VP Tax

VP Tax Our Company Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the largest ecommerce companies in the world. Booking.com is the largest business within Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) and accounts for the vast majority of Booking Holdings’ total revenue. Booking Holdings is a leading Fortune 500 e-commerce conglomerate with a market cap of approximately $115 billion. With a mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. Booking.com connects travellers with the world’s largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts and even tree houses. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in over 43 languages, offer more than 29.5 million listings, including over 6.6 million homes, apartments, and other unique places to stay. So whether travelling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal accommodation quickly and easily, without booking fees and backed up by its promise to price match. Via the customer experience team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in over 43 languages, any time of the day or night. At Booking.com, we are all involved in making hundreds of decisions every day. The decisions we make are a reflection of our Values - they reflect what is important to us, both as individuals and as an organisation. When we use our Values to make decisions, we make a deliberate choice to focus on what is important. When Values are made explicit, they provide clarity on what “good” looks like. And when they are shared, they build unity in a group. They build culture. Think customer first. We obsess about adding value for our customers - guests, partners, colleagues - to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. Own it. We deliver on our promises, make informed decisions and prioritize to get the important things done today. Learn forever. We are resilient, take time to reflect, and seek to learn – from colleagues, from the outside world and from our failures. Succeed together. We celebrate team success, through making connections, building trust and valuing the diverse perspectives of others. Do the right thing. We get the right results the right way. For each other, our communities and the world around us. Background As part of our commitment to continuous improvement and internal development, we are seeking a new VP Tax to join our company. This vacancy has arisen due to our former Head of Tax moving into the SVP Tax role of Booking Holdings, reflecting our culture of career growth and talent development. BOOKING.COM LEADERSHIP TEAM Chief Executive Officer, Glenn Fogel Chief Business Officer, James Waters Chief Finance Officer , Uvashni Raman General Counsel, Maria Barros CHRO, Paulo Pisano Strategy, Rob Ransom CMO, Arjan Dijk CTO, Rob Francis Fintech, Daniel Marovitz ABU, Matthias Schmidt Trips, Eve Henrikson Marketplace, Natasha ten Cate US, Ben Harrell CS, Paul Downham Profile VP Tax This position plays a crucial role in ensuring that Booking.com meets all tax obligations efficiently and aligns tax policies with business strategies. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in tax regulations, excellent leadership skills, and the ability to navigate complex financial environments. The role will reside in Amsterdam. You will be a visible leader, trusted partner to the business leaders, accountable for addressing current and future business needs. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Have end to end responsibility for all tax operations, processes and compliance within the Company. This includes working with business & tech functions and Booking Holdings to develop the appropriate processes and systems that support the company’s compliance. Advise Booking.com senior leadership on tax-related matters around key business initiatives, and contribute to the strategic direction of the company. Also, interacts with Booking Holdings and other brands where relevant. Support business growth by encouraging his/her team to have a deep focus and understanding of the business’ needs, and develop and validate innovative (tax) solutions. Collaborate closely and partner with management and leadership of other departments to ensure alignment in strategy on various business and product matters and recommend practical, compliant solutions. Define the priorities for the tax department taking into account global interdependencies from both a Booking.com and Booking Holdings point of view. Communicate regularly with SVP Tax of Booking Holdings about tax audits and litigation, business initiatives and tax law changes which could have a significant tax impact on the company. Coordinate with SVP Tax on communications to Booking Holdings/Booking.com Senior Management and the Board on significant tax matters. Monitor global tax developments that can impact Booking.com (corporate income tax, VAT/GST, withholding tax and other) and take appropriate actions that are deemed necessary. Own, implement and oversee tax related internal controls ensuring compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404. Oversee quarterly financial reporting incl tax accounting, in alignment with the Accounting department Lead and/or monitor the team’s procedures, discussions and negotiations with numerous tax authorities around the globe, in full alignment with SVP Tax of Booking Holdings. This includes working with the Legal department when necessary. Actively manage or oversee all tax audits and litigation and work closely with outside advisors, Legal, Booking Holdings Tax and Booking.com Technical Accounting team to determine the potential financial statement impact of significant tax assessments and litigation as well as disclosure, if needed, in the company’s external filings. Make sure that the company complies with all local tax regulations, including reporting requirements. Ensure the tax team works effectively and in line with the Company’s values, principles and priorities. Own the professional development of the Tax Department, actively upskilling the team to deal with an increasingly complex environment. Manage, develop and coach a team of employees. IDEAL EXPERIENCE & SKILLS 20+ years of experience in Tax roles A senior Tax leader who brings substantial knowledge of all tax matters Masters degree Or other specialized diploma in Tax 10+ years of leadership experience of managing large, high performing teams Experience in leading and engaging diverse and international teams Experience leading the tax function for non-U.S. operations of a U.S. publicly traded company This is considered as a plus. Stakeholder management experience Proven experience working in companies with a similar structure or matrix organization CRITICAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES Driving Results Responds resourcefully, flexibly, and positively when faced with new challenges and demands. Effectively deals with the stress and complexities of various situations. Moves forward productively under conditions of change or uncertainty Demonstrates and fosters a sense of urgency, a “can-do” spirit, a sense of optimism, ownership, and strong commitment to achieving goals and organisational success. Demonstrates a strong sense of ownership and a commitment to achieving meaningful results. Facilitates alignment on critical decisions related to the Connected Trip strategy by involving relevant stakeholders, gathering input, and building consensus Reviews performance and progress on a regular basis to ensure teams are achieving results. Tests to see if goals are sufficiently challenging and implements corrective action based on deviations. Building relationships, Collaborating and Influencing Proven ability to build trust based senior relationships Effective stakeholder management practitioner and influencer, building relationships at both the team and executive levels Takes time to identify and engage stakeholders, facilitating effective decision making alignment and/or understanding Identifies opportunities to build and enhance relationships that help others achieve their objectives, reaching out proactively. Promotes collaboration and partnership among multiple parties inside the organisation Orchestrates events for key players and stakeholders to engage in dialogue and drive effective decision making , plays a leading and visible role in those events Fosters a culture where people feel valued and respected and leverages even difficult or tense circumstances to enhance relationships. Possesses strong conflict resolution skills to navigate and resolve disagreements and disputes among team members, departments, or stakeholders, fostering an atmosphere of cooperation. Demonstrates proficiency in negotiation techniques to bring parties with varying interests to a mutually beneficial agreement, ultimately contributing to the success of the Connected Trip initiative. Leading Change Publicly identifies needed changes or directions that need adjustment, challenges assumptions and norms. Demonstrates the ability to “think big” and simultaneously understand and appreciate the details necessary to operationalize overarching strategies and goals Demonstrates the ability to make sense of complex issues and ambiguous situations. Challenges assumptions about “the way things are done”. Communicates explicitly what must change, why changes are necessary, and possible outcomes and costs. Adjusts communication style to the audience to help them understand and accept the change. Encourages people to support and propose changes and ideas. OTHER PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS Impeccable Integrity Embodies and practices world-class ethical standards. Creates an environment of trust by acting with fairness and consistency, keeping commitments and providing rationale for decisions. Open Mind A resilient and committed executive with a flexible, collaborative and open operating style; non-political and non-bureaucratic; someone with a natural and effective consultative approach who will gain the trust and respect of individuals at all levels. Excellent Communication Skills Maintains an open flow of two-way communication, exhibiting strong verbal, written and presentation skills, stating expectations clearly and being visible to all stakeholders. A person with strong intellectual capabilities who can hold his/her own yet support the ultimate decision. A creative thinker who is willing to acknowledge the past and build forward. Ego Maturity A highly motivated, seasoned and mature operating executive, with high confidence in his/her superior professional skills and ability to drive decisions. A balanced leader with an appropriate blend of humility, calm demeanor and professional will to win. 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.