Principal Machine Learning Engineer - Central Machine Learning

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. We’re a truly global e-commerce company, with business operations in nearly every country and city on the planet. And we want to make it easy for everyone, anywhere in the world, to pay for their travel or do business with our platform – whenever and however it’s convenient for them.

Machine Learning, and AI in general, are integral to booking.com’s goal. Central Machine Learning (CML) powers many of booking’s flagship ML capabilities. As a Principal ML Engineer in CML, you will be responsible for driving some of this brand-new innovation.

You will own the technical strategy, long term technical vision, and success definition for our platforms and capabilities in Generative AI, Search Ranking and Recommendations, Promotion Optimization and Content Intelligence (Natural Language Processing & Computer Vision).

You will report directly to the Director of ML/AI in the organization, and work with the most senior leadership of the department.

Key Job Responsibilities And Duties

• Defining the ML/AI architecture for Booking.com around the aforementioned domains
• Defining the strategic technical direction over 1-3 years
• Work closely with our sister ML-Ops department, to build the right architecture and capabilities for the business
• Providing feedback to people managers and teams around incoming requests and prioritization
• Generating and preserving stakeholder alignment across multiple areas of business towards the strategy defined in (1).
• Identifying new areas of investment, evaluating their feasibility, and getting stakeholder buy-in
• Educating stakeholders around the ML engineering aspect of our products
• Mentoring and coaching Managers and Individual Contributors in everything related to ML Engineering
• Analyze, understand and share takeaways to build a strong knowledge-base of the system
  
  

Role Qualifications And Requirements

• 8+ years hands-on ML engineering development experience; using Python and/or Java. Python is a must have, and Java is a big advantage. Other languages such as Scala, Perl, C, C#, etc. are an advantage
• 5+ years of ML engineering experience on high traffic systems;
• Experience as a technical lead in an organization
• Experience with distributed systems, such as Hadoop
• Experience with MySQL or similar relational databases
• Hands on experience of developing in and contributing to open source data technologies is an advantage
• Experience working with Machine Learning and Personalisation Paradigms
• Strong technical understanding and systems thinking;
• Experience and technical understanding of working with cloud based solutions (preferably AWS)
• Strong strategic problem solver with the ability to zoom in as well as see a 10,000 ft view.
• Experience working with data engineering and Big Data in general
• Advantage - Previous experience with data analysis and generating data insights
• Customer focused and obsessed with solving user problems;
• Agile development methodologies
• Experience with making data-driven decisions;
• Very strong communication and stakeholder leadership skills and ability to lead priorities in time critical situations.
  
  

Benefits & Perks: Global Impact, Personal Relevance

Benefits

Booking.com’s Total Rewards Philosophy is not only about compensation but also about benefits. Our Total Rewards strive to make it easier for you to experience all that life has to offer on your terms so that you can focus on what really matters. We offer competitive compensation as well as thoughtful, valuable, and even fun benefits which include:

• Headquarters located in one of the most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities in Europe: Amsterdam.
• Contribute to a high scale, sophisticated, extraordinary product and see the real time impact of your work on millions of travelers worldwide.
• Be part of a truly international fast paced environment and performance driven culture.
• Performance-based company that offers career advancement, and lucrative compensation, including bonuses and stock potential.
• Discount on Booking.com accommodations with the “Booking Deal” including other perks and benefits.
• Company-sponsored family and social activities to help our employees become integrated with each other and the company's culture.
• Diverse and creative colleagues from every corner of the world.
• Health, life, and disability insurance*
• 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 for yourself, friends, and family, including automatic Genius Level 3 status and quarterly Booking.com wallet credit.
• Free access to online learning platforms, development and mentorship programs, and a complimentary Headspace membership
• On-site meals, coffee, and snacks, including healthy and vegan options, daily*
  
  

#ThinkInclusion: Wellbeing & Inclusion at Booking.com:

Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging, Wellbeing and Volunteering (IDBWV) have 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 create a unique 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 will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable adjustment to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

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.

This employer is a corporate member of myGwork - LGBTQ+ professionals, the business community for LGBTQ+ professionals, students, inclusive employers & anyone who believes in workplace equality.