About The Company

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 make. The journeys you take. The sights you see. And the food you sample. Through our products, partners and people, we can empower everyone to experience the world.

Across our offices worldwide, we continue to innovate. To solve for some of the most complex challenges in travel and technology, and to plan for the exciting developments that lie ahead. With strategic long-term investments into what we believe the future of travel can be, we are opening up new career opportunities that will have a strong impact on our mission.

About The Role

In the Customer Data, insights and AI organisation, our mission is to create a competitive advantage by building a clear understanding of customers’ total travel behaviour. Using state of art experimentation on this 2-sided marketplace allows us to build products that benefit both travelers and our partners (supply). We work with cross-functional product development teams, not only working on optimising existing mature products, but also new problems - spanning from incremental measurements, Machine Learning applications, data modernisation and elevating craft across all teams. One of the foundational tasks to deliver this is to enable our Accommodations Business Unit (ABU) to build reliable, well-governed and modern data pipelines transporting traveller and partner data. You'll balance the needs of operating our on-premise infrastructure while simultaneously transitioning towards modernised, cloud-based infrastructure while always looking for opportunities to improve the experience of our customers.

Within the Pricing & Loyalty organization, we’re looking for a Principal Data Scientist who can truly make an impact at a strategic level.

Within the Data Science & Analytics team (DSnA) we want to create teams of people who have different profiles and different expertise, we don’t expect people to be an expert in everything and we recognise our strength comes from this diversity. We will always be looking at how we can grow and improve our collective capability, which is why we are looking to add you to our team to steer us on our journey.

You’ll be an individual contributor who will be a role model for the DSnA craft within the Accommodations Business Unit; working with senior leadership to set a strategy that enables us to unlock value for our customers by elevating the capability of all individuals within the team.

We see this happening in three main areas:

1. Drive Business Impact: Currently our DSnA work largely within each vertical and we’re at the start of our journey to understand which combinations of products work best for our customers. You’ll provide a global view of the potential opportunities and how we can develop our customer offerings.

You’ll deliver new insights into our customer behaviour both within Customer Data and the Accommodations Business Unit and also in conjunction with our teams in the broader organisation.

1. Provide Technical Mentorship: You’ll support our Senior Data Scientists, Data Scientists, and Analysts with the most difficult questions they are being asked by the business. You’ll be a sounding board for understanding if we’ve adopted the most appropriate approach to a problem.

You’ll have the emotional intelligence to adapt your style depending on who you’re working with and offering guidance to.

1. Elevate the DSnA Craft: You’ll define and execute a strategy that builds long term capability at all levels of the Data Science and Analytics within Pricing & Loyalty.

You’ll identify how we can grow as a craft, understanding how we can address the development needs of individuals at all levels of our organisation from Managers to senior Data Scientists and Analysts.

You’ll also define a consistent approach to metric measurement as well as identifying ways to improve our technical environment and tooling. You’ll understand what we can achieve in the short term as well as defining the long term journey.

Key Job Responsibilities and Duties

• We're looking for a principal data scientist, to drive strategy and vision, with a focus on hands-on ownership and experience. You'll take charge of applying Data Science to a product area from ideation to full production, influencing key business decisions along the way.
• Your role involves translating business problems into data-driven solutions through statistical analysis and modelling. You'll have a significant impact on Data Science decisions, whether across all core products or select high-priority areas.
• Effective communication is crucial; you'll present complex analyses to Directors and mentor junior team members. Innovation is encouraged, as you pioneer new Data Science methods and promote their adoption through education and best practices.
• Collaboration is key, as you'll work with counterparts in Data Engineering to identify risks and opportunities. We expect you to deep-dive into understanding the goals of your area and transcend organisational boundaries by leveraging your insights and expertise.

Role Qualifications and Requirements:

• 8 years of relevant working experience (or 5 years when paired with a relevant PhD background) in the field of Data Science & Analytics.
• Experience working in a large, complex organisation where you've navigated historical ways of working that were sometimes in conflict with the goals you are trying to achieve.
• Ability to coach and mentor team members on the best tools and techniques to tackle their challenges.
• Ability to build a strong team within your area, designing and iterating team processes while maintaining a healthy, collaborative, and open culture.
• Expert in (senior) stakeholder management.
• Strong technical skills regarding data analysis, statistics, experimentation, machine learning, data management, and programming.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Expert in translating business problems into data problems.
• Strong data visualisation skills and storytelling with data.
• Strong knowledge of the possibilities and limitations of different types of data analysis and/or data science modelling.

Technical Requirements:

• Proven expertise working with large data sets in multiple Data Science areas such as: Statistical Methods (e.g. Testing, GLM, Inference), Statistical/Machine Learning (e.g. Dimension Reduction, Clustering, Neural networks, Regularisation, Bagged/Boosted methods), Time Series, Natural Language Processing, etc.
• Expert knowledge of Python, Hadoop, SQL, R and Spark (or similar big data technologies).
• Experience in Cloud based environments, specifically AWS.

Benefits & Perks: Global Impact, Personal Relevance

• Annual paid time off and generous paid leave scheme including: parental (22-weeks paid leave), grandparent, bereavement, and care leave.
• Hybrid working including flexible working arrangements, working from home furniture and ergonomic support, and up to 20 days per year working from abroad (home country).
• A beautiful sustainable HQ Campus in Amsterdam, that offers on-site meals, coffee, and snacks, multi-faith and breastfeeding rooms at the office.
• Commuting allowance and bike reimbursement scheme.
• Discounts & Wallet credits to spend on our products, upgrade to Booking.com Genius Level 3, and friends & family Booking.com discount vouchers.
• Free access to online learning platforms, development and mentorship programs.
• Global Employee Assistance Program, free Headspace membership.

#ThinkInclusion: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Booking.com

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) have 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 create a unique workplace, it also creates a better and more inclusive travel experience for everyone.”

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable adjustments to participate in the interview process. Please contact us to request adjustments.

Booking.com is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We strive to move well beyond traditional equal opportunity and work to create an environment that allows everyone to thrive.