Senior Legal Counsel – Fintech Payments

Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com has grown from a small Dutch start-up to the third largest e-commerce company in the world. Booking.com is the largest business within Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) and accounts for the vast majority of Booking Holdings’ total revenue. Booking Holdings is a leading Fortune 500 e-commerce conglomerate with a market cap of approximately $80 billion.

With a mission 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 travellers with the world’s largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts and even tree houses.  

With a cross-functional team based in Amsterdam and across the world, and plans to expand our FinTech capabilities throughout 2023, we are looking for a technically savvy, adaptable and versatile lawyer to help us develop new FinTech product innovations and support the Fintech Business Unit’s strategic ambitions.

Booking.com is currently looking for an extraordinary Sr Legal Counsel – Fintech Payments  professional to join the Fintech Legal Team and take on the responsibility for assessing new future of Fintech product proposals, identifying FinTech regulatory and other legal implications and working with the wider team to chart our path in this growing area for the business. 

The successful candidate will directly support the FinTech part of the business at Booking.com in establishing and growing a world-class travel marketplace.

Fintech is a key component of Booking.com’s long-term and short-term high-impact strategy, to create a global travel experience marketplace, enable more dynamic choices for travellers furthering the company priorities. 

You will be responsible for:

• Providing strategic legal guidance to the Fintech business and issue spot on a full range of legal issues with a focus on the payment partnership relationships and partner payment products, payment regulations and governance to ensure the Fintech Business Unit’s activities, policies, business practices, products and transactions comply with all relevant laws and regulations
• Developing a close working relationship with BHFS, our regulated EMI group company
• Procuring and interpreting legal advice to the Fintech business including on payment regulatory strategy and partnership models), from external counsel and internal subject matter experts 
• Coordinating legal support across different specialisms and areas (including Consumer, Data Protection, Public Affairs) as a single point of contact of LPA for the Fintech 
• Supporting the negotiation and drafting of critical third party payment service provider contracts, ensuring compliance with laws, regulations and card scheme requirement and optimising for commercial outcomes whilst protecting the company from foreseeable risks and consequences
• Contributing to a regulatory strategy that supports the Fintech ambitions and also facilitates and enables broader goals, across a spectrum of travel-related services, triggering regulatory implications including Payment Services Directive in the EU, FX, scheme rules and other equivalent global payment and financial services regulations
• Working with other internal stakeholder groups, including Finance and other brands within the Booking Holdings Group, to define and manage a regulatory strategy in support of Fintech activity and product aspirations
• Fostering collaboration and encouraging best practices in ways of working and knowledge sharing
• Training the business unit team on a variety of legal matters and working to improve risk management and controls
• Analysing precedents/case law and proposed existing laws and regulations that may impact the Fintech product and its growth and facilitate the implementation of any regulatory requirements
• Working closely with the Public Affairs team on any policy issues related to Fintech 

The ideal candidate will have: 

• 5+ years’ hands-on experience in a similar position with a Master’s Degree and a legal practise qualification. Candidates with in-house experience are desirable but all candidates with relevant experience are encouraged to apply
• A solid understanding of the key legal and regulatory frameworks including international money transfer, foreign exchange, outsourcing, open banking, e-money, payment services, e-commerce and online platforms for the EU (e.g. PSD2, AMLD, CBPR2, MTRs, DORA, SCA), US or another key jurisdiction
• Knowledge of card issuance and use of virtual credit cards particularly in the travel industry
• Knowledge on contracting relationships with third party payment service providers, alternative payment methods, open banking with a focus on the regulatory perspective and market practices
• Experience identifying and liaising with local counsel around the globe, identifying suitable partners, commissioning work, challenging deliverables etc.
• A strong commercial instinct and applies that knowledge in practical and actionable ways
• Excellent teammate, who is proactive and provides ‘hands-on’ legal advice and support, embedded in the business and working closely with the business and the LPA teams as part of a matrixed, cross-functional team
• Experience in a role with global or regional scope – the lawyer in this role should equally have a global worldview – and be capable of sourcing, critiquing and managing input form a range of internal and external stakeholders to form a view even outside of their direct experience
• Fluency in English; strong written and verbal communication – additional language skills are a plus 

Further traits we are looking for:

• Aligning with Booking.com’s Values (Think Customer First, Succeed Together, Own It, Learn Forever, Do the Right Thing)
• Being curious, flexible, and a creative & pragmatic problem solver
• Confident yet collaborative 
• Ability to  influence stakeholders across all levels within the organisation
• Being proactive, resilient and having the drive to get things done 
• Having sound judgment and the ability to see the big picture and simultaneously appreciate the details necessary to operationalise the strategy
• Having the courage to take positions and make tough judgment calls
• Being a team player, self aware and a good listener – a diverse group will always find the best solution!
• Ability to move with agility, prioritise workloads and meet deadlines
• Forward thinking with an interest in emerging issues in legal and policy

Booking.com ensures equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, colour, family or medical care leave, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex, pregnancy and childbirth, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations. We aspire to have a workplace that reflects all of the diverse communities we serve and we welcome and encourage candidates from all backgro

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