Senior Software Engineer II (For independent contractors)

Your New Company:

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 make. The journeys you take. The sights you see. And the food you sample. Through our products, partners and people, we make it easier for everyone to experience the world.

Role Description

Our mission at Booking.com is to create visionary, innovative, and personalised travel experiences for millions of customers worldwide. Across our offices worldwide, we continue to innovate by solving some of the most complex challenges in travel and technology and plan for the exciting developments that lie ahead through strategic long-term investments in what we believe the future of travel can be.

As a Software Engineer working on the AI Application Platform, you will work at the intersection of scalable backend systems and cutting-edge AI. You will have the opportunity to build AI Applications that enable AI-powered experiences for millions of people. You will tackle complex performance and scaling challenges, and collaborate closely with AI practitioners to bring intelligent systems into production at scale.

For more insights about the different business units and the scope of their projects and goals, please visit this page. 

Key Responsibilities & Duties

Important aspects of the job can include:

• Design and implement AI workflow solutions, rapidly prototyping to validate key assumptions and guide decision-making.

  
  

• Explore, benchmark, and integrate new AI/ML tools to drive innovative engineering solutions that meet evolving business needs.

  
  

• Build and maintain scalable, reusable workflows that support real-time AI inference.

  
  

• Collaborate closely with ML engineers, data engineers, and data scientists to bring AI into production and optimize system performance.

  
  

• Take end-to-end ownership of system reliability and operational excellence, including performance tuning, observability and incident management.

  
  

• Continuously grow technical and interpersonal skills through hands-on experience, knowledge sharing sessions, and industry events.

  
  

Role Qualifications & Requirements

We are looking for driven Software Engineers who enjoy solving problems, who initiate solutions and discussions and who believe that any challenge can be scaled with the right approach and tools.

We have found that people who match the following requirements are the ones who fit us best:

• 10+ years of professional experience in software engineering, with a focus on backend or platform development.

  
  

• Proven deep technical knowledge in AI and ML systems and technologies that provide unique business value.

  
  

• Demonstrate a proven track record of coaching and mentoring engineers.

  
  

• Experience building AI agents and components such as memory, context engineering, retrieval, and orchestration.

  
  

• Experience in integrating AI/ML models into production systems, and understanding model behavior, performance and constraints.

  
  

• Experience working in cross-functional teams alongside ML engineers, data scientists, and product stakeholders to bring AI/ML products to production. 

  
  

• Experience building distributed systems at scale, with a focus on performance tuning, observability, and reliability best practices.

  
  

• Experience with scalable data storage systems (e.g. MySQL, Redis) and optimizing data access and caching for high-throughput applications.

  
  

• Proficiency in one or more server-side programming languages such as Java or Python.

  
  

• Experience with containerization tools like Docker and Kubernetes, and deploying applications in cloud environments such as AWS or GCP.

  
  

• Ability to navigate ambiguity, take ownership of complex problems, and drive them to resolution.

  
  

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent industry experience.

  
  

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.