Senior Software Engineer I - AI Applications - Marketplace

Role Description:

About Us: At Booking.com, data drives our decisions. Technology is at our core. And innovation is everywhere. But our company is more than datasets, lines of code or A/B tests. We’re the thrill of the first night in a new place. The excitement of the next morning. The friends you make. The journeys you take. The sights you see. And the food you sample. Through our products, partners and people, we make it easier for everyone to experience the world.

Leadership/Team Quote:

Our mission at Booking.com is to create visionary, innovative, and personalised travel experiences for millions of customers worldwide. Across our offices worldwide, we continue to innovate by solving some of the most complex challenges in travel and technology and plan for the exciting developments that lie ahead through strategic long-term investments in what we believe the future of travel can be.

Role Description:

As a Senior Software Engineer working in the AI Applications team, you will work at the intersection of scalable backend systems and cutting-edge AI. You will have the opportunity to build and deploy new AI-powered experiences for millions of people. You will tackle complex performance and scaling challenges and collaborate closely with ML engineers and data scientists to bring intelligent systems into production at scale.

Key Job Responsibilities and Duties:

Design and evaluate architecture solutions for AI workflows infrastructure, rapidly prototyping to validate key assumptions and guide decision-making.

Build and maintain scalable AI applications that use LLMs and agents.

Collaborate closely with ML engineers and data scientists to bring models into production and optimize system performance.

Take end-to-end ownership of system reliability and operational excellence, including performance tuning, observability and incident management.

Continuously grow technical and interpersonal skills through hands-on experience, knowledge sharing sessions, and industry events.

Qualifications & Skills:

7+ years of professional experience in software engineering, with a focus on backend or platform development.

Experience building AI agents and related components such as RAG. Advantage.

Proficiency in one or more server-side programming languages such as Java, Scala, or Python.

Experience in integrating LLMs into production systems, and understanding model behavior, performance and constraints.

Experience working in cross-functional teams alongside ML engineers, data scientists, and product stakeholders to bring AI/ML products to production.

Experience building distributed systems at scale, with a focus on performance tuning, observability, and reliability best practices.

Experience with containerization tools like Docker and Kubernetes, and deploying applications in cloud environments such as AWS or GCP.

Ability to navigate ambiguity, take ownership of complex problems, and drive them to resolution.

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent industry experience.

Benefits & Perks - Global Impact, Personal Relevance:

Booking.com’s Total Rewards Philosophy is not only about compensation but also about benefits. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, as well unique-to-Booking.com benefits which include:

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

Inclusion at Booking.com:

Inclusion has been a core part of our company culture since day one. This ongoing journey starts with our very own employees, who represent over 140 nationalities and a wide range of ethnic and social backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations.

Take it from our Chief People Officer, Paulo Pisano: “At Booking.com, the diversity of our people doesn’t just build an outstanding workplace, it also creates a better and more inclusive travel experience for everyone. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. It’s a place where you can make your mark and have a real impact in travel and tech.”

We ensure that colleagues with disabilities are provided the adjustments and tools they need to participate in the job application and interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Application Process:

This section should provide:

Let’s go places together: How we Hire

This role does not come with relocation assistance.

Booking.com is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We strive to move well beyond traditional equal opportunity and work to create an environment that allows everyone to thrive.