Commercial Strategy Sr Associate (For independent contractors)

At Booking.com, data drives our decisions. Technology is at our core. And innovation is everywhere. But our company is more than datasets, and lines of code. 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.

The FinTech business unit at Booking.com aims at removing financial friction from the travel experience for both travelers and our accommodation partners. The Commercial Strategy team within FinTech is supporting that ambition by driving innovation and transformations required to enable Fintech to offer such products.

This includes the following responsibilities:

• Identifying, shaping and bringing to life long term vision for Fintech

  
  

• Enabling strategic decision making across FinTech

  
  

• Driving the development of new capabilities where needed

As a Commercial Strategy Sr Associate, you will be driving those responsibilities across one or multiple workstreams in a project. The specific target, scope and complexity of the workstreams change over time, but the ultimate objective to unlock innovation in Fintech remains constant.

This role requires close coordination with cross-functional stakeholders—both internal and external—as you move initiatives from ideation through investment case approval, development, and launch.

You will need to be able to navigate ambiguity - defining the "What" and "How" of workstreams with guidance, lead with data and structure, and influence teams without formal authority. With FinTech at the intersection of financial services and technology, some experience in both domains is highly valued, though not essential for this role.

If you're passionate about combining strategic thinking with hands-on execution, and motivated by making a tangible impact in a fast-moving environment, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Job Responsibilities and Duties:

• Contribute to developing high-impact strategic solutions through a combination of strategic thinking, analytical depth, and stakeholder collaboration

  
  

• Gain understanding of the complexity & ambiguity of a topic, and apply structure to identify key questions to address

  
  

• Independently conducts analysis by gathering and interpreting data, distilling clear ‘so what’ insights, and recommending next steps

  
  

• Own an entire workstream, or multiple workstreams (with guidance) of a strategic initiative along both short and long-term roadmaps and clearly defined deliverables

  
  

• Craft compelling narratives (with guidance) and adapt communication style for diverse audiences, ensuring clarity and impact

  
  

• Present (with guidance) strategically sound information - written and oral, customized to the seniority of the stakeholders

  
  

• Build strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders related to projects, to gain buy-in and drive alignment

  
  

• Enables constructive collaboration across cross-functional teams (product, technology, operations, legal, etc.) to ensure smooth execution

  
  

• Drive specific topics of capability building within the team upon request

  
  

• Manage others without formal influence by clarifying expectations and escalating bottlenecks when necessary

Qualifications & Skills

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience

  
  

• Experience in top tier strategy consulting or a strategic role in Tech companies

  
  

• Excellent analytical and conceptual thinking skills

  
  

• Business case creation and refinement

  
  

• Strong project and stakeholder management skills

  
  

• Ability to explain difficult concepts in simplified terms

  
  

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills

  
  

• Ability to influence stakeholders and work closely with them to determine acceptable solutions

  
  

• Excellent planning, organizational, and time management skills

  
  

• Ability to work with ambiguity in fast changing environment