Director, Legal Operations

Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) is the world leader in online travel and services that support the entire travel journey. Our platforms - including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK and OpenTable - utilize advanced AI, machine learning and other innovative technologies to simplify and personalize the travel experience for consumers and partners in over 220 countries and territories. Our mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. For more information, visit BookingHoldings.com and follow us on X @BookingHoldings. This role is eligible for our hybrid work model: Two days in-office. Booking Holdings Inc. seeks an energetic, well-organized and proactive Legal Operations Director to lead our global legal operations function at Booking Holdings Corporate Center (BHCC), and to collaborate and coordinate with the legal operations functions across our subsidiary brand legal teams.  The Legal Operations Director will oversee a wide variety of areas including but not limited to: budget control, billing/vendor management, AI and legal tech and tooling, contract management and administration, knowledge management, and litigation support. The role has three functional direct reports and a larger team, spread across four global locations: Connecticut (U.S.), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Bucharest (Romania) and Bangalore (India). The Legal Operations Director must be flexible in adapting to changing priorities and business needs, as well as working cross-culturally across borders and time zones. The right candidate will be able to work independently and collaboratively, in a global, fast-paced, and growth-minded environment.  This role is key to Booking Holding’s global legal department, requiring a strong leader to collaborate with corporate and brand stakeholders, support the legal function, and drive lasting efficiencies.   In this role you will get to: Leadership & Development: Lead the global legal operations function, collaborating with brand legal, privacy, and compliance teams. Drive learning initiatives for the Global Legal Team, including CLEs, training sessions, summits, and speaker events, in coordination with subsidiary brands. Process Improvement : Find opportunities to improve processes, learn about  and share best practices, develop playbooks, create training and improve efficiencies for the Corporate and global Legal team.  Work across a global team in our Corporate offices in the US, Netherlands, Romania and India. AI and Technology: Remain up to date on legal AI and  legal operations industry trends, and test, implement, and manage and handle AI and other technology solutions to optimize legal performance across various disciplines, such as contracts and matter management tools, budget, matter and vendor tracking software.  Work closely with company technology leaders to understand how to best implement AI and other  systems for the legal department. Drive higher use of AI tools in the Corporate and global legal departments and help Booking Holdings reduce overall reliance on external counsel and other vendors. Budget managemen t: Organize and maintain the Corporate legal department budget, including the annual planning cycle and other reports as needed.  Explore efficiencies with brand legal ops teams and procurement around budgeting and vendor management. Legal Vendor & Contracts Management: Oversee expense control, vendor relations, and compliance with billing guidelines, while managing vendor onboarding, Legal Tracker, and engagement letters. Supervise the contract management team in India to streamline contract tracking, record-keeping, and database management (Conga). Collaborate with brand legal and technology teams to enhance efficiencies and technological capabilities.  Oversee vendor AI tooling and usage, including adoption, performance and compliance. Program and Project Management, Reporting & Analytics: Own the program and portfolio project management operating model . Develop and implement metrics and benchmarking to measure and report on team performance, and oversee the creation of regular performance reports using legal team tools. Lead change management and adoption for major process, technology, and operating-model initiatives.  What you have: Bachelor’s degree required, along with 10+ years of experience in corporate legal operations; in-house legal operations or legal experience within a technology company is preferred. Ability to design and scale legal operations processes and service delivery models across a global enterprise, leveraging AI, automation, and legal technology with sound judgment around governance, privacy, security, risk, and adoption. Experience leading hiring, coaching, performance management, succession planning, and resource allocation across direct, indirect, and matrixed teams. Experience managing legal department budgets, forecasts, accruals, outside counsel spend, vendor relationships, alternative fee arrangements, and investment business cases. Strong executive presence and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders, negotiate effectively, and navigate competing priorities in a global environment. Ability to analyze legal, financial, operational, technology, and risk data and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations. Sound judgment, integrity, and strong organizational and communication skills, with the ability to manage complex priorities under pressure; proficiency in PowerPoint, Google Workspace, Excel, and relevant legal and project-management tools. The Right Results, the Right Way is not just a motto at Booking Holdings; it’s a way of life. Unquestionable integrity and ethics is essential. Preferred: Familiarity with legal AI, generative AI, contract lifecycle management, matter management, eBilling, workflow automation, analytics, or eDiscovery platforms. Legal education is also preferred, but not required