Flights Senior Operations Specialist

Flights Senior Operations Specialist

About Us: At Booking.com, data drives our decisions. Technology is at our core. And innovation is everywhere. But our company is more than datasets, lines of code or A/B tests. We're the thrill of the first night in a new place. The excitement of the next morning. The friends you encounter. The journeys you take. The sights you see. And the memories you make. Through our products, partners and people, we make it easier for everyone to experience the world.

Leadership/Team Quote: We began by taking hotel bookings online over 20 years ago, and we've been shaping the travel industry ever since. Today, we're building a platform that connects all parts of the trip - from accommodation to transport, flights, tickets, tours and much more!

Our Trips Business Unit helps people get where they want to go, anywhere in the world. Whether customers want the freedom of a car, the convenience of a flight, the ease of a taxi or the economy of public transport, we make it all possible.

Our team is passionate about helping people travel. They see challenges as opportunities. And they're always ready for change.

Role Description: A trip usually starts with a flight. The Flights team's mission is to offer a wide selection of flights, great value for money and the easiest end-to-end booking experience. We partner with our Strategic partner Etraveli Group to make our mission a reality and have high-reaching goals over the next years.

The Senior Operational Excellence Specialist (Flights) leads end-to-end financial operational excellence across supplier fund flows-owning complex reconciliations, controls and automation opportunities, and partnering with Finance, Fintech and suppliers to reduce leakage, speed up settlement and strengthen SOX compliance at scale. They mentor Specialists, define standards, and drive cross-functional initiatives that improve accuracy, timeliness and cost.

Key Job Responsibilities and Duties:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for finance operational initiatives, designing governance, running cadences, and resolving escalations with Flights, Finance, and suppliers.
• Own and drive structural change for accurate partner payment flows, including daily reporting and payment reconciliations, and define performance metrics (SLOs).
• Lead Reconciliation & Invoicing accuracy for revenue recognition and commission, including defining data contracts, overseeing variance analysis, and approving controls.
• Own the refund experience from an operational perspective, establishing end-to-end visibility and controls, upholding SLAs, improving throughput, and reducing pain points.
• Lead SOX and Auditing activities, owning control design/operation, preparing for testing, closing findings, and driving sustainable control automation.
• Triage and prioritize Financial Bugs & Issues based on materiality, quantifying impact, driving root cause analysis, and ensuring release validation.
• Define and enforce supplier setup standards, managing bank account and entity changes, and delivering high quality documentation for all financial processes.

• 3-5+ years of finance operations experience in high-volume, multi-supplier environments, with deep expertise in reconciliations, fund flows, settlements, revenue recognition, and close support.
• Strong SOX and audit readiness background; capable of designing, operating, and managing controls.
• Advanced data skills: Proficient in Google Sheets/Excel, comfortable with large datasets, and practical experience with SQL and BI tooling.
• Proven track record of cross-functional leadership (Finance, Fintech, Product, Suppliers) and successful process improvement/automation delivering measurable impact.
• Exceptional communicator (written and verbal) and self-starter, able to quickly learn, prioritize based on business needs, and summarize complex financial information simply.
• Outcome-oriented and pragmatic, with a focus on prioritizing by materiality and risk, designing for scale (automation, clear standards, KPIs), and creating durable, auditable processes.
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a team in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment with stakeholders across different global locations.

• Annual paid time off and generous paid leave scheme including: parent, grandparent, bereavement, and care leave
• Hybrid working including flexible working arrangements, and up to 20 days per year working from abroad (home country)
• Industry leading product discounts - up to 1400 per year - for yourself, including automatic Genius Level 3 status and Booking.com wallet credit

• Let's go places together: How we Hire
• Detailed instructions on post-application requirements including any required application materials, deadlines, portfolios, coding challenges, or other assessments as defined by BU or department.
• This role does not come with relocation assistance.