• Job Description

  Req#: 2752304

  Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com has grown from a small Dutch start-up to the third largest e-commerce company in the world. Booking.com is the largest business within Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) and accounts for the vast majority of Booking Holdings’ total revenue. Booking Holdings is a leading Fortune 500 e-commerce conglomerate with a market cap of approximately $80 billion.

  With a mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. Booking.com connects travellers with the world’s largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts and even tree houses.

  With a cross-functional team based in Amsterdam and across the world, and plans to expand our FinTech capabilities throughout 2024, we are looking for a technically savvy, adaptable and versatile lawyer to help us develop new FinTech product innovations and support the Fintech Business Unit’s strategic ambitions.

  Booking.com is currently looking for an extraordinary Senior Legal Counsel - Regulatory Strategy professional to join our Product & Fintech Legal Team and take on the responsibility for shaping the regulatory strategy to launch and scale Booking.com payment operations across the globe, identifying FinTech regulatory and other legal implications for the business and working with the wider team to chart our path in this growing area for all of Booking.com brands.

  Fintech is a key component of Booking.com’s long-term and short-term high-impact strategy, to create a global travel experience marketplace, enabling more dynamic choices for travellers furthering the company priorities.

  As Senior Legal Counsel - Regulatory Strategy, you will be responsible for:

  • Providing strategic legal guidance to the Fintech business and issue spot on a full range of legal issues with a focus on the development of the regulatory strategy to enable partner payment products whilst ensuring the Fintech Business Unit’s activities, policies, business practices, products and transactions comply with all relevant laws and regulations
  • Developing a close working relationship with Booking Holdings Financial Services, our regulated EMI group company
  • Procuring and interpreting legal advice to the Fintech business including on payment regulatory strategy and partnership models), from external counsel and internal subject matter experts
  • Liaising and obtaining support from different legal experts in the Legal and Public Affairs team (including Consumer, Data Protection, Compliance)
  • Working with other internal stakeholder groups, including Finance and other brands within the Booking Holdings Group, to define and manage a regulatory strategy in support of Fintech activity and product aspirations
  • Fostering collaboration and encouraging best practices in ways of working and knowledge sharing
  • Training the business unit team on a variety of legal matters and working to improve risk management and controls
  • Working closely with the Public Affairs team on any policy issues related to Fintech

  The ideal candidate will have:

  • 5+ years’ hands-on experience in a similar position with a Master’s Degree and a legal practise qualification. Candidates with in-house experience are desirable but all candidates with relevant experience are encouraged to apply
  • A solid understanding of the key legal and regulatory frameworks including international money transfer, foreign exchange, outsourcing, open banking, e-money, payment services, e-commerce and online platforms for the EU (e.g. PSD2, AMLD, CBPR2, MTRs, DORA, SCA), US or another key jurisdiction
  • Knowledge of card issuance and use of virtual credit cards particularly in the travel industry
  • Knowledge on contracting relationships with third party payment service providers, alternative payment methods, open banking with a focus on the regulatory perspective and market practices
  • Experience identifying and liaising with local counsel around the globe, identifying suitable partners, commissioning work, challenging deliverables etc.
  • A strong commercial instinct and applies that knowledge in practical and actionable ways
  • Excellent teammate, who is proactive and provides ‘hands-on’ legal advice and support, embedded in the business and working closely with the business and the LPA teams as part of a matrixed, cross-functional team
  • Experience in a role with global or regional scope - the lawyer in this role should equally have a global worldview - and be capable of sourcing, critiquing and managing input form a range of internal and external stakeholders to form a view even outside of their direct experience
  • Fluency in English; strong written and verbal communication - additional language skills are a plus

  Further traits we are looking for:

  • Aligning with Booking.com’s Values (Think Customer First, Succeed Together, Own It, Learn Forever, Do the Right Thing)
  • Being curious, flexible, and a creative & pragmatic problem solver
  • Confident yet collaborative
  • Ability to influence stakeholders across all levels within the organisation
  • Being proactive, resilient and having the drive to get things done
  • Having sound judgment and the ability to see the big picture and simultaneously appreciate the details necessary to operationalise the strategy
  • Having the courage to take positions and make tough judgment calls
  • Being a team player, self aware and a good listener - a diverse group will always find the best solution!
  • Ability to move with agility, prioritise workloads and meet deadlines
  • Forward thinking with an interest in emerging issues in legal and policy

  Booking.com ensures equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, colour, family or medical care leave, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex, pregnancy and childbirth, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations. We aspire to have a workplace that reflects all of the diverse communities we serve and we welcome and encourage candidates from all backgrounds and experiences to apply for roles on our team. We work to cultivate an inclusive culture in which all of our employees can be their authentic selves.

  Why join the Legal & Public Affairs Team now?

  Booking.com’s Legal & Public Affairs team is on a transformational journey at a transformational time for e-commerce and travel (think: growth, innovation, changes to how we operate); you will have an opportunity to actively shape the Department’s future. The Legal & Public Affairs team is also a critical part of the enablement of Booking.com’s strategy of the Connected Trip (a travel experience that includes not just accommodation, but also transportation, attractions, experiences, payments, flights etc).

  This is a journey that requires close business and Legal & Public Affairs partnerships to redefine our business model, navigate complex regulatory environments, build new products, and negotiate increasingly elaborate commercial deals, among other important projects our teams get involved every day. To tackle this mission, it all starts with a strong team passionate about growing Booking.com in an ethical and sustainable way!

  Who we are

  To match our global footprint and the array of challenges we face, we are proud to highlight the diversity that exists across this group. We are a team of approximately 165 professionals - representing more than 34 nationalities - with lawyers qualified in many different countries, as well as non-lawyers with public policy, economics, compliance and risk backgrounds. Our team’s previous experience spans across a multitude of industries with team members having worked for major global companies (including Uber, American Express, Airbnb, Amazon, Google, Nokia), tech and other startups, government entities (e.g., the Dutch Competition Authority), and reputable international law firms (e.g., Hogan Lovells, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Baker Mckenzie), and Public Affairs firms (e.g., FTI Consulting, FIPRA, Brunswick).

  In addition to our day-to-day work, we actively seek opportunities for our team members to engage in the wider global legal and public affairs communities through speaking engagements, training programs, and association memberships. Some of our lawyers are Board members of Consumer Law associations, Competition Law associations, Privacy associations, etc. We also believe in actively engaging with stakeholders to share our insights on policies affecting the travel experience and how travel tech innovations can fuel the digital transformation of the travel industry. For example, we recently launched Booking.com’s Public Affairs blog, where we publish our position on key policy issues (A World Worth Experiencing).

  As a team, we believe in:

  • Integrating with the Business and Legal having a “seat at the table”: we are decision makers that can have a real impact on Booking.com’s future
  • Booking’s mission of making it easier for everyone to experience the world. Travel helps people become more open minded, curious and flexible
  • Allowing members of our teams to experience different areas or, if they want to be specialists, give them the tools to become more effective in their jobs
  • Providing holistic legal and public affairs advice; our team should not work in silos
  • Always looking for better ways of doing things, improving our Legal Operations function, innovating and exchanging best practices
  • Accepting that it's OK to make mistakes as long as we learn from them
  • Having a sense of humour and having fun working together; we are a team that likes to collaborate and share in joys and challenges together!

  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.

• About the company

  Explore the world with Booking.com. Big savings on homes, hotels, flights, car rentals, taxis, and attractions – build your perfect trip on any budget.

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