Operational Excellence Lead - Legal Transformation

At Booking.com, data drives our decisions, technology is at our core, and innovation is everywhere.

Role Description

About the Team

The Legal Strategy & Business Operations team enables the Legal & Public Affairs (LPA) function to operate effectively, efficiently and at scale. We partner across LPA and the wider business to improve legal service delivery, simplify operations and support the successful implementation of strategic priorities through operational excellence, process improvement and technology-enabled transformation.

Role

The Operational Excellence Lead plays a key role in driving operational excellence and continuous improvement across the Legal & Public Affairs (LPA) function.

Reporting to the Director, Legal Strategy & Business Operations, the role will lead cross-functional operational improvement initiatives that enhance legal processes, operating models and ways of working. Working closely with the LPA team and cross-functional stakeholders, the role will identify opportunities, design practical solutions and deliver measurable business improvements through process excellence and legal technology.

The role independently leads initiatives from problem definition through implementation, helping Legal & Public Affairs operate more efficiently, scale effectively and continuously improve the way legal services are delivered.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Excellence Methodology & Standards

• Apply Operational Excellence methodologies and structured problem-solving approaches to deliver measurable business improvements.
• Translate Operational Excellence best practices into standardised processes, frameworks and operating procedures across Legal & Public Affairs.
• Contribute to the continuous development of Operational Excellence practices by sharing knowledge, coaching colleagues and promoting best practices.

Process Excellence & Legal Transformation

• Lead high-impact, cross-functional operational improvement initiatives across Legal & Public Affairs.
• Analyse current-state processes, identify optimisation opportunities and design scalable future-state solutions.
• Develop business cases and recommendations to support prioritisation and decision-making.
• Define success measures and monitor process performance to drive continuous improvement.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardise, automate and optimise legal service delivery.

Technology-Enabled Improvement

• Partner with cross-functional teams to implement and optimise legal technology and workflow solutions.
• Identify opportunities to improve legal workflows through technology, automation and emerging digital capabilities.
• Support adoption of new tools and ways of working by embedding effective change management and user enablement.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of implemented solutions and recommend further improvements.

Delivery & Performance

• Lead operational improvement initiatives from scoping through implementation and adoption.
• Develop and manage delivery plans, milestones, risks, dependencies and success measures.
• Gather and align business requirements across multiple stakeholders.
• Measure and report outcomes using qualitative and quantitative data to support evidence-based decision-making.

Stakeholder Management

• Build trusted relationships across Legal & Public Affairs and partner functions.
• Facilitate workshops and working sessions to align stakeholders, build consensus and resolve complex operational challenges.
• Influence managers, senior managers and directors through compelling communication, practical recommendations and clear business cases.
• Act as a liaison across functions to support successful delivery of operational improvements.

Key skills and experience required:

• Bachelor Degree or equivalent relevant experience.
• 5+ years of professional experience, including a minimum of 2–3 years working within a legal environment in Legal Operations, Legal Technology, Legal Engineering, Legal Transformation, or a related operational role, gained within an in-house legal department, private practice, legal services provider and/or legal technology organisation.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification, or equivalent practical experience leading operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives using Lean Six Sigma or comparable methodologies.
• Strong process design, operational excellence and structured problem-solving capability.
• Experience leading cross-functional operational improvement or transformation initiatives from scoping through implementation.
• Experience applying Operational Excellence methodologies, including Lean Six Sigma or similar continuous improvement approaches.
• Strong analytical capability, using qualitative and quantitative data to identify opportunities, develop business cases and support decision-making.
• Experience implementing or optimising legal technology solutions, including Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), legal intake, matter management, workflow automation, knowledge management or similar platforms.
• Strong understanding of legal operations and legal service delivery, with the ability to improve legal workflows through process redesign, technology and automation.
• Practical understanding of emerging technologies, including Generative AI, and the ability to evaluate their application to improve legal workflows and operational effectiveness.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build alignment across managers, senior managers and directors.
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple initiatives, competing priorities and ambiguity while delivering measurable business outcomes.

Further traits looked for:

• Alignment with Booking.com’s values (Customer First, Succeed Together, Own It, Learn Forever, Do the Right Thing).
• Curiosity, flexibility, and a creative, pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
• Confidence with collaboration.
• Ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Proactivity, resilience, and a drive to deliver results.
• Strong judgment with attention to both the big picture and key details.
• Courage to take a stance and make tough decisions.
• Team-oriented, self-aware, and a good listener.
• Agility in prioritizing and meeting deadlines.
• Forward-thinking, with a focus on emerging legal and policy issues.

Why join the Legal & Public Affairs Team now?

This is a pivotal moment in e-commerce and travel, and joining Booking.com’s Legal & Public Affairs (LPA) team provides you with opportunities to shape the future. As a member of the LPA team you will partner with the business to navigate complex regulations, build new products, and negotiate key deals—while driving ethical, sustainable growth.

Who we are?

We are an award winning team of around 200 professionals from 36+ nationalities, with lawyers qualified in multiple jurisdictions and non-lawyers specializing in public policy, economics, compliance, and risk.

As a team, we believe in:

• Being integral to decision-making, shaping Booking.com’s future.
• Supporting Booking's mission to make travel accessible, fostering openness and curiosity.
• Offering opportunities for team members to explore new areas or specialize.
• Providing holistic, integrated legal and public affairs advice.
• Continuously improving Legal Operations, innovating, and sharing best practices.
• Learning from mistakes and embracing growth.
• Working collaboratively with a sense of humor and enjoying the journey together!

Benefits & Perks - Global Impact, Personal Relevance:

• Annual paid time off and generous paid leave scheme including: parent, grandparent, bereavement, and care leave
• Hybrid working including flexible working arrangements, and up to 20 days per year working from abroad (home country)
• Industry leading product discounts - up to 1400 per year - for yourself, including automatic Genius Level 3 status and Booking.com wallet credit