Principal Technical Program Manager

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.

Role Description:

This role is based in Amsterdam. You would join the Program Delivery team as part of the Marketplace business unit. This team is responsible for managing complex technical program deliveries towards building the connected travel experiences for our customers. Booking.com's Marketplace Department turns travel goals into travel realities. Our purpose? To create frictionless experiences at each and every stage of the trip. From browsing to booking and beyond, our focus is on building the connected experiences which make journeys smoother, faster and more enjoyable.

Responsibilities:

• Spearhead delivery of enterprise-wide technical solutions to business problems as cross-BU initiatives, achieving company-level objectives

• Champion and implement lean portfolio management and governance across large programs.

• Reduce the time from product strategy to development-ready backlogs by integrating discovery and horizon-based planning lanes.

• Align business leaders and departments on priorities, delivery principles and best practice. Build consensus on common program cadence across departments with diverse delivery practices.

• Visualise and track delivery of program outcomes using effective tools (Jira, Jira Align, OBoard) to ensure on-time delivery of customer value.

• Organise and run governance setups for large complex programs with many stakeholders and decision makers. Evaluate effectiveness and drive improvements.

• Identify opportunities to remove complexity in end-to-end product solutions across departments as part of program delivery.

• Establish delivery approaches that break organisational barriers, improve decision-making and increase velocity.

• Serve as an effective bridge between different disciplines (engineering, security, privacy, product) and appropriate summarisation across different organisational levels (EM / Director / VP).

• Introduce industry-leading agile delivery practices, create reusable delivery patterns and coach/mentor other TPMs. Collaborate with the wider TPM community to foster continuous improvement and shared learning.

Qualifications & Skills:

• 12+ years in software delivery including 6+ years in a Technical program management role

• Proven record of leading strategy‑to‑execution: has co‑created strategy and target state with senior leadership, translated into multi‑year roadmaps, OKRs, milestones, and success metrics, and delivered measurable change.

• Solid understanding of enterprise-wide architecture/solution and able to translate the design into cross-department delivery structure.

• Deep understanding and proven experience in delivering complex software solutions. You have managed large scale and diverse software change that ensures reliability and easier to scale the change

• Managed enterprise platform and product delivery as company-wide initiatives reporting to VPs and CXOs

• Good understanding of API’s / modern software development practices (DevOps) / data technologies

• Expertise in technical program management methodologies such as Scaled Agile, SaFe, LeSS, PMP

• Exceptional ability to manage and partner with diverse stakeholders, including cross-functional, multi-disciplinary, and senior leadership teams across different time zones.

• Influence without authority, leading teams by example, strong negotiation skills and stakeholder management

• Innovative problem-solver, adept at driving consensus and steering discussions toward programmatic solutions.

• Possesses a data-driven decision making mindset

• Strategic thinker with a strong focus on hands-on execution and delivering results.

• Advanced user of Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence, OBoard), Miro, Google Workspace for portfolio management

Inclusion at Booking.com:

Inclusion has been a core part of our company culture since day one. This ongoing journey starts with our very own employees, who represent over 140 nationalities and a wide range of ethnic and social backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations.

Take it from our Chief People Officer, Paulo Pisano: “At Booking.com, the diversity of our people doesn’t just build an outstanding workplace, it also creates a better and more inclusive travel experience for everyone. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. It’s a place where you can make your mark and have a real impact in travel and tech.”

We ensure that colleagues with disabilities are provided the adjustments and tools they need to participate in the job application and interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

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.