Machine Learning Manager - GenAI Foundation Models

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 encounter. The journeys you take. The sights you see. And the memories you make. Through our products, partners and people, we make it easier for everyone to experience the world. Leadership/Team Quote: The team is at the forefront of Generative AI innovation, driving solutions for travel-related chatbots, text generation and summarization applications, Q&A systems, and free-text search. The team you are applying to is spearheading a research effort to develop leading LLMs, specifically designed for the travel domain. This pioneering initiative combines cutting-edge AI research with practical applications, focusing on creating tailored solutions that redefine how travelers plan, book, and experience their journeys. Role Description: In this role, you will lead a team of Machine Learning Scientists and Engineers dedicated to building, training, and deploying cutting-edge Generative AI models. This includes developing foundation models trained on Booking.com’s extensive textual data and creating fine-tuned models designed to tackle complex travel-related tasks. Your leadership will play a pivotal role in advancing the application of AI to transform the travel experience for millions of customers. As a technical manager, you should be passionate about GenAI technology, keep up to date with recent breakthroughs in the field, define and shape the team’s ML roadmap, and not be afraid to get your hands dirty with code when needed. You are expected to be the focal point for all technical aspects, make sure your team members deliver on their tasks, and work together with other stakeholders to define and shape the roadmap of our products. You will work independently and will also be responsible for making technical decisions within your team. When it comes to management, your expertise in handling people will motivate and inspire them to reach outstanding success! You should have experience in developing people. You will mentor and coach your team while working closely with a Product Manager. Key Job Responsibilities and Duties: Leadership in LLM Development- Build, Guide and mentor a team of ML scientists and ML engineers in the development, fine-tuning, and deployment of large language models (LLMs) tailored for the travel domain. Expertise in the engineering aspects of deploying LLMs at scale with minimal latency. This includes optimizing model performance, scalability, and efficiency to meet the demands of real-time, high-traffic applications. Define and communicate the technical vision and strategy for LLM-related initiatives, ensuring alignment with company goals and customer needs. Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence within the team. Prioritize work in collaboration with Product Managers, depending on business needs and keeping stakeholders aligned at all times. Translate machine learning vision and strategy into planning and execution, and ensure timely delivery of their plans. Develop innovative ML models, algorithms, and engineering approaches or identify existing ones, with the potential to impact our business. Design and execute applied research plans to understand, apply, test, evolve, and generalize these technologies into reusable frameworks. Translate business problems into viable, reliable and robust ML and AI solutions, accounting for constraints of the production environment. Monitor product health, performance and business impact and act accordingly when requirements are not met. Identify underlying issues and opportunities across domains and situations that are not obviously related through application of structured thinking and logic. Solve issues by applying methods and insights gained from a variety of disciplines, navigating a variety of environments. Make things happen by maintaining motivation and conveying a sense of urgency, focusing on outcomes and accomplishments, while respecting the need to balance long- and short-term goals, by applying influencing techniques and decision making skills. Drive, coach and mentor others through evidence and clear communication, explaining advanced technical concepts in simpler terms. Continuously evolve your craft. Keep up to date with industry and academic standard methodologies, periodically explore new technologies, introduce them to the machine learning community and promote their application in areas where they can generate impact. Actively contribute to Machine Learning at Booking.com through training, exploration of new technologies, interviewing, onboarding and mentoring colleagues. Push for improvements, scaling and extending machine learning tooling and infrastructure, collaborating with central teams. Qualifications & Skills: Leadership Experience: At least 4 years of experience leading ML teams in Natural Language Processing (NLP) or Generative AI (GenAI) domains, with a proven ability to guide teams in achieving impactful results. LLM Expertise: Advanced knowledge and experience in managing teams developing Large Language Models (LLMs), with strong expertise in the engineering aspects of scalable LLM deployment, ensuring optimal performance and minimal latency. Academic and Applied Background: MSc with 6+ years of professional experience, or PhD with 4+ years of experience, applying Machine Learning to solve business challenges. Master’s, PhD, or equivalent experience in a quantitative field (e.g., Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence, Physics, etc.). Strong advantage for candidates whose MSc or PhD thesis work is related to NLP, showcasing deep research capabilities in this field. End-to-End R&D Proficiency: Demonstrated experience in designing and executing end-to-end research and development plans, from problem definition and data preparation to model deployment and performance monitoring. Proven Impact: A track record of delivering measurable business value through the development and implementation of large-scale machine learning models. Experience on multiple machine learning facets: working with large data sets, model development, statistics, experimentation, data visualization, optimization, software development. Experience collaborating cross functionally in the development of machine learning products (e.g. Developers, UX specialists, Product Managers, etc.). Strong working knowledge of Python, Java, Kafka, Hadoop, SQL, and Spark or similar technologies. Working experience with version control systems. Excellent English communication skills, both written and verbal. Leading by example, gaining respect through actions, not your title. Developing your team and motivating them to achieve their goals. Providing feedback timely and managing your key team performance indicators 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 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Booking.com: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 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 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: 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. 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.