Senior Managing Counsel, Commercial, BKNG Fintech Legal

Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) is the world leader in online travel and services supporting the entire travel journey. Senior Managing Counsel – Fintech Legal Team is a key legal leader position to drive commercial partnerships across Booking Holdings brands in the US.

Hybrid Work Model

Eligible for a hybrid work model: two days in-office.

Responsibilities

• Lead the negotiation, drafting and execution of complex high‑value partnerships with financial institutions, payment networks, fintech providers and strategic technology partners.
• Serve as a single point of contact for the US Fintech Commercial Partnership teams, advising on priority initiatives, escalations, and providing commercially grounded recommendations on deal structures and risk trade‑offs.
• Design pragmatic legal strategies and risk mitigations for new commercial models, including payments infrastructure, embedded finance and alternative payment models, coordinating input from internal and external experts.
• Support the establishment and standardization of global contracting frameworks, risk allocation models, and compliance with internal policies and controls across jurisdictions and brands.
• Drive strong ways of working, set high drafting and negotiation standards, strengthen collaboration, and enable cross‑brand efficiency through AI‑ and automation‑led process improvements.
• Manage external counsel and scope support in line with business priorities and budget.

Required Experience

• Qualified lawyer with 8+ years’ PQE (or equivalent) and a mix of in‑house and big‑firm experience.
• Law degree from a top law school and excellent academic credentials.
• License to practice in New York.
• Exceptional drafting and negotiation skills with a track record of leading high‑stakes, complex commercial negotiations.
• Extensive experience advising on fintech, payments, financial services and complex global commercial transactions.
• Good understanding of regulations covering payments, fintech, money transmission, EMI/PI frameworks, lending/BNPL, AML/CTF, fraud, sanctions, crypto/virtual assets, and data‑driven financial services.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives and drive decisions in a matrixed, global organization.
• Experience managing input from a range of internal and external stakeholders, and building a coherent view beyond one’s direct experience.

Preferred Experience

• In‑house experience at a global technology, fintech or payments organization.
• Hands‑on legal advisory support role embedded in the business, working closely with product and commercial teams.

Competencies

• Influence stakeholders across all organizational levels.
• Proactive, resilient and driven to get things done.
• Sound judgment; ability to see the big picture while appreciating operational details.
• Courage to make tough decisions.
• Agility, prioritization and deadline‑management.
• Forward thinking on emerging legal and policy issues.
• Elite drafting precision and negotiation excellence.
• Lead through complexity and ambiguity with a global mindset.

Benefits

Competitive base salary with eligibility for annual bonus and equity grants. Base salary range for Connecticut and NYC‑metro area: $224,600 – $274,600.

Comprehensive benefits program including health, wellness, retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, fitness reimbursement, discounts and other employee perks.

EEO Statement

Booking Holdings is an equal opportunity employer in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws. We provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants without discrimination or harassment based on race, religious creed, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, marital status, medical condition, disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Booking Holdings extends this policy to every phase of the employment process. Booking Holdings and its affiliated companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers, including individuals and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need reasonable accommodation when searching for a job opening or applying for a position, please email View email address on click.appcast.io with your request. M/F/V/D/S.