Coordinate with external consultants and closely align with relevant trade associations

Make real impact as part of a global team - Lobbynieuws

Make real impact as part of a global team

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. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in over 40 languages, offer more than +28 million total reported listings, and cover +140K destinations in +200 countries worldwide.

Booking.com, the world’s leading accommodation website, is looking for a Public Affairs Manager for the Netherlands, based in Amsterdam, to help drive its global Public Affairs function.

You will have a key role in helping to shape, manage and implement our public policy strategy in Netherlands, our home market. You will be representing the interests of Booking.com before policy makers and other relevant policy and regulatory stakeholders at national, regional and municipal level, and help us analyze complex legal, regulatory and policy developments.

The successful candidate will report into the Head of Public Affairs EMEA. You will also work closely with the rest of the Public Affairs team located at our global headquarters in Amsterdam and at strategic hubs around the world, as well as with other departments within the company, local offices, and external partners such as consultancies and trade associations.

This is a great opportunity for someone wanting to make a real impact as part of a global team.

Help shape, manage and execute a public policy strategy to support business priorities and Booking.com’s corporate profile

Represent the company’s interests by engaging with relevant political and regulatory audiences

Ensure continuous monitoring and evaluation of relevant discussions, regulatory decisions and stakeholder activity on key public affairs / reputational issues

Draft position papers, consultation responses, presentations and briefings for internal and external meetings, and organize campaigns and events to advance those messages

Disseminate and adapt centrally developed content in order to establish Booking.com as a thought leader in the area of travel and tech

Proactively coordinate and communicate internally to align messaging and provide colleagues with a thorough understanding of developments

Help facilitate high-level meetings with key stakeholders to promote and advocate the company’s public policy priorities

Coordinate with external consultants and closely align with relevant trade associations

Engage with and strengthen our relationship with relevant stakeholders and communities in the Dutch association and non-profit landscape

Work closely with other departments to implement and project manage cross-functional initiatives in the area of a.o. digital skills, inclusion, sustainability, and the start-up ecosystem, including the promotion and organisation of internal engagement with relevant partnerships and initiatives.

The ideal candidate for the role of Public Affairs Manager will have:

Masters degree in policy, European Studies, international affairs, or other relevant field

A proven track record of 5-8 years of relevant experience in Netherlands, ideally in a government institution in combination with inhouse or consultancy experience in the area of public affairs

Good understanding of policy and legal challenges facing the tech industry and affinity with the tourism and travel industry

Excellent oral communications skills and ability to distil complex information into clear messages that will resonate with political and regulatory audiences, as well as into succinct updates for the business teams

High quality written skills and practical experience in drafting materials for use by regulators, senior executives or politicians

Experience developing creative and effective public affairs campaigns that underpin the company’s business objectives

Outstanding organizational abilities, in particular, the capacity to manage multiple work streams at one time and the proactivity to drive work programmes forward and co-ordinate the involvement of all relevant stakeholders

Experience working in fast-paced, multicultural environments

Experience with managing sensitive reputational issues and/or crises

Ability to engage directly with policy makers and to act as a spokesperson for the business

Native Dutch speaker, other languages an advantage

Self-starter that is also an excellent team player

Strong influencing skills and ability to inspire confidence, as well as the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships at all level

High level of integrity with ability to develop both internal and external credibility

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

Ability to  influence stakeholders across all levels within the organisation

Being proactive, resilient and having the drive to get things done

Having sound judgement 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!

To match our global footprint and the array of challenges we face, we