Project and Program Manager (For independent contractors)

Booking.com is on a Finance transformation journey to support the delivery of the company strategy and the growth of the company. As part of this Finance transformation journey we are assessing how we can ensure that the Finance organisation is equipped to deliver its objectives in the long term.

The Finance Transformation PMO Director will be part of the Finance Transformation Program within Booking.com and will support functional leadership in shaping the future of their department. The role will achieve this by applying experience to core transformation activities, running the strategic finance program management office and tracking the delivery of the strategy, in close collaboration with a diverse group of stakeholders. Your goal is to plan, coordinate the functional Finance Transformation (implementation) governance, while keeping the overall roadmap & success of underlying transformation initiatives in sight. We seek a hands-on and strong stakeholder manager who will run the PMO support office within the functional Finance transformation scope, plus be able to lean in and drive content discussions and strategic planning with SMEs.

The role will be responsible to implement and maintain the program management structure and maintaining the cadence of reporting of the transformation related initiatives, oversee the implementation of various transformational projects, including automation initiatives within finance and alignment with our FinTech department. Finally, there will be a heavy element of Finance tracking to ensure costs are managed and the benefits are realised.

Tasks & Responsibilities

• Name essential tasks, responsibilities and deliverables for this role. Is it expected from the role to identify, develop and make improvements to new ideas, techniques, procedures, services, or products?

• The Finance Transformation PMO Director is responsible for overseeing program governance, tracking key initiatives, overseeing risks, issues and delays, and ensuring alignment across Finance Transformation workstreams and where relevant FinTech delivery teams. This role provides structured oversight to drive execution, mitigate risks, and enable informed decision-making for senior stakeholders and support the Finance Transformation leadership in day to day PMO activities

Key Responsibilities

1. Program Governance & Oversight

• Establish and maintain governance frameworks, ensuring clear roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes.

• Drive adherence to program methodologies, ensuring consistency in reporting and tracking across initiatives.

• Provide structured reporting on progress, risks, and milestones to Finance Leadership Teams and Transformation Sponsors.

2. Initiative Tracking & Execution Management

• Support Finance transformation leadership and sponsors/initiative owners in developing and maintaining a central transformation roadmap(s), ensuring visibility of all Finance Transformation initiatives.

• Track initiative progress, milestones, and KPIs, proactively identifying bottlenecks and areas requiring intervention.

• Ensure transformation initiatives remain aligned with strategic objectives and business priorities.

3. Dependency, Risk & Issue Management

• Identify and monitor interdependencies between Finance and FinTech transformation and automation workstreams.

• Monitor and report risks and issues raised in initiatives and ensure escalation for critical issues affecting transformation delivery.

• Drive resolution of cross-functional topics and challenges, working closely with Finance, FinTech, and other departments/teams.

4. Stakeholder Engagement & Reporting

• Act as a key liaison between Finance Transformation leadership, initiative workstreams and senior stakeholders, incl., Finance Leadership Team, and FinTech.

• Prepare structured reports and dashboards to support on transformation progress, key risks, and items for decision making

• Facilitate and plan cross-functional alignment meetings, ensuring all stakeholders remain informed and engaged

• Ensure structured documentation of decisions, finance transformation initiative governance structures, and key outcomes.

5. Success Criteria

• Effective tracking of all transformation initiatives with clear visibility on progress, risks, and interdependencies.

• Strong alignment between Finance, Technology, and Business workstreams to avoid duplication and misalignment.

• Clear, structured governance ensuring Finance Leadership Team has the necessary insights for decision-making.

• Proactive issue resolution, ensuring transformation execution remains on track.

Level of knowledge

• Finance Transformation and PMO methodologies

Level of Education:

• Master degree

Years of relevant working experience

• 8 - 12+ years

Key Qualifications & Experience

• Experience: 10+ years in program management, PMO, and finance transformation roles in complex/global organizations.

• Expertise: Strong understanding of finance transformation programs, including ERP/system migrations, process optimization, and operating model changes.

• Project & Program Management: Expertise in Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid methodologies, with experience in setting up PMO structures.

• Stakeholder Management: Strong influencing skills, ability to work with C-level & FLT executives and cross-functional teams.

• Analytical & Problem-Solving: Ability to analyze program performance, identify risks, and drive structured issue resolution.

• Tools & Systems: Proficiency in project tracking tools (e.g., Jira) and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).

Skills:

• Preferably Finance background and experience

• Positive challenger of status quo

• Hands-on, creating deliverables of high quality

• Work in a complex stakeholder environment

• Structured in the ways of working

• Hands on mentality

• Ability to drive the delivery of the program plans