Senior Legal and Regulatory Counsel

Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) is the world's leading provider of online travel and related services, provided to consumers and local partners in more than 220 countries and territories through five primary consumer-facing brands: Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, and OpenTable. The mission of Booking Holdings is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. For more information, visit BookingHoldings.com and follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @BookingHoldings.

Booking Holdings Financial Services (hereinafter “BHFS”) provides financial services in the form of payment services and e-money products across all the brands. BHFS is committed to conducting its business in compliance with applicable laws, regulations and guidelines, with integrity and to the highest ethical standards.

Job Summary

The Senior Legal and Regulatory Counsel will report to the Legal Director of Booking Holdings Financial Services UK Limited (“BHFS”) and will be responsible for advising on legal matters related to payments and financial services regulation impacting BHFS and other brands within the Booking Holdings Group (“BKNG”).

The role will work cross-functionally on a daily basis, including directly with product, risk, compliance, and finance teams of BHFS and other key stakeholders within the brands of BKNG. You will also work closely with legal advisers at other BKNG businesses and will be required to coordinate legal support across different specialisms and areas (including compliance, data privacy, and tax).

Key Responsibilities

1. You will identify and advise on the possible implications of key payments and financial services regulatory issues impacting the BHFS business in the UK and internationally and be a thought leader on these issues.
2. You will coordinate with appropriate outside counsel on a range of legal and regulatory issues in the UK and internationally.
3. You will provide practical and actionable legal advice on a variety of regulated products and services and you will need to exercise legal judgment and commercial acumen in assessing legal risks across multiple jurisdictions.
4. You will support the drafting, review, and negotiation of key contracts with third parties and other BKNG group entities, ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, and card scheme requirements working alongside internal stakeholders and representing BHFS in discussions with counterparties.
5. You will provide support for corporate governance matters, including review of board and committee materials and advising on compliance with corporate authorities and Delegations of Authority.

Knowledge and Skills

1. Excellent academic credentials with a mix of in-house and big law firm experience preferred.
2. Experience and understanding of legal principles applicable to payments, including the payments ecosystem (e.g., the role of acquiring and issuing banks, card networks, payment processors, gateways, risk vendors, etc.), regulatory implications (e.g., stored value, money transmission and other payments, cross-border and international regulatory issues) and consumer protection requirements (including Consumer Duty and other consumer related regulation).
3. Experience in advising on all aspects of new product development and product delivery channels.
4. Knowledge of the laws and regulations that regulate payments and other types of financial transactions and services and have experience advising regulated payments entities.
5. Experience of working creatively, formulating innovative solutions to complex legal, commercial and regulatory matters.
6. Familiarity with the anti-financial crime legislation in the UK or internationally is a plus.
7. Knowledge of and demonstrable experience of compliance with regulations, ideally, Payments and Financial Services.
8. Demonstrable business judgment, excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, and ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders to drive projects to completion.
9. Ability to provide legal and regulatory guidance on the design and modification of payment and financial services products across a range of jurisdictions (with a focus on the UK), proactively identify associated risks and recommend mitigation strategies, review user experiences to ensure legal compliance and proper disclosures. Provide sound legal advice to multiple stakeholders (including lawyers and non-lawyers), and help improve processes for review.
10. Ability to tolerate change and apply judgment where there is ambiguity in the law.
11. Creative thinker with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, handle multiple assignments simultaneously, and effectively manage conflicting priorities.
12. Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as organizational and project management skills.
13. Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment as well as on own initiative.
14. Positive attitude, high level of integrity, and intellectual curiosity.
15. Expertise in data presentation in regulatory contexts and for senior stakeholders.
16. Eager to learn new technologies and explore tech-enabled efficiencies and learning from others.

Booking Holdings Financial Services International Ltd. is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are committed to treating all employees equally, regardless of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race or membership of the traveler community. We believe embracing equality and diversity in the workplace benefits not just our organisation but also individual employees, departments and our customers.

This policy extends to every phase of the employment process including, but not limited to, recruitment, selection, placement, transfer, training and development, position elimination, restructure, promotion, compensation, benefits, layoffs, termination, and all other conditions or privileges of employment. Booking Holdings Financial Services International Ltd is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.