Programs & Business Operations Lead

airbnb, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Airbnb is seeking a Programs & Business Operations Lead to drive strategic growth for its Experiences business. You will own demand strategy for priority markets and lead cross-functional programs that translate data into scalable, high-impact actions.

Collaborating with product, finance, marketing, and operations, you will align objectives, improve guest experiences, and push for rapid, data-driven expansion.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience leading complex growth initiatives or business programs in high-growth environments.
• Proven track record of building and scaling new businesses, preferably in consumer services or digital companies.
• Direct experience launching and scaling growth initiatives (paid marketing, referrals, partnerships).

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategic growth plans for Airbnb's Experiences business.
• DRI for driving demand for the Experiences business across priority markets and global programs.
• Collaborate with product, finance, marketing, community, communications, sales operations, and supply for aligned objectives.
• Translate data-driven insights into actionable operational plans to improve performance and scale.

Skills

Growth strategy

Cross-functional leadership

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

Communication & leadership

Job description

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

The Community You Will Join:

The Experiences Global Growth and New Initiatives Team is the central engine for scaling Airbnb's Experiences business globally, serving as a multidisciplinary team that develops innovative strategies, scales successful initiatives, and establishes a unified framework for growth. A key part of the team's scope includes owning demand strategy and business growth globally as well as for a defined set of priority markets, leading select global cross-functional programs, and leveraging strong analytical skills to translate data-driven insights into actionable operational plans for maximum business impact and efficient scale. We act as the global nerve center, ensuring organizational alignment and the conversion of successful experiments into globally scalable programs.

The Difference You Will Make:

As a Programs & Business Operations Lead, you will play a pivotal role in driving strategic business growth initiatives for Airbnb’s Experiences business, with ownership over demand strategy for priority markets and select global cross-functional programs. You will be responsible for co-developing and executing innovative strategies that align cross-functional teams, enabling rapid growth and ensuring the highest quality experiences for our guests and hosts worldwide. Your attention to detail, strong analytical skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities will be crucial to your success in this role.

You will own demand strategy and business growth for a defined set of priority markets, and lead select global cross-functional programs that improve how guests discover and book experiences.

A Typical Day:

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement strategic plans that drive growth for Airbnb's Experiences business. Navigate and address market and category-specific challenges and opportunities, and work to prioritize across many different lenses.
• Ownership of Business Growth: You will be the DRI for driving demand for the Experiences business, both for a selection of key markets, as well as how those markets play into the global business.
• Cross-functional Alignment: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product management, finance, marketing, community, communications, sales operations, and supply, to achieve shared objectives that deliver meaningful business results.
• Operational Excellence: Leverage your analytical skills to translate data-driven insights into actionable operational plans that enhance the performance of our experiences business, and build efficiency into our systems.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Serve as a trusted advisor by translating complex data and market dynamics into clear recommendations and business context.
• Innovation & Growth: Own and influence the business outcomes of this high-growth area, strategically planning for the next phases of expansion.
• Creativity: Be able to think outside the box to come up with novel ways of structuring incentives, business models, and ways of working to allow the business to be nimble and enable efficient scale.

Your Expertise:

• Experience: 10+ years of experience leading complex growth initiatives or business programs in high-growth environments, with a demonstrated ability to influence and align functional teams. Proven track record of building and scaling new businesses. Experience in the consumer services industry, particularly within a digital company, is preferred.
• Go-to-market Expertise: Direct experience launching and scaling growth initiatives, such as paid marketing, referral programs, ambassador programs, distribution partnerships, affiliates, and creative growth experiments.
• Analytical & Strategic Skills: Strong analytical abilities combined with a deep understanding of guest needs and market dynamics. Ability to distill complex information into clear business strategies.
• Rapid Test & Learn: As one of Airbnb’s new business lines, it is critical to not only leverage the known channels that work, but to quickly identify new ideas for driving growth, align relevant stakeholders, and quickly test to understand viability.
• Prioritization:Constantly able to understand opportunities and costs to prioritize time and resource investment.
• Communication & Leadership: Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels, including executive leadership.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Expertise in driving collaboration across diverse teams, fostering transparency, accountability, and a unified vision.
• Adaptability & Innovation: Comfortable navigating ambiguity and working independently to execute complex programs. A strategic thinker with a passion for innovation and new product development.
• Business Operations: Proven experience in leading strategic and tactical execution within a large organization
• Process Improvement: Capable of self-learning and developing tools to enhance processes, interpreting business risks, and recommending best practices.
• Community Engagement: Strong enthusiasm for working closely with the Airbnb community, consistently demonstrating Airbnb’s core values and fostering a sense of belonging.

Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging:

Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

We strive to also provide a disability inclusive application and interview process. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in order to submit an application, please contact us at: [e-mail] . Please include your full name, the role you’re applying for and the accommodation necessary to assist you with the recruiting process.

We ask that you only reach out to us if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from being able to complete our online application.

How We'll Take Care of You:

Our job titles may span more than one career level.

The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands.

The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

• This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.