Program Manager (For Independent Contractors)

at Booking.com

📍 Amsterdam, Netherlands

EUR 60-118 per hour

SENIOR

✅ Hybrid ✅ On-site

✅ Contract / Freelance

Tech Stack
Tag name is followed by "@" symbol and proficiency level value. About proficiency levels:

1-2 — basic awareness. Minimal hands-on experience, and a rudimentary understanding of the technology's purpose;

3-6 — daily use. Comfortable and regular usage, capable of handling common tasks and challenges related to the technology;

7-9 — you are an expert, you can teach others, you know all the pitfalls and tricks;

10 — exceptional knowledge, comprehensive understanding, and adeptness in all aspects of the technology, including advanced problem-solving. Think twice before claiming or demanding such level.

Communication @ 6 Jira @ 4 Leadership @ 7 Planning @ 7

Details

We are looking for a Planning Lead who will own and deliver Annual Planning for Marketplace, one of Europe's most complex technology departments, with more than 1,500 people across 11 Track Groups. This is a six-month contract covering a manager on long-term leave, with a hard September start and November submission deadline.

You will lead the end-to-end planning cycle, from kick-off through MPLT portfolio reviews to final CBO budget submission. After Annual Planning, you will lead the retrospective, update the playbook, and help redesign Quarterly Planning. You will operate daily at VP level, holding an entire department accountable to shared timelines, quality standards, and decisions.

Responsibilities

Annual Planning (September–November)

Own and deliver the 2027 Annual Planning cycle from kick-off to leadership sign-off and CBO submission.
Lead MPLT planning sessions by designing agendas, facilitating alignment, and driving portfolio trade-off decisions.
Manage cross-departmental dependencies as the single point of accountability across 11 Track Groups.
Ensure Jira is configured as the source of truth for all planning artefacts.
Coordinate with CBO, FP&A, and peer departments on timelines, requirements, and submissions.

Retrospective and Quarterly Planning (December–February)

Lead the Annual Planning retrospective and update the playbook for future cycles.
Support the redesign of Quarterly Planning, connecting it seamlessly to Annual Planning.
Leave behind playbooks, templates, and governance frameworks that outlast the engagement.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in programme management, strategic planning, or operational leadership in Product & Tech.
End-to-end ownership of large-scale planning or transformation involving 200+ people; designed and delivered, not just contributed.
Experience designing programme governance for complex, multi-stakeholder programmes with clear accountability and decision rights.
VP- or Director-level stakeholder management in a matrix environment, with the ability to hold senior leaders accountable.
Structured executive communication skills, including the ability to run leadership sessions and distill complexity into decisions.
Ability to deliver under time pressure with hard deadlines, competing stakeholders, and ambiguity.
Cross-functional coordination across five or more teams, with the ability to break stalemates and force decisions.
Governance-level tooling experience with Jira or an equivalent, including configuration, dashboards, and quality standards.

Preferred Qualifications

Booking.com experience as a former employee or contractor.
Business Operations or Strategy & Operations background.
Experience with OKR frameworks, portfolio management, or investment prioritisation.
Management consulting or business transformation background.