Senior Business Operations Manager - Central Tech

Booking Holdings, Inc.; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual paid time off

Hybrid working with flexibility

Up to 20 days abroad

Product discounts

Job summary

Booking.com in Amsterdam is seeking a Senior Business Operations Manager for Core Platforms to help leadership run the organization effectively, design and improve operating models, and coordinate governance and planning.

You will work cross-functionally with Engineering, Product, Finance, People and others; lead business reviews, track OKRs and KPIs, and translate priorities into actionable roadmaps while aligning with Central Tech and wider Booking.com objectives.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in business operations, strategy or related field.
• Proven track record designing operating models, governance routines or business cadences.
• Experience leading annual/quarterly planning for a large organisation.
• Strong performance-management skills with OKRs and KPIs.
• Ability to coordinate complex cross-functional initiatives with disciplined risk management.
• Strong process-management and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience driving change and adoption of new processes.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills.
• Excellent stakeholder-management with ability to influence at senior levels.
• Clear, compelling written and verbal communication; collaborative mindset.
• Curiosity about AI and emerging tech and applying AI-enabled tools.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement and improve the Core Platforms operating model, governance, rhythms and escalation routes.
• Lead planning to adopt Booking.com and Central Tech processes across areas, including budgeting and dependencies.
• Facilitate business reviews, leadership updates and tracking of progress, risks and actions.
• Establish OKRs, KPIs and portfolio tracking with insights to guide leadership decisions.
• Oversee complex initiatives, reporting, risks, and trade-offs for leadership team.
• Coordinate cross-functional engagement and change across Engineering, Product, Finance, People and more.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Influencing

Analytical skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic problem-solving

Job 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.

About our team:

At Booking.com, we make it easier for everyone to experience the world. As a global travel company, we help travellers and partners connect across the full journey — from planning and booking to experiencing and managing a trip. Our ambition is to make every trip a Connected Trip: a more seamless, personalised and rewarding experience that brings together accommodation, flights, transport, attractions and other travel services.

Central Technology builds, maintains and continuously improves the technology foundation that supports every part of Booking.com. Within Central Tech, Core Platforms helps provide the reliable, scalable and secure platforms that enable teams across the company to build and operate effectively.

Central Tech’s Strategy & Operations team helps turn strategic priorities into clear, coordinated execution. We work closely with technology leaders and partners across Booking.com on strategy, planning, operating rhythms, portfolio and programme management, and cross-functional alignment.

Role overview:

As Senior Business Operations Manager for Core Platforms, you will help the Core Platforms leadership team run the organisation effectively and make better, faster decisions. You will design and improve the operating model, lead key planning and governance processes, create visibility of performance and risks, and coordinate execution across teams and departments.

This is an individual-contributor role with broad cross-functional influence. You will work closely with the Core Platforms Leadership Team, Central Tech leadership, Business Operations peers and partners across Product, Engineering, Finance, People and other departments.

Key Job Responsibilities and Duties:

Operating model and governance

• Design, implement and continuously improve the Core Platforms operating model, including decision forums, governance, meeting rhythms, action tracking and escalation routes.
• Improve processes, tools and ways of working to make operations simpler, more reliable and more effective for internal partners.

Planning and performance

• Lead the adoption of Booking.com and Central Tech planning processes across the area, including annual planning, quarterly planning, budget and resource discussions, and cross-department dependency planning.
• Act as the central point of contact for business planning activities and ensure that decisions and commitments made during planning are translated into clear follow-through.
• Own the preparation and facilitation of business reviews and leadership updates, bringing together progress, performance, risks, dependencies, trade-offs and forward-looking actions.
• Establish clear OKR, KPI and portfolio tracking, using quantitative and qualitative insights to identify trends, surface risks and recommend action to the Core Platforms Leadership Team.

Portfolio oversight and reporting

• Provide oversight of complex initiatives and portfolios, maintaining a clear view of scope, milestones, ownership, dependencies, risks and decisions.
• Consolidate progress and performance reporting for the Core Platforms Leadership Team, highlighting risks, trade-offs, dependencies and actions that require attention.
• Establish governance and follow-through so that initiative owners are clear on their commitments, with blockers and risks escalated early.
• Translate priorities into clear planning inputs, roadmaps, success measures and execution choices without owning day-to-day initiative delivery.

Cross-functional collaboration and change

• Build effective engagement models across Core Platforms, Central Tech and partner departments so that shared objectives are prioritised, responsibilities are understood and handshakes happen early.
• Support change adoption by making the case for change clear, explaining what it means for different audiences, and helping teams move from agreement to implementation.
• Develop trusted relationships across Engineering, Product, Finance, People and other functions, adapting your approach to different stakeholders and levels of seniority.

Strategic problem-solving and direction

• Partner with the Core Platforms Leadership Team to shape the strategic narrative, priorities and medium‑term direction of the area.
• Structure complex and ambiguous problems, connect insights across teams and departments, and turn analysis into practical recommendations.
• Identify opportunities to improve the effectiveness, scalability and impact of Core Platforms, supported by clear options, trade‑offs and business cases where appropriate.
• Help align Core Platforms priorities with Central Tech and wider Booking.com objectives, making implications for other teams visible and actionable.

Role Qualifications and Requirements:

• Substantial experience, typically 8+ years, in business operations, strategy and operations, transformation, planning, governance or a related field.
• A proven track record of designing and running operating models, planning processes, governance routines or business cadences for a complex organisation.
• Experience leading annual or quarterly planning for a sizable organisation or function, including aligning priorities, resources, milestones, dependencies and trade‑offs across teams.
• Strong performance-management skills, including experience with OKRs, KPIs, business reviews, reporting and turning data into clear insights and recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and oversee complex cross‑functional initiatives, with disciplined management of risks, dependencies, decisions, reporting and follow‑up.
• Strong process‑management and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to simplify highly complex operational issues into practical actions.
• Experience driving change and adoption of new processes, ways of working or company‑wide initiatives in a way that is clear, structured and inclusive.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills. You can work with imperfect information, identify what matters, and tell a concise story that supports a decision.
• Excellent stakeholder‑management and influencing skills, with the credibility to challenge constructively, build alignment and drive accountability across teams.
• Experience working with senior leaders, including influencing at VP level and partnering effectively with SVP‑level stakeholders.
• Clear, compelling written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt your message to technical, business and executive audiences.
• A collaborative, customer‑focused mindset and the ability to build trusted relationships across functions, disciplines, levels of seniority and cultures.
• Demonstrated curiosity about AI and emerging technology, supported by experience applying AI‑enabled tools or approaches to improve productivity, decision‑making or other business operations
• Comfort operating with autonomy in a fast‑moving environment where priorities, stakeholders and information may change.

Nice-to-Have Skills:

• Experience working in an enterprise technology, platform, cloud or infrastructure environment. An engineering background is not required.
• Experience partnering closely with Engineering, Product, Data, Finance, People or other corporate functions.
• Experience in strategy consulting, corporate strategy, business development or another role involving structured problem‑solving and business‑case development.
• Experience with financial planning, workforce planning, headcount management or resource‑allocation processes.
• Experience with transformation governance, cross‑functional change or large‑scale organisational change.
• Experience designing tools, dashboards or automated reporting that improve operational visibility and decision‑making.
• Familiarity with Booking.com, the travel industry or a similarly complex, global, technology‑led business.

Benefits & Perks - Global Impact, Personal Relevance:

Booking.com’s Total Rewards Philosophy is not only about compensation but also about benefits. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, as well unique‑to-Booking.com benefits which include:

• Annual paid time off and generous paid leave scheme including: parent, grandparent, bereavement, and care leave
• Hybrid working including flexible working arrangements, and up to 20 days per year working from abroad (home country)
• Industry leading product discounts - up to 1400 per year - for yourself, including automatic Genius Level 3 status and Booking.com wallet credit

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Booking.com:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 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 build an outstanding workplace, it also creates a better and more inclusive travel experience for everyone. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. It’s a place where you can make your mark and have a real impact in travel and tech.”

We ensure that colleagues with disabilities are provided the adjustments and tools they need to participate in the job application and interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

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.

Pre-Employment Screening

If your application is successful, your personal data may be used for a pre-employment screening check by a third party as permitted by applicable law. Depending on the vacancy and applicable law, a pre-employment screening may include employment history, education and other information (such as media information) that may be necessary for determining your qualifications and suitability for the position.