning 26,500 km² in the northwestern region of Tabuk.

First announced in 2017, Neom is the flagship project of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, an initiative aimed at diversifying the Saudi economy and reducing its dependence on oil revenues.

If construction goes as planned, Neom will include Oxagon, an octagonal port city; Sindalah, a luxury seaside resort; Trojena, a ski and adventure resort; and a tourist hub in the Gulf of Aqaba.

But the centerpiece of Neom is The Line – a planned carbon-free city made up of two huge, mirrored skyscrapers that stretch 170km across Tabuk.

Officials say Neom will be a “knowledge city.” The idea is similar to that of a smart city, but expands on the concept. In this case, the idea is to use technologies such as AI and robotics to provide an optimal experience for residents.

But once – or if – Neom is finally up and running, it will need a whole host of unusual jobs to realize its vision as a revolutionary city.

Recruitment is already underway.

“Join us on a journey of visionary minds where you seek to understand, embrace culture, make a difference and create a legacy,” invites potential candidates to the project’s job site.

There were 262 vacancies on the Neom website at the time of writing. Some would be common in any urban planning project: construction manager, engineer, digital marketing web operations and, perhaps in some sense, golf course design manager.

The other roles required to lead Neom suggest how futuristic, and perhaps a bit dystopian, the city might be.

Technical and system services manager

Although it sounds like a standard technical job, this role is a leadership position for NEOM Community School. Candidates for the positions of Arabic and Islam teacher, music teacher, and individual and corporate teacher are also sought for the city’s extensive education system.

The school is part of the wider Neom U project, a vast educational branch that appears to be crucial to the city’s vision as a research and innovation hub.

Neom is also looking for someone to fill the position of “Student Attraction Manager”.

The role’s responsibilities include “ensuring Neom is seen as the most attractive place to live and work” and preparing the “brightest young minds” for careers within Neom.

Director of Personalized Health

Officials say The Line aims to prioritize the health and well-being of its citizens over transportation and infrastructure and will “harness innovative technology” to do so.

The Director of Personalized Health is expected to play a crucial role in delivering on these promises by “steering and defining Neom’s strategy for integrating genetics into personalized healthcare.”

The job description states that genetic data will be used to identify health risks and develop health interventions.

It is unclear whether providing your genetic data will be a condition of living in Neom. However, some experts have raised ethical questions regarding planswarning that Neom could be part of a larger surveillance program.

Aquatic mobility station professional

Advanced, zero-emission transportation systems are at the heart of Neom’s strategy; and the project’s waterfront estates, Oxagon and Sindalah, are expected to be equally futuristic.

The Water Mobility Station Professional is a position offered to those who wish to ensure the smooth operation of Neom’s ‘Water Mobility Station’, or in other words, boat services.

Although this job may not seem much different from traditional marina management, you will need to be fluent in Arabic and English and prepared to manage autonomous, futuristic vessels.

Fish farming and biosecurity laboratory professional

It’s not a job that most cities consider a requirement, but aquaculture fish lab and biosecurity professional was one of the more unexpected roles on offer at Neom.

The successful candidate will control and operate the fish laboratory, ensuring high standards of fish welfare and supporting fish health and disease control monitoring and investigation activities.

This role is in line with Neom’s ambitions for sustainable development, where humanity progresses without harming the health of the planet.

Additionally, a thriving fish population would also support dive tourism. The developers said they wanted the Sindalah resort to act as an “exclusive gateway to the magnificent Red Sea”.

Lead rewilding

Another work that highlights Neom’s purported ecological considerations is lead rewilding.

This work requires someone willing to get involved in Neom’s “trophic rewilding strategy.” They will help build wildlife corridors, monitor species and conduct vegetation assessments to “remediate historic degradation that has left the land in a state of desolation.”

Perhaps the best job on offer at Neom, the Rewilding Manager will develop and implement a cheetah introduction and management plan.

Those with a degree in conservation, ecology, natural sciences or a related field are eligible to apply.

Despite Neom’s stated efforts to protect the environment, some have criticized the treatment of people allegedly driven from the construction site.

In May 2023, three men from the Howeitat tribe were charged with terrorism and sentenced to death for resisting evictions in the area where Neom is being developed.

Neom officials did not immediately respond to BI’s request for comment.