Lead Customer Service Operations Architect (For Independent Contractors)

Details

Booking.com is building a new Flights platform and needs a dedicated operational anchor to design front-line and back-office customer service workflows. The Lead CS Operations Architect will bridge complex airline industry realities and Booking.com's centralized Customer Service infrastructure, define human workflows, agent protocols, and operational guardrails, and mitigate flight financial risk (specifically Agency Debit Memos - ADMs).

Responsibilities

• Service Design & Process Architecture

  • Design and document end-to-end operational flows for all flight customer touchpoints, including complex scenarios: schedule changes (voluntary/involuntary), GDS queue management, automated vs. manual refunds, split tickets, and ancillary issues.
  • Map three-way interactions and handoffs between Customers, Booking.com agents, internal Tech platforms, and Airlines.
  • Partner with centralized CS to identify gaps between legacy workflows and new flows and ensure infrastructure compatibility.

• Product & Tooling Collaboration

  • Act as the "Voice of Operations" for Product and Engineering, translating agent workflow needs into functional tickets for internal CRM development, GDS integration, and agent desktop tooling.
  • Operationalize the chosen delivery model (BPO vs. in-house incubator) and, if BPO is selected, define operational protocols, compliance standards, and required vendor agent skill sets.
  • Identify high-volume repetitive flight processes suitable for automation to reduce front-line headcount requirements.

• ADM Operational Execution & Agent Protocol

  • Define step-by-step human workflows for agents to review and action tickets that trigger ADMs.
  • Perform root-cause analysis of human errors causing ADMs (e.g., manual fare overrides, incorrect refunds, inaccurate customer information).
  • Author training guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to eliminate manual errors leading to airline fines.
  • Design processes to gather dispute evidence (agent chat logs, customer histories, GDS PNR histories) for handoff to FinTech/FinOps teams.

Expected Milestone Deliverables (Contract Timeline)

• Month 1: Discovery & Technical Alignment

  • Complete gap analysis of legacy flight processes and central CS capabilities.
  • Align with Product/Tech roadmaps and establish relationships with CS Operating Model Director and Flights stakeholders.
  • Align with FinTech & Operations Consultant on where financial plumbing meets human workflows.

• Months 2–3: Blueprinting & ADM Protocol Design

  • Deliver finalized service design maps for core Flight lifecycles (Booking, Modification, Schedule Change, Cancellation, Disruption).
  • Deliver ADM Human Workflow & Audit Protocol for investigating fines and gathering dispute evidence (GDS histories, chat logs).
  • Draft operational requirements for BPO RFP/SOW or in-house incubator staffing/training plan.

• Months 4–6: Tooling Definition & Alpha Preparation

  • Deliver operational user stories and requirements for the agent desktop/CRM environment to Product/Tech teams.
  • Author SOPs and escalation matrix for initial trial/alpha launch phases.
  • Draft training guidelines to eliminate manual fare overrides and incorrect refund errors.

• Months 7–9 (If Extended): Operational Readiness & Launch

  • Oversee operational readiness testing, shadow tech tests, and check queue routing.
  • Handover a comprehensive operational playbook to the permanent team and define Transition Trigger Metrics for handing over the ADM incubator.

Requirements / Required Experience & Expertise

• Flight Domain Mastery (Non-Negotiable): 8+ years within an Online Travel Agency (OTA), Airline, Global Distribution System (GDS), or flight-centric BPO. Deep understanding of ticketing lifecycles, GDS queues (Amadeus, Sabre, or Travelport), and ARC/IATA/BSP regulations.
• ADM and Back-Office Finance Acumen: Proven experience designing workflows to mitigate, audit, and dispute Agency Debit Memos (ADMs).
• Service Design Excellence: Demonstrated success mapping complex customer journeys and back-office workflows from scratch using tools like Miro.
• Strategic Versatility: Experience evaluating/deploying outsourced BPO solutions and internal captive/incubator teams.
• Matrix Stakeholder Management: Experience working in matrixed enterprise environments and influencing Director-level and central business units.
• Consultant Mindset: Comfort with ambiguity, self-starting attitude, and ability to rapidly produce executive-level documentation under tight timelines.

Contract Details

• Location: Amsterdam, NH, Netherlands
• Hours: 40 hrs/week
• Timeline: 6 months (Starts: Jun 22, 2026 — Ends: Dec 21, 2026)
• Payrate: 50 - 110 €/hr

What We Offer

• Greenfield impact: Shape foundational human architecture for Booking.com's Flights platform.
• High autonomy: Act as the singular operational domain expert early in the project.
• Collaborative environment: Work with Booking.com's product, data, engineering, and corporate Customer Service leadership.