About the company
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.
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, rental cars, flights, rides and attractions. 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.
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Role description
Booking.com, the world's leading accommodation website, is looking for a Public Affairs Manager CEE, based in Warsaw, to help drive its global Public Affairs function.
The successful candidate will have a key role in shaping, managing and implementing our public policy strategy across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). He/she will represent Booking.com's interests to policymakers and other relevant policy and regulatory stakeholders at the national, regional, and local levels. In addition, he/she will help monitor and analyze complex legal, regulatory and policy developments affecting the business.
This role reports to the Head of Public Affairs DACH and CEE, based in Berlin, and involves close collaboration with the Director Public Affairs EMEA, based in Amsterdam. The Public Affairs Manager will also work with colleagues from our global Public Affairs team based at our global headquarters in Amsterdam, as well as cross-functionally with internal departments, local offices, and external partners such as consultancies and trade associations.
This is a great opportunity for a motivated and strategic professional who wants to make a meaningful impact as part of a global team.
Key responsibilities
- Shape, manage and execute a public policy strategy that supports business priorities and strengthens Booking.com's corporate profile in the CEE region.
- Represent the company's interests in CEE by engaging with relevant political, regulatory, and public policy stakeholders at the national, regional, and local levels.
- Monitor and analyze relevant political and regulatory developments, decisions, and stakeholder activities related to public affairs and reputation issues
- Organise events and campaigns to enhance Booking.com's corporate profile
- Prepare materials such as presentations, briefings, position papers and responses to public consultations
- Proactively coordinate and communicate internally to align messaging and provide colleagues with a thorough understanding of developments
- Facilitate and support high-level meetings with key stakeholders to promote and advocate the company's public policy priorities
- Work closely with external consultants and align efforts with relevant trade associations.
The ideal candidate for the role of Public Affairs Manager CEE will have:
- Bachelor degree in policy, European Studies, international affairs, political science or other relevant field
- A proven track record of 5-8 years of relevant experience in Poland or Czech Republic and at least one other CEE country, ideally combining work in a political or governmental institution with in-house or consultancy experience in public affairs. Experience covering multiple CEE markets is a strong advantage.
- A solid understanding of policy and legal challenges facing the tourism and tech industry in CEE and affinity with the travel and platform industry
- Excellent oral communications skills, with the ability to distill complex information into clear, compelling messages that will resonate with political and regulatory audiences, as well as into succinct updates for the business teams
- Strong writing skills and practical experience in drafting materials for regulators, senior executives or politicians
- Experience with organizing public affairs / policy events in CEE region
- A track record of developing creative and effective public affairs campaigns that underpin the company's business objectives
- Outstanding organizational skills, including the ability to, manage multiple work streams simultaneously and proactively coordinate across stakeholders to drive results
- Experience working in fast-paced, multicultural environments
- Experience with managing sensitive reputational issues and/or crises
- Confidence and ability to engage directly with policy makers and to act as a spokesperson for the business
Personal attributes
- 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 levels
- High level of integrity with ability to develop both internal and external credibility
- Hands-on, results-focused and impactful.
- Fluency in Polish and English, both verbally and in writing, ideally another language of the relevant countries (Czech, Hungarian or Romanian)
Further skills 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
- Being proactive, resilient and having the drive to get things done
- Having sound judgement and the ability to see the big picture while simultaneously appreciating 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 accompanies the company in transformational time for e-commerce and travel (think: growth, innovation, changes to how we operate). The Legal & Public Affairs team is 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!
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.