R&D Engineer (Saudi & Gulf Arabic)

SESTEK; Turkey; On-site; TRY 350,000 - 650,000; Full time

Job summary

SESTEK, Türkiye-based, seeks an R&D Engineer to join the Arabic TTS team. The role blends software development with ML, focusing on Arabic varieties such as Najdi, MSA, and Gulf dialects.

You will train and evaluate TTS models, improve pronunciation, and integrate new modules across platforms while collaborating with Sestek and Unifonic teams. English proficiency is required; Turkish is a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS, Engineering, or related field.
• ~3 years in software development; experience in speech tech, NLP, or ML preferred.
• Native Arabic with Saudi/Gulf dialect expertise; Najdi ideal.
• Strong English; Turkish is a plus.
• Solid Python coding and ML framework familiarity.

Responsibilities

• Develop, train, and test Arabic TTS models and pipelines.
• Translate linguistic feedback into technical improvements.
• Contribute to Arabic text normalization, tashkeel, and G2P.
• Research and implement new modules for voice and text data in company products.
• Research and integrate third-party components; enable integration with different platforms.
• Answer technical questions from clients; implement enhancements per demand.
• Update and maintain installed programs at customer sites; strive to increase product performance.
• Implement coding and optimizations for product integrations; handle bugs within R&D.
• Collaborate closely with the Sestek and Unifonic teams and provide ongoing TTS expertise.

Skills

Arabic language proficiency

Strong communication

Python

ML frameworks

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Kubernetes

Git

Data pipelines

Job description

We are looking for an R&D Engineer based in Türkiye to join our Arabic Text-to-Speech (TTS) team. This role offers the opportunity to combine strong engineering and machine learning skills with expertise in Arabic, particularly Saudi and Gulf Arabic varieties (with Najdi being a strong advantage).

Who we are

We are a global technology company, developing AI-powered conversational solutions that empower organizations to be data-driven, enhance efficiency, and offer superior customer experiences. We are an R&D center and our solutions are developed by a team of over 100 engineers specializing in text-to-speech, speech recognition, natural language processing, and voice biometrics technologies. As of 2022 we are a part of Unifonic, a leading Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) provider, and we have grown into an international organization with over 500 dynamic team members. We have a customer base of 500 enterprises across 20 countries in the US, EU and MENA regions.

What we expect

• Develop, train, and test Arabic TTS models; contribute to model training pipelines and evaluations.
• Translate linguistic and dialect feedback (from linguists, customers, and internal reviews) into concrete technical improvements.
• Contribute to Arabic text normalization, diacritization (tashkeel), and grapheme-to-phoneme (G2P) components.
• Research new modules related to voice, text, and other data in company products, and implement them.
• Research and integrate third-party components required by our products; enable integration of company products with different platforms and provide support.
• Answer technical questions from assigned clients; implement enhancements and improvements in line with customer demand.
• Update and maintain installed programs at customer sites; strive to increase product performance.
• Implement coding and optimizations for product integrations; handle improvements and bug fixes within the R&D team.
• Collaborate closely with the Sestek and Unifonic teams and provide ongoing TTS expertise throughout the project.

Who we are looking for

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• ~3 years of experience in software development; experience in speech technologies (TTS/ASR), NLP, or machine learning is strongly preferred.
• Native proficiency in Arabic, including strong command of MSA and native-level command of Saudi/Gulf Arabic (Najdi ideal; a neutral, widely understood Saudi Arabic is also a good fit). The candidate should be able to recognize and distinguish Saudi dialects independently or with the support of the Arabic Linguistics Specialist. Note: This role focuses specifically on Saudi/Gulf varieties of Arabic; strong familiarity with these varieties is essential.
• Good command of English; Turkish is a plus.
• Solid coding skills (e.g., Python) and familiarity with ML frameworks.
• Nice to have: broader engineering skills beyond R&D — MLOps, data pipelines, Kubernetes, low-latency APIs, git/version control.
• Strong communication skills — able to work effectively with non-technical stakeholders such as linguists and customers.
• Analytical thinking, solution-oriented, customer-oriented.

At Sestek, we believe in the power of diversity, and inclusive organizational culture. All candidates are considered equally regardless of their race, religion, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, marital status, family status, disability, or genetic characteristics.

As SESTEK, we place great importance on protecting your personal data. Within the scope of our recruitment processes, you may access the Candidate Privacy Notice regarding the processing of your personal data via the links: English Version / Turkish Version