At Booking, 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.
Role Description
Ensuring we understand the needs and intentions of our travelers remains a top priority for Booking. With millions of accommodations, flights, taxis, attractions, and car rentals available on our platform, our aim is to assist customers in finding the perfect fit for their journey. Customers may express their needs and intentions directly through their searches or filter usage, while in addition we can further deduct their preferences from their interactions on our platform, such as clicking on specific accommodations rather than others. At Booking, we consistently analyze and model customer behavior to personalize the traveler experience.
Following successful user intent and needs modeling across various parts of the company, these efforts have recently been consolidated into a central team, and as part of the Traveler Centric Data track within the new Marketplace business unit we are now expanding further. The User Intent Modelling team is building upon past successes, while also deepening on innovation to push the boundaries for personalisation even further by leveraging state-of-the-art Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. It is a crucial aspect of the Marketplace vision to ensure we guide our travelers to the most suitable products and facilitate seamless connections between the various parts of their trip.
As a Machine Learning Engineer, your responsibility is to operationalise cutting-edge Machine Learning models that need to run in real-time, ensuring low-latency performance to deliver an exceptional user experience for our travelers, requiring the training of large-scale models and developing scalable feature engineering solutions using modern data and Machine Learning tooling and optimization techniques. You will work closely together with the other Machine Learning Engineers and Machine Learnings Scientists in the User Intent Modelling team as well as with Data Engineers, Software Engineers and Product Managers.
Key Job Responsibilities and Duties
Execute applied research plans for machine intelligence on a specific product by designing innovative ML/AI models, algorithms, and approaches that deliver both short-term commercial impact and longer-term differentiated business value and customer experiences. Document and share the findings.
Translate specific business problems into ML/AI challenges and identify the best approach within the constraints of the production environment. Build proof-of-concepts to test new ideas and demonstrate their potential value to relevant stakeholders.
Develop production-grade machine learning code, from models to features and pipelines, allowing for scalability, realtime, monitoring and retraining. Monitor product health, performance and business impact and act accordingly when not met.
Build readable and reusable code, choosing the right technologies, coding methodologies, and approach from carefully designed rapid prototyping to software deployment at scale. Identify opportunities for platform-based development and reuse by abstracting business problems to generalized ML/AI solutions.
Maintain a highly cross-disciplinary perspective, solving issues by applying approaches and methods from across a variety of ML/AI disciplines and related fields. Coach others through evidence and clear communication, explaining advanced technical concepts.
Identify underlying issues and opportunities across domains and situations through application of structured thinking and logic, and formulate possible improvements.
Continuously evolve your craft by keeping up to date with the latest developments in ML/AI and related technologies, introducing them to the machine learning community and promoting their application in areas where they can generate impact.
Actively contribute to Machine Learning at Booking 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.
Role Qualifications and Requirements
We prefer candidates with Deep Learning experience, especially when applied to large-scale datasets.
2 years of relevant work experience (or equivalent), involved with the application of Machine Learning to business problems in a commercial environment.
Demonstrable experience of multiple machine learning facets, such as working with large data sets, experimentation, scalability and optimization.
Experience with data-driven product development: analytics, A/B testing, etc.
Strong working experience in one or more general purpose programming languages, including but not limited to: Java, Python or Perl.
Strong working knowledge of Spark and SQL.
Bsc or higher in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, or related fields.
Excellent English communication skills, both written and verbal.
Experience in Kubernetes and Docker.
: Global Impact, Personal Relevance
Booking’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, world-class 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.
Full relocation support for you and your family to move to Amsterdam. We have fine-tuned this process by successfully relocating over 300 Technology professionals to Amsterdam in the last year alone!
Performance-based company that offers 29 vacation days, career advancement, and lucrative compensation, including bonuses and stock potential.
Discount on Booking 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 Dutch 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 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*
: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Booking
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) 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, the diversity of our people doesn’t just create a unique workplace, it also creates a better and more inclusive travel experience for everyone.”
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable adjustments to participate in the interview process. Please contact us to request adjustments.
Career Development Opportunities
Bi-annual performance conversations, company-wide mentoring program, and internal development opportunities
Unlimited access to online learning platforms: Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn learning, O'reilly
Application Process
The interview process will entail: an online Coding test, an initial screen by one of our Recruiters, a Coding interview, a System design interview and a final Bahavioural interview.
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.
