Senior Legal Counsel: Employment & Corporate (EU)

Our Company Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) is the world’s leading provider of online travel & related services, provided to consumers and local partners through five primary brands: Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, and OpenTable. Collectively, Booking Holdings operates in more than 220 countries and territories in Europe, North America, South America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa in more than 40 languages. The mission of Booking Holdings is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. Within Booking Holdings, a new, standalone B2B entity will consolidate the B2B businesses of Booking.com, Priceline and Agoda into a single global division. The new division will bring together our strategic partnerships, affiliate & API distribution, corporate and wholesale travel and other B2B commercial channels into one integrated platform serving airlines, travel management companies, OTAs, financial institutions, platforms and other strategic partners. The Role: Partnering closely with the Senior Director, Commercial (EU & APAC) & Transformation Strategy, the Senior Legal Counsel, Corporate and Employment (EU) acts as lead employment and corporate counsel for BKNG B2B’s NL operations. In this newly created position, you will serve as a key legal advisor to BKNG B2B NL operations. You will provide guidance on day-to-day NL HR legal matters, works council engagement, and employment-related policies and processes. Beyond employment law, the role will span a broad spectrum of legal and regulatory topics, including commercial contracts, corporate governance, artificial intelligence, compliance, global regulatory developments, and litigation support for the broader BKNG B2B NL operations. You will help the organization navigate complex and evolving legal landscapes across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring alignment with global standards and risk management practices. This role is well suited to lawyers who bring experience in Dutch employment law and who are eager to expand into broader areas of practice within an international context. The ideal candidate combines strong legal acumen with business pragmatism, thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, and is comfortable working across time zones and functional areas. You will partner closely with colleagues across Legal, HR, Compliance, and Finance in the U.S., Europe, and Asia Pacific, and will have the opportunity to collaborate with the Booking.com Legal and Public Affairs team, particularly on employment and regulatory matters. Key repsonisbilities: Reporting directly to and partnering closely with the (NL-based) Senior Director, Commercial (EU & APAC) & Transformation Strategy, the Senior Legal Counsel is responsible for the following: Providing legal advice to the B2B NL entity on employment law matters, including contract management, employee relations, and works council processes, including NL specific employment guidance, templates, playbooks, employment agreements, handbooks and self-service resources to scale employment law support Lead the NL legal advice on transfer of employees to B2B NL, establishment of and ongoing relationship with the Works Council Frame and implement the NL strategy for employment-related disputes, grievances, and disciplinary actions, minimizing risk for the new entity. Advising on a broad range of legal issues affecting B2B NL’s operations, including litigation, corporate, commercial, and regulatory matters Supporting the broader legal team in understanding and complying with emerging laws Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts and internal policies. Provide legal input on cross-functional projects and strategic or operational initiatives. Serve as a trusted legal advisor to HR, senior management, and other key stakeholders. Contribute legal requirements into B2B transformation efforts (e.g. BPD structure, intercompany frameworks, employee transfers) and ensure templates and processes remain aligned with the target operating model. Collaborate with legal colleagues across the Booking Holdings group to ensure global policy alignment and consistency. Coordinate with external counsel as required. Key skills and experience required: Approx. 6-8 years practicing law, with a mix of in-house and big firm experience preferred. Strong understanding of Dutch labor and employment law, with experience advising and leading on works council matters independently Broad legal experience in other categories, including regulatory, commercial or litigation Law degree from a top law school, and excellent academic credentials. Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional workstreams (People, Product, Commercial, Ops, Finance, Tax, Risk, Privacy, Security) and to influence senior stakeholders with clear, structured recommendations under time pressure. Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. Clear, concise communicator—both in writing and in conversation. Able to operate independently while being highly collaborative. Globally minded and comfortable working across jurisdictions and time zones. Fluent in English and Dutch (preferred). Builder mindset: adept at creating templates, guidance notes, FAQs, training and tooling requirements that scale legal support, reduce friction and improve data quality across contracting and review processes. Clear, concise communicator with excellent written advocacy skills (in English) and the ability to adjust tone and complexity for audiences ranging from external regulators and law firms to commercial teams and senior leadership. Experience supporting high value commercial and corporate matters for a global online marketplace or travel/e-commerce platform is highly preferred We are prioritising local talent for this role - relocations will not be provided. Pre-Employment Screening If your application is successful, your personal data may be used for a pre-employment screening check by a third party as permitted by applicable law. Depending on the vacancy and applicable law, a pre-employment screening may include employment history, education and other information (such as media information) that may be necessary for determining your qualifications and suitability for the position.