Role Description:
About Us: At Booking.com, data drives our decisions. Technology is at our core. And innovation is everywhere. But our company is more than datasets, lines of code or A/B tests. We're the thrill of the first night in a new place. The excitement of the next morning. The friends you encounter. The journeys you take. The sights you see. And the memories you make. Through our products, partners and people, we make it easier for everyone to experience the world.
Role Description:
The Business Operations Manager drives processes and implements structure to ensure goal achievement, designing an effective rhythm of business and driving adoption of company-wide processes (Quarterly Operational Reviews, Strategic Portfolio Management, Planning and Budget).
In Marketplace, this means building the operating system for one of Europe's most complex technology departments — 1,500+ people across 11 Track Groups spanning Product, Engineering, Data & AI, Design, and Commercial. The decisions made through our planning cycles determine how a $15B+ company invests, prioritises, and delivers for hundreds of millions of travellers worldwide.
We are looking for a Business Operations Manager who will design and own that operating system. Not maintain an existing one — build a new one. The full cycle: quarterly planning, annual planning, performance governance, dependency management, and the portfolio trade-offs that determine where the department invests.
This is not a support role. You will architect the planning system, lead a team of 5, and operate daily at VP level — translating strategic intent into operational clarity for 11 Track Groups while holding an entire department accountable to shared timelines, quality standards, and decisions.
The decisions made through quarterly reviews, annual planning, and performance governance — what to invest in, what to stop, what to trade off — shape the trajectory of a business serving 28+ million accommodation listings and hundreds of millions of travellers. You will be at the centre of those decisions, helping a department move from reactive management to systematic, disciplined ways of working.
Key Job Responsibilities and Duties:
Operating System & System Design
Architect, implement, and maintain repeatable operating models that create predictability, horizontal visibility, and execution discipline across 1,500 people and 11 Track Groups.
Apply structured methodologies to implement an effective way of running business operations, making it easier for teams to achieve objectives.
Positively and proactively contribute towards the craft, including being available to coach others, share best practices, or participate in cross-team projects.
Process Excellence
Design and execute thoughtful, yet simple, processes to increase efficiency and productivity across the organisation, simplifying complex workflows where possible.
Drive adoption of standardised processes at scale — ensuring consistency across the department without killing speed.
Governance & Cadence
Own the preparation, architecture, and facilitation of leadership business reviews (Monthly Business Reviews, Quarterly Performance Reviews, mid-year reviews) — ensuring the right decisions happen at the right time with the right information. Manage follow-up and ensure actions are tracked and delivered.
Planning
Lead end-to-end annual, quarterly, and ad hoc planning processes for a 1,500-person department — from architecture through final CBO submission — in close collaboration with 11 Track Groups and FP&A for budget definition and resource allocation.
Manage cross-departmental dependencies with CBO, FP&A, and peer teams — operating as the single point of accountability.
Build the foundations to evolve planning into structured portfolio management — turning reviews into investment trade-off decisions.
Performance Management
Design and implement the measurement, reporting, and analysis of performance (vs. KPIs), creating and automating reporting and performing analysis to deliver data-driven insights for executive decision-making.
Stakeholder Management
Serve as a central point of contact and trusted partner across VPs, Directors, and cross-functional leadership — streamlining processes, fostering teamwork, and driving operational efficiency.
Ability to influence and partner effectively up to (Senior) Director and VP level.
Team Leadership
Lead and develop a team of 5 direct reports through sustained, high-pressure delivery cycles. People management is central to this role, not peripheral — fostering collaboration, alignment, and a high-performance, outcome-driven culture.
Qualifications & Skills:
8–12 years of relevant business operations experience in strategic planning, program management, or operational leadership at a Tech or Marketplace company
Direct people management through high-pressure delivery — minimum 3 direct reports, demonstrated through real delivery cycles
End-to-end ownership of large-scale planning (200+ person organisation) — you have designed planning systems from scratch, not just executed inherited ones
System design thinking: you build operating models, not just run processes. You understand that at scale, velocity is a system design opportunity
VP-level stakeholder management in a matrix environment — including the ability to hold senior stakeholders accountable and make difficult conversations productive
Strong business and financial foundation — ability to leverage quantitative and qualitative data to drive executive decision-making and tell a clear story with insights
You can plan backwards from a final milestone, decomposing into workstreams, owners, and dependencies without being told how
Project management tooling at governance level — you have opinions on how tools should serve a large organisation
Executive communication: written and verbal, adapted to your audience. Ability to build lasting relationships across diverse domains
Benefits & Perks: Global Impact, Personal Relevance
Annual paid time off and generous paid leave scheme including: parental (22-weeks paid leave), grandparent, bereavement, and care leave
Hybrid working including flexible working arrangements, working from home furniture and ergonomic support, and up to 20 days per year working from abroad (home country)
A beautiful sustainable HQ Campus in Amsterdam, that offers on-site meals, coffee, and snacks, multi-faith and breastfeeding rooms at the office
Commuting allowance and bike reimbursement scheme
Discounts & Wallet credits to spend on our products, upgrade to Booking.com Genius Level 3, and friends & family Booking.com discount vouchers
Free access to online learning platforms, development and mentorship programs
Global Employee Assistance Program, free Headspace membership
Career Development Opportunities:
Bi-annual performance conversations, company-wide mentoring program, and internal development opportunities
Unlimited access to online learning platforms: Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, O'Reilly
DEI: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Booking.com
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) have been a core part of our company culture since day one. This ongoing journey starts with our very own employees, who represent over 140 nationalities and a wide range of ethnic and social backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations. Take it from our Chief People Officer, Paulo Pisano: “At Booking.com, the diversity of our people doesn’t just create a unique workplace, it also creates a better and more inclusive travel experience for everyone.”
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable adjustments to participate in the interview process. Please contact us to request adjustments.
Application Process:
The interview process will entail a call with a member of our Recruitment team, and if successful, a total of 3 interviews — all conducted via video conferencing.
This role does not come with relocation assistance.
Start date: ASAP (target: September–October 2026)
Booking.com is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We strive to move well beyond traditional equal opportunity and work to create an environment that allows everyone to thrive.
