Finance Process Lead

Role Description

Finance Process Lead

Founded in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the world’s leading digital travel companies. Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. Booking.com connects travelers with the world’s largest selection of incredible places to stay, but also offers its customers the ability to book flights, rental cars, attractions and taxis.

About the role

The SME Lead is responsible for designing, leading, and governing all aspects of the departmental program, taking end-to-end ownership and ensuring alignment with organizational goals, compliance standards, and delivering an exceptional customer experience together with extensive documentation. This role involves continuous improvement of payment processes, analyzing operational metrics, identifying inefficiencies, and leading initiatives to optimize and automate processes to ensure scalability for future growth. The SME Lead works closely with various departments, stakeholders, external parties, Fintech, and leadership, gaining commitment and creating buy-in from senior stakeholders. This position manages a high level of complexity, significantly impacting business outcomes through strategic input on process improvements and operational efficiency across teams.

The SME Lead is responsible for ensuring that the process team is adequately trained and effective when executing processes. They prepare the team and offer development opportunities to ensure the team is skilled and knowledgeable

Due to the rapid and continuous growth of the organization, the tasks and duties of this role may evolve over time. You will be keen to develop and grow within the role and to take on additional challenges and responsibilities as they occur.

Key Job Responsibilities and Duties

• • Develop, document, and maintain end-to-end payment processes focused on customer experience, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and compliance standards.

  • Design scalable processes to support future business growth and evolving industry requirements.

  • Identify pain points and inefficiencies using data analysis and stakeholder feedback, proposing innovative solutions to streamline operations.

  • Analyze operational metrics and KPIs to identify opportunities for process optimisation and automation.

  • Define and document clear business requirements for new processes or system enhancements.

  • Collaborate with technical teams to review and validate solution designs, ensuring they meet business needs and compliance standards.

  • Analyze existing processes and identify gaps or inefficiencies, proposing improvements.

  • Define reporting needs to ensure appropriate tracking and visibility of process performance and compliance.

  • Develop and maintain test cases for User Acceptance Testing (UAT) to ensure solutions meet business requirements and quality standards.

  • Lead and execute UAT to verify the functionality and performance of new systems and processes.

  • Coordinate and perform BRT to ensure the system aligns with business needs and is ready for deployment.

  • Create and maintain comprehensive training documentation to support internal teams and stakeholders.

  • Provide ongoing support and guidance to ensure smooth go-live transitions, troubleshooting issues as they arise.

  • Serve as the go-to expert on payment operations, providing guidance and training to internal teams on new processes and best practices.

  • Collaborate with Product, Finance, and Compliance teams to ensure processes align with technical capabilities and regulatory requirements.

  • Partner with operational teams to understand current processes, metrics, and identify pain points and gaps.

  • Collaborate with the internal communications team to effectively communicate process changes and updates to relevant teams.

  • Deliver tactical initiatives focused on short- to medium-term business objectives.

Role Qualifications and Requirements

• • 5-8 year experience in specialist area

  • Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Finance, or other Business-oriented field recommended

  • (Recommended) Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Finance, or other Business-oriented field recommended

  • Lean Six Sigma certification (or similar)

  • Proven experience in eCommerce, process management or large multi year programs

  • Demonstrated experience designing processes in SAP. Knowledge of SAP FICA a plus.

  • Advanced Knowledge of payment processes, the payment landscape and Service providers, including accounting treatment of them

  • Advanced Understanding of cross-system financial data flows

  • Ownership and drive of continuous process improvements with focus on automation and scale

  • Mapping process flows and identify improvement opportunities in Payments area

  • Ability to make independent decisions and set priorities

  • Strong Networking and ability to influence others

  • Organizational change management skills

  • Excellent teamwork skills

  • Proficient in both spoken and written English

This role is NOT eligible for relocation assistance

Benefits & Perks - Global Impact, Personal Relevance:

Booking.com’s Total Rewards Philosophy is not only about compensation but also about benefits. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, as well unique-to-Booking.com benefits which include:

• Annual paid time off and generous paid leave scheme including: parent, grandparent, bereavement, and care leave

• Hybrid working including flexible working arrangements, and up to 20 days per year working from abroad (home country)

• Industry leading product discounts - up to 1400 per year - for yourself, including automatic Genius Level 3 status and Booking.com wallet credit

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.

Application Process:

• Let’s go places together: How we Hire

• Detailed instructions on post-application requirements including any required application materials, deadlines, portfolios, coding challenges, or other assessments as defined by BU or department.

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, color, 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