Principal Technical Program Manager
Key Skills
Job Description
About Us: 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 encounter. The journeys you take. The sights you see. And the memories you make. Through our products, partners and people, we make it easier for everyone to experience the world.
Role Description:
This role is based in Amsterdam. You would join the Program Delivery team as part of the Marketplace business unit. This team is responsible for managing complex technical program deliveries towards building the connected travel experiences for our customers. Booking.com's Marketplace Department turns travel goals into travel realities. Our purpose? To create frictionless experiences at each and every stage of the trip. From browsing to booking and beyond, our focus is on building the connected experiences which make journeys smoother, faster and more enjoyable.
Responsibilities:
Spearhead delivery of enterprise-wide technical solutions to business problems as cross-BU initiatives, achieving company-level objectives
Champion and implement lean portfolio management and governance across large programs.
Reduce the time from product strategy to development-ready backlogs by integrating discovery and horizon-based planning lanes.
Align business leaders and departments on priorities, delivery principles and best practice. Build consensus on common program cadence across departments with diverse delivery practices.
Visualise and track delivery of program outcomes using effective tools (Jira, Jira Align, OBoard) to ensure on-time delivery of customer value.
Organise and run governance setups for large complex programs with many stakeholders and decision makers. Evaluate effectiveness and drive improvements.
Identify opportunities to remove complexity in end-to-end product solutions across departments as part of program delivery.
Establish delivery approaches that break organisational barriers, improve decision-making and increase velocity.
Serve as an effective bridge between different disciplines (engineering, security, privacy, product) and appropriate summarisation across different organisational levels (EM / Director / VP).
Introduce industry-leading agile delivery practices, create reusable delivery patterns and coach/mentor other TPMs. Collaborate with the wider TPM community to foster continuous improvement and shared learning.
Qualifications & Skills:
12+ years in software delivery including 6+ years in a Technical program management role
Proven record of leading strategy‑to‑execution: has co‑created strategy and target state with senior leadership, translated into multi‑year roadmaps, OKRs, milestones, and success metrics, and delivered measurable change.
Solid understanding of enterprise-wide architecture/solution and able to translate the design into cross-department delivery structure.
Deep understanding and proven experience in delivering complex software solutions. You have managed large scale and diverse software change that ensures reliability and easier to scale the change
Managed enterprise platform and product delivery as company-wide initiatives reporting to VPs and CXOs
Good understanding of API’s / modern software development practices (DevOps) / data technologies
Expertise in technical program management methodologies such as Scaled Agile, SaFe, LeSS, PMP
Exceptional ability to manage and partner with diverse stakeholders, including cross-functional, multi-disciplinary, and senior leadership teams across different time zones.
Influence without authority, leading teams by example, strong negotiation skills and stakeholder management
Innovative problem-solver, adept at driving consensus and steering discussions toward programmatic solutions.
Possesses a data-driven decision making mindset
Strategic thinker with a strong focus on hands-on execution and delivering results.
Advanced user of Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence, OBoard), Miro, Google Workspace for portfolio management
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.
Pre-Employment Screening
If your application is successful, your personal data may be used for a pre-employment screening check by a third party as permitted by applicable law. Depending on the vacancy and applicable law, a pre-employment screening may include employment history, education and other information (such as media information) that may be necessary for determining your qualifications and suitability for the position.
Core Responsibilities
The Principal Technical Program Manager will spearhead the delivery of enterprise-wide technical solutions and champion lean portfolio management across large programs. They will act as a bridge between engineering, security, privacy, and product teams to ensure on-time delivery of customer value.
Requirements
Candidates must have 12+ years of experience in software delivery, including at least 6 years in a technical program management role. A proven track record of leading strategy-to-execution and managing large-scale software change at the enterprise level is required.
About Booking.com
Industry: Software Development
Company size: 10,001+ employees
A career at Booking.com is all about the journey, helping you explore new challenges in a place where you can be your best self. With plenty of exciting twists, turns and opportunities along the way. We’ve always been pioneers, on a mission to shape the future of travel through cutting edge technology, to make it easier for everyone to enjoy amazing experiences wherever they go. Under a desert sky, or in the heart of a bustling city. Discovering the perfect hideaway, or the perfect paella. When you join us, you’ll be part of a community where taking a different path and trying something new is celebrated and supported. And where making a difference counts. We’re determined to make the world of travel more sustainable, more accessible, and more inclusive, to create a positive impact on a global scale. That’s why we’re always looking for people who search for better solutions, the ones eager to stray off the beaten path to find new ways of doing things. Because at Booking.com it’s more than a job, it’s a journey we’re on together.