Business Operations Manager

Who you are

• 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

What the job involves

• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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

The 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)

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