About the Accommodations Business Unit
Booking.com's Accommodations Business Unit (ABU) is responsible for the end-to-end performance of our accommodations vertical, driving growth by developing, building, and operating products and services for travelers and accommodation partners worldwide. ABU brings together Product, Tech & Data, Local Partner Services, and Commercial Growth & Operations (CoGO) to deliver a seamless experience across the full customer and partner journey, from search and booking to stay and post-trip.
Within ABU, CoGO (Commercial Growth & Operations) is the central "commercial engine & cockpit" for the business, operating under the vision of "Run the business; Deliver the growth." CoGO defines and steers ABU's commercial strategy across all partner and traveler segments, acting as the bridge between relevant stakeholder teams to ensure coherent, data-driven growth plans and consistent execution across drivers & regions. Organized into specialized teams, CoGO combines strategic steering with operational execution to drive sustainable, segment-specific growth at global scale.
About the Role
Reporting into the VP Commercial Growth & Operations, the Director Commercial Regulatory Compliance is responsible for ensuring our global partner base of 2 Million+ Partners remains compliant within a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.
This role oversees the Partner Process and Regulatory Go-To-Market (GTM) domains, leading a team of 20+ FTEs dedicated to operationalizing complex legal mandates into a seamless experience for our Partner base; while being the single-threaded owner in charge of defining & driving execution for some of the most pivotal regulatory compliance programs for our Accommodations business.
The core mission is to shift compliance from a reactive, manual "triage" state to a commercial-led, proactive & seamless experience and value proposition.
You will ensure the partner base is compliant "in time" for key regulations (e.g. DSA, DAC7, Short-Term Rental Licensing, and Tax), while simultaneously leading as single-threaded owner the Partner Onboarding pillar for the BHFS program across the company (as well as being the primary person on point for this broader company priority).
By leveraging deep cross-functional collaboration, you will position compliance as a "force for good"- building partner trust and ensuring Booking.com remains a sustainable and preferred marketplace for our travelers & Partners.
Key responsibilities
1. Regulatory GTM & Strategic Execution
- On-Time Compliance: Define and execute the global strategies & plans to ensure 99% of the partner base meets critical deadlines for DSA, DAC7, STR, and TAX regulations.
- GTM Frameworks: Design and execute the "Go-To-Market" strategy for new regulations, translating legal complexity into simple, actionable steps for both internal teams and partners.
- Operational Readiness: Ensure that our GTM channels are equipped with the right messaging and tools to support partners through regulatory transitions.
- Lead Partner Onboarding for BHFS: Own the global Partner Onboarding program for BHFS, ensuring that 100% of our Partners where we process the payment in EEA are onboarded onto BHFS before end of 2027.
2. Partner Process Optimization & Lifecycle Management
- Lifecycle Design: Lead the team responsible for the end-to-end Partner Process design, focusing on the "Partner Experience of the Future."
- Ensure clear governance & lead improvements of key processes for our Partner base such as KYP onboarding, suspensions, off-boarding & Partners that change owners.
- Own the Partner statuses landscape, ensuring Partners are in the right status for both internal control purposes as well as Partner experience.
- Compliance funnel: Develop & continuously execute on an approach that ensures Partners can move through the compliance funnel once stuck.
3. Proactive Compliance & Strategic Advocacy
- Proactive Shift: Lead the transition from manual, reactive enforcement to a data-driven, proactive approach that identifies and solves compliance risks before they impact the partner. Define, drive awareness & buy-in, and seamlessly execute the long-term vision & strategy for STR regulatory compliance and other similarly complex & impactful regulatory topics.
- Force for Good: Champion the narrative that compliance protects the marketplace and provides a competitive advantage.
- Cross-Functional Bridge: Act as the primary link between Legal, PR, Public Affairs, and Local Leadership to align on regulatory impacts and advocate for the partner experience at the highest levels.
4. Pro-active steering & Performance Management
- Performance cadence: Ensure a performance cadence is in place with the right stakeholders that delivers an understanding of Partner Compliance, NSC at risk as well as reputational risk associated, for LT to make decisions.
- Performance Metrics: Define and monitor KPIs for regulatory adoption, partner sentiment during compliance journeys, and process efficiency.
- Continuous Improvement: Establish feedback loops from local markets to ensure central processes are adaptable to regional regulatory nuances.
5. Team Leadership & Operational Excellence
- Organizational Management: Lead and develop a cross-functional team of 20+ FTEs, fostering expertise in process design, project management, and regulatory strategy.
- Direct Management team: You lead a direct team of 6 with 1 Senior Manager Regulatory GTM, 4 Process Owners & 1 mgr design & execution.
- Part of the Commercial Growth & Operations LT; You are a core member of the Commercial Growth & Operations Leadership Team and lead various initiatives that result in better ways of operating, and drive engagement across the entire department of 350+ individuals. As a member of that LT, you also support the seamless delivery of that organisation's overall objectives; and contribute to the longer-term commercial growth strategy definition and execution.
Key Skills
Requirements of special knowledge/skills
- Experience: 12+ years in Regulatory Operations, GTM Strategy, or Commercial Compliance in a global, fast-paced technology or FinTech environment.
- Leadership: Proven experience leading teams of 20+ people and influencing senior leadership across a complex matrix organization.
Subject Matter Expertise: Deep understanding of digital marketplace regulations (DSA, DAC7, STR) and financial onboarding (KYC/KYP) within BHFS or similar frameworks. - Strategic Mindset: Proven ability to move an organization from reactive "fire-fighting" to long-term, proactive strategy.
- Operational Excellence: Expert-level knowledge of process mapping, automation, and "product-led" operational design.
- Communication: Exceptional skill in navigating high-stakes conversations with Legal, PR, and PA while maintaining a commercial and partner-centric lens.
Leadership & Impact
- Stakeholder Management: Act as a key advisor to executive leadership on the health and efficiency of our partner-facing operations, including the enablement of regional leadership & key stakeholders such as CS & Finance leadership.
- Transformation Lead: Serve as the primary architect for the 3+ year LPS transformation roadmap.
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.
