Booking Holdings Financial Services is looking for a Senior Legal and Regulatory Counsel with experience in payments, to act as a critical partner to our business, helping develop, launch, and enable our mission to deliver a world-class payments operation to support Booking Holdings Inc’s global brands.
Reporting into the Payment Legal Director, the selected candidate will have the chance to witness first-hand the investment in digital technology that helps take the friction out of paying for travel. You will advise on a range of legal issues related to regulatory strategy, product development and user experience, demonstrating familiarity with payments regulation in Ireland and across the EEA and a strong knowledge of the commercial considerations that enable payments product management at this scale.
You will support a dynamic organization of executives, finance leaders, risk managers, compliance professionals and product managers, who are responsible for bringing payments and financial services products to life across Booking Holdings Inc’s global portfolio of brands, making an impact on millions of travellers every day.
The role demands a product-savvy, technically competent lawyer with experience in relevant areas of financial regulation. This opportunity represents an exceptional chance to embed yourself in one of the world’s most exciting organizations, and help define the future for accessing travel experiences across the world.
Responsibility
You will report to the Payments Legal Director of Booking Holdings Financial Services and be responsible for handling legal matters related to payments and financial services regulation impacting the Booking Holdings Group, with a particular focus on the EEA.
You will work cross functionally on a daily basis, including directly with the products, risk, compliance and finance teams and other key stakeholders across the business. You will also work with legal advisers at other Booking Holdings Group businesses.
You will help draft, review and negotiate key contracts with third parties, working alongside internal stakeholders and representing Booking Holdings Financial Services in discussions with counterparties.
You will also coordinate and interact with legal colleagues in the Booking Holdings group.
You will provide practical and actionable legal advice on a variety of regulated products and services and you will need to exercise legal judgment and commercial acumen in assessing legal risks across multiple jurisdictions.
Your legal and strategic business advice will help develop a comprehensive, long-term approach to our relationships with key partners on all aspects of our payments operations.
Knowledge Skills & Abilities
Law degree from a top law school, and excellent academic credentials.
6-10+ years post-qualification experience, with a mix of financial services in-house and commercial law firm experience preferred.
Experience of working in different team roles, including working in cross functional teams, and advising management.
Experience with and passion for payments and its regulation, consumer protection issues in the digital environment, marketing and advertising law, and information and cyber security, knowledge of the laws and regulations that regulate payments and other types of financial transactions and services and have experience advising regulated payments entities.
Experience of working creatively, formulating innovative solutions to complex legal, commercial and regulatory matters.
Experience of dealing with government agencies and regulators.
A good understanding of the European regulatory environment and familiarity with payment services and anti financial crime legislation, plus experience of advising on cross-border and multi-jurisdictional regulatory issues.
Understanding of legal principles applicable to payments, including the payments ecosystem (e.g., the role of acquiring and issuing banks, card networks, payment processors, gateways, risk vendors, etc.), regulatory implications (e.g., stored value, money transmission and other payments, cross-border and international regulatory issues) and consumer protection requirements.
Experience of having to use business judgment, excellent interpersonal skills, along with a demonstrated ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.
Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment as well as on own initiative.
Positive attitude, high level of integrity and intellectual curiosity.
Ability to provide legal and regulatory guidance on the design and modification of payment and financial services products, proactively identify associated risks and recommend mitigation strategies, review user experiences to ensure legal compliance and proper disclosures, document guidance for consumption by lawyers and non-lawyers, and help improve processes for review.
Demonstrated experience negotiating and structuring international commercial transactions with a wide range of counterparties, cultures and working styles.
Ability to tolerate change and apply judgment where there is ambiguity in the law.
Creative thinker with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, handle multiple assignments simultaneously and effectively manage conflicting priorities.
Excellent writing, communication, verbal and written, and organizational skills.
Eager to learn new technologies and from others. Comfortable navigating complicated and nuanced issues.
Previous experience of working within a technology and digital legal environment is desirable.