Director of Strategy and Operations

The Trips Business Unit (Trips) is central to realizing Booking.com's vision of the Connected Trip. Trips is responsible for building world-class experiences across key travel categories — including Flights, Rental Cars, Rides, Attractions/Experiences, and Insurance — on a global scale. Beyond leading these verticals, Trips ensures high-quality and consistent traveler experiences by adhering to Booking.com-wide data and technology standards. The Director Strategy & Operations for Trips is a key role within Trips, focused on developing and executing the Trips BU long-term strategy as well as ensuring delivery against that strategy. The Director Strategy & Operations is a member of the Trips LT with responsibility for crafting a strategic trajectory for the BU, making and facilitating major strategic decisions about priorities and sequencing through data-driven analytical thinking and senior judgment, driving performance and managing strategic activities through the right performance measurement, governance, steering and management teams, while also serving as a sounding board / thought partner for the BU SVP specifically and LT members as needed. The role influences the creation and execution of the vision and strategy of the business and ensures the right topics are being worked on, all projects are well coordinated, and that results are achieved in line with the BU strategy and budget goals. The role partners with the SVP Trips and manages a the of strategy & business operations professionals, as well as PMO), owning the following areas: Strategy: Developing and ensuring execution against the long-term strategy for Trips, supporting the wider Booking.com vision and strategy, ensuring operational capability and readiness to deliver, competitiveness in the global market, commitment across Trips and other business units towards delivery and dependencies where applicable, strong financial trajectory.Constant horizon scanning: For competitive positioning, trends and insight as well as organic and inorganic growth opportunitiesStrategic projects: Delivering special projects as needed e.g. M&A assessments, deep-dive strategy projects, owning strategic topics across Trips such as Loyalty & Retention.Setting and monitoring performance through OKRs: Working closely with FP&A to translate the long-term strategy and budget into operational targets & OKRs that cascade through the business unit and have clear accountability. Tracking performance & delivery vs. those OKRs.Business operations & PMO: Working closely with senior stakeholders to ensure that the BU delivers on its accountabilities by (a) tracking performance vs. plans (b) understanding the work practically being done, where there are blockers and pushing towards resolution (c) embedding strong operating and delivery processes. Working closely with FP&A as well as Data to drive the right insight and alignment against our financial and non-financial goals.Represent and steward the Strategy, Business Operations & Program job family group: Act as a visible ambassador for the Strategy, Business Operations & Program job family group, demonstrating the value of strategy, business operations, program and change management to stakeholders and peers.Key priorities for the coming years include: BU operational maturity — Strengthen planning, delivery tracking, and performance management across a growing and increasingly complex business unit.Establish Trips-wide strategic ownership for topics such as loyalty and retention as well as marketing, ensuring effective ways of working with other business units as well as the individual Trips verticals.Key Relationships Reports to: SVP, TripsDirect reports: 6-7Key Peer relationships: MDs for Trips Verticals, VP Engineering & Data, Strategy & Operations leaders in other Business Units Scope & Responsibilities Strategy Development & Execution Own the Trips BU multi-year strategy, ensuring it is supporting the overall Booking.com Vision and Strategy, is commercially grounded, competitively informed, and operationally deliverable.Turn strategy into operational plans (e.g. 3-year plans, annual plans, country/segment strategies) with aligned objectives, KPIs and resource envelopes in partnership with Finance, Product/Tech and Operations. As part of that lead the annual and operational planning cycle for Trips, translating strategy into prioritised initiatives, resource allocation decisions, and OKRs.Work with FP&A to ensure this is tightly linked and aligned with the budgetary cycle and financial goals set.Own the Trips response to Company Priority planning processes — ensuring the BU's interests, dependencies, and capacity constraints are clearly articulated and resolved.Conduct ongoing horizon scanning: consumer trends, competitive dynamics, market intelligence and trends, regulatory shifts, and technology disruption across Flights, Ground Transport, Attractions, and Insurance.Lead strategic deep-dives on key topics as needed (e.g., supply strategy, commercial model evolution, loyalty integration, new market entry).Strategic Projects Lead multiple critical, often ambiguous strategic projects end-to-end where needed, from problem framing and hypothesis design through analysis, synthesis and recommendation.Lead or support growth assessments — business case development development, due diligence coordination where inorganic.Own strategic topics that span multiple Trips verticals (e.g., Genius/loyalty, NRM application to Trips) as well as strategic vertical topics.Manage relationship with Booking Holdings Corporate Development on Trips-relevant opportunities.Business Operations & Performance Management Turn strategic intent into concrete portfolios, roadmaps and annual/quarterly plans with clear priorities, trade-offs and success measures.Ensure robust business cases, economics and scenario analysis underpin material decisions (investments, de-prioritizations, restructures, major programs).Establish and maintain the BU operating rhythm: LT cadence, steercos, QBRs, and cross-functional governance forums. Ensure that governance within verticals is efficient and ladders up to Trips-wide and company-wide forums.Ensure KPIs, risks and dependencies are visible; work with FP&A and Data Analytics to set targets, track performance, identify variances early, enable timely course-correction rather than after-the-fact reporting to ensure Trips delivers against it’s goals and objectives.Ensure clear accountability and delivery tracking across verticals and shared priorities.Own the Trips input to company-wide planning processes (budget, headcount, priority programmes).Drive operational improvements: Simplify decision-making, reduce coordination overhead, improve execution velocity and ensure clear processes, documentation, tooling and engagement models.Identify and drive adoption of technology, automation for operational efficiency to reduce manual processes and accelerate decision-making across the BU.Evaluate resource allocation, efficiency and ROI on an ongoing basis to help drive improvements and required changes in prioritisation or decision making.Programme Oversight & Dependency Management Oversee the Trips PMO function, ensuring major programmes are well-governed, on-track, and escalated appropriately.Manage cross-BU dependencies (Accommodations, Marketplace, FinTech, CS, Marketing) - ensuring Trips is not blocked by, or blocking, shared capability delivery.Represent Trips in company-wide programme governance (SBOPC, QPC).Stakeholder & Partner Management Serve as primary strategic thought partner to the SVP Trips on all aspects of the BU.Build trusted relationships with MDs, VPs, and Strategy & Ops peers across Booking.com. Serve as strategic thought partner of the Trips Leadership Team to support them in implementation of company processes in their respective verticals. Advise and support the Trips Leadership Team in achieving Trips goals.Support the SVP in preparing for ELT, Board, and CBO LT forums.Where required, represent Trips in internal and external discussions.Work closely with the Internal Communications team to develop and execute internal communication plans to keep teams and stakeholders updated on business performance, programme status and progress, risks and opportunities.Act as a central point of contact for cross-functional partners, streamlining processes and improving the quality and speed of decision-making.Leadership, Team & Organization Direct reports include a mix of Strategy & Operations Managers, Project & Programme managers. Lead and manage a small but high-calibre team ensuring appropriate talent development across the different verticals and areas of responsibility. Build a healthy, inclusive team culture with clear expectations, psychological safety and high standards for both delivery and behaviors.Lead through transformation with clarity on “why”, “what” and “how” for teams and stakeholders. Ensure an efficient and effective organizational setup through regular reviews, appropriate evolution, and change management. Collaborate with Trips vertical Managing Directors to optimize resource allocation and overall team effectiveness.Create an exciting, dynamic, and forward-thinking working environment that engages, retains, and nurtures talent.Represent and steward the Strategy, Business Operations & Program job family group. Act as a visible ambassador for the Strategy, Business Operations & Program job family group, demonstrating the value of strategy, business operations, program and change management to stakeholders and peers.Contribute to the evolution of the Strategy & Operations job family group across Booking.com: shape roles, span of control and ways of working to balance job family depth with BU-specific expertise; share best practices, help define standards and templates, mentor across BUs, and actively participate in SBOPC communities of practice.Role-model connected, enterprise-level thinking rather than purely local optimization. As part of the role, be a strategic partner to the SVP.Note regular travel between London, Amsterdam, and Manchester is expected with the Amsterdam office being a key hub for cross-BU collaboration.Expected behaviors Customer- and partner-centric: Ground decisions impact travelers, partners and internal customers; make trade-offs explicit when commercial and customer outcomes are in tension.Strategic and systems thinking: Connect dots across markets, products, functions and time horizons; avoid narrow optimization. Anticipate second- and third-order effects of decisions and design for long-term resilience, not just short-term wins. Optimize for the bigger system, not just your own good.Data-driven and outcome-oriented: Use qualitative and quantitative evidence to frame problems, make decisions and challenge assumptions. Focus on measurable outcomes and leading indicators, not just activity or process compliance.Pragmatic executor: Balance rigor with pragmatism; simplify where possible and avoid over-engineering. Move from strategy to execution quickly, iterating based on learning and feedback.Influential, clear communicator: Communicate complex topics in simple, compelling narratives tailored to different audiences (ELT, LT, ICs, external stakeholders). Create alignment through influence rather than authority; listen actively and seek diverse perspectives.Inclusive, people-first leadership: Model Booking.com values. Build diverse teams, ensure fair opportunities, and address behavior and performance issues promptly and constructively.Learner: Challenge status quo, explore new ways of working and opportunities via connecting the dots. Foster innovation by being curious and having a learner mind set.Bigger picture & influencing: Navigating macro level and details - being able to add value on all levels - focusing on innovation. Story telling to influence via others.Multiplier of efficiency and operational excellence: Leverages latest technologic developments to reduce complexity and simplify processes. Brings innovate solutions to operational challenges and gets these adopted by the intended audience.Connected Leadership and Booking.com values As a Connected Leader, you bring Booking.com’s values to life: Think Customer First, Own It, Learn Forever, Succeed Together and Do the Right Thing. You connect strategy to execution by inspiring with a clear vision, cutting through complexity, focusing on what matters and making timely, informed trade-offs. You raise the bar, maximise impact and empower teams to deliver high performance. You accelerate talent by knowing yourself, building diverse and exceptional teams, promoting inclusion, creating psychological safety and addressing performance issues constructively. You role-model, advocate for and recognise the values, connecting people and teams across boundaries to achieve shared outcomes. Ideal Experience And Skills Strategic & Analytical Strong experience in strategy, operations, or management consulting, ideally with significant experience in travel, marketplaces, or platform businesses. (12-15+ years of total experience, including 5+ years in senior strategy or operations roles with direct executive exposure).Proven ability to develop multi-year strategies grounded in financial modelling, competitive analysis, and operational reality.Strong quantitative skills — comfortable building business cases, sizing opportunities, and stress-testing assumptions. Highly data-driven leader.Some experience with M&A desired but not a must.Operational & Delivery Proven track record leading cross-functional initiatives with senior stakeholders (VP/SVP/ELT level) in complex, global organizations.Track record of translating strategy into operational plans with clear accountability and measurable outcomes. Ability to deliver this in areas within and outside of direct control.Experience managing business operations in a high-growth, matrixed environment - planning cycles, OKRs, steercos, cross-functional governance.Comfortable navigating ambiguity and competing priorities across multiple P&Ls and business lines. Experience in portfolio management desired.Experience leading significant organisational change, e.g. evolving operating models, restructuring teams, or implementing new ways of working across resistant stakeholders.Track record of delivering large programmes of work through PMs and driving successful change management through the organisation.Leadership & Influence Demonstrated ability to influence across all levels of the organisation - without authority across senior stakeholders, with data and ability to go deep with operating levels of the organisation.Comfortable operating as a “right hand” to SVP, with high levels of trust and autonomy.Excellent communication skills with the ability to simplify complex problem statements and situations. Experience leading and developing small, high-performing teams (strategy managers and analysts, programme managers, business operations).Strong commercial judgment - understands P&L drivers and unit economics to influence prioritisation and sequencing.Nice to have Experience in travel, OTA, or marketplace businesses with multi-vertical models.Ability to work with multiple different competing priorities and short-notice deadlines. Comfortable working with ambiguity.Results & Execution: Demonstrated ability to manage P&L variables, critical deadlines, and drive multiple complex initiatives simultaneously in a complex, fast-paced, performance- and data-driven environment.Sufficient technology and data literacy to engage credibly on platform strategy, AI-driven product opportunities, and engineering trade-offs — as a strategic partner, not a technical specialist. 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.