Senior Business Operations Manager (Central Tech)

• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Free access to Headspace for you and your loved ones
• Global Employee Assistance Program
• Meditation and Breastfeeding rooms at the office
• Booking Cares - 2 days per year to volunteer and learn
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Pension plan
• Annual paid time off
• Parental leave - 22 weeks
• Grandparent leave - 10 days
• Care leave - 10 days
• Bereavement leave - up to 4 weeks
• Anniversary leave
• Working from Home Furniture and Ergonomic Support
• Working from Abroad - up to 20 days per year
• Discounts & Wallet credits to spend on our products
• Upgrade to Booking.com Genius Level 3
• Friends & Family Booking.com discount vouchers
• Free access to online learning platforms
• Development and mentorship programs to support career growth
• Access to trainings and workshops
• Team development opportunities
• Local discount programs
• Game rooms in offices
• On-site meals, coffee and snacks including vegan options- Experience driving change and adoption of new processes, ways of working or company-wide initiatives in a way that is clear, structured and inclusive
• Clear, compelling written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt your message to technical, business and executive audiences
• 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
• Experience leading annual or quarterly planning for a sizable organisation or function, including aligning priorities, resources, milestones, dependencies and trade-offs across teams
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills. You can work with imperfect information, identify what matters, and tell a concise story that supports a decision
• Experience working with senior leaders, including influencing at VP level and partnering effectively with SVP-level stakeholders
• 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
• Excellent stakeholder-management and influencing skills, with the credibility to challenge constructively, build alignment and drive accountability across teams
• Substantial experience, typically 8+ years, in business operations, strategy and operations, transformation, planning, governance or a related field
• A collaborative, customer-focused mindset and the ability to build trusted relationships across functions, disciplines, levels of seniority and cultures
• Strong process-management and problem-solving skills, with the ability to simplify highly complex operational issues into practical actions
• A proven track record of designing and running operating models, planning processes, governance routines or business cadences for a complex organisation
• Comfort operating with autonomy in a fast-moving environment where priorities, stakeholders and information may change
• Familiarity with Booking.com, the travel industry or a similarly complex, global, technology-led business
• Experience with transformation governance, cross-functional change or large-scale organisational change
• Experience partnering closely with Engineering, Product, Data, Finance, People or other corporate functions
• Experience working in an enterprise technology, platform, cloud or infrastructure environment. An engineering background is not required
• 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 designing tools, dashboards or automated reporting that improve operational visibility and decision-making- Application and CV Review
• Recruitment Phone Screen
• Business Interview 1
• Business Interview 2
• FIT Interview
• Hiring Decision