Legal Counsel (For independent contractors)

You will act as a primary legal advisor to the Strategic Partnerships team. Strategic Partnerships is one of our Marketing business units, where we partner with third parties to distribute Booking.com inventory more widely, to drive up demand and bookings. These third parties can include a wide range of companies, including: airlines, banks, e-commerce, affiliate networks, corporate travel agencies, meta-search providers. You may also be required to support other areas of the Marketing and Corporate Development team, vis a vis contract support (please see below) as capacity and demand within the team dictates.

You will primarily lead on the negotiation of contracts with these strategic partners - working directly with our contracting team, internal business stakeholders and legal specialists (e.g. in privacy, compliance, competition) to provide on-the-ground support, solve potential legal issues and ultimately get contracts signed. You will also provide more general legal support to those teams where needed: solving legal issues and liaising with other members of the Legal & Public Affairs team where necessary to gain specific advice.

The role demands a contracting specialist, with a broad range of marketing and/or technology experience, who is capable of drawing on technical specialist support on multiple fronts, whilst acting as principal point of contact for his/her clients and shaping business strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Drafting and negotiating clear and commercially appropriate legal agreements with strategic partners, within agreed parameters and guidelines.

• Supporting the Strategic Partnerships team (including primarily the contracting team) with any legal questions/issues they have.

• Liaising directly with our business stakeholders to ensure contracts and projects accurately reflect their strategic aims, whilst also maintaining adequate legal protections.

• Working with external counsel (where relevant) to ensure contractual negotiations remain smooth and on track.

• Demonstrate a collaborative approach to getting the job done, drawing on technical specialist support from other members of the Legal & Public Affairs team and with a range of stakeholders both within the business and externally.

• Be well structured, clear and organised, with an ability to prioritise and drive progress within a very fast paced environment.

Level of Education:

• Bachelor degree

• Master degree

Requirements of special knowledge/skills:

• A Law degree with 8+ years’ experience (mandatory) in a reputable law firm or top class in-house training program

• Excellent drafting skills and attention to detail

• Very strong organisational and project management skills and ability to meet deadlines, prioritising appropriately

• The ability to demonstrate commercial awareness and understanding of the business requirements and a keen desire to deepen these skills

• Great interpersonal skills and ability to work well in a fast paced team environment

• Excellent drafting skills in English (native level) and the confidence and ability to negotiate independently

• Confidence in your ability to provide assistance to the legal team and business units combined with a professional and collaborative approach

• A high standard of knowledge and use of Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Google Suite (Google Sheets, Google Docs). Knowledge of Salesforce is a plus

• Fluency in English; an excellent level of both written and verbal communication skills

Years of relevant Job Knowledge:

• Extensive Knowledge (8 - 12 years)