Lead - Partner Hub UX

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead - Partner Hub UX

Company: Booking.com

Location: Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: User Experience (UX) / Product Design (with strong GTM and Operations implications)

Date Posted: 2026-10-02

Experience Level: Mid-Senior to Lead (estimated 5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end user experience (UX) strategy and execution for Booking.com's Partner Hub, a critical digital channel for accommodation partners.

• Drive the information architecture (IA) and UX direction for the Partner Hub, ensuring a coherent and conversion-optimized partner journey across all touchpoints.

• Spearhead the UX workstream within the ongoing headless migration, ensuring a unified partner experience despite evolving delivery models.

• Champion the "Voice of the Partner" by translating qualitative and quantitative insights into actionable design decisions and platform improvements.

• Manage and prioritize UX design and technical backlogs, including conversion experiments, component enhancements, and A/B testing initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is primarily UX-focused, its impact on the "Digital Partner Ecosystem" and its direct responsibility for partner conversion metrics (commercial and support KPIs) firmly place it within the scope of Go-to-Market (GTM) operations and revenue-driving initiatives. The emphasis on a headless architecture and component-based design systems also highlights a strong technical operations and product management component.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• End-to-End UX Ownership: Lead the design, strategy, and implementation of the Partner Hub's user experience, from initial concept to validated solution, ensuring alignment with business objectives and partner needs.

• Information Architecture & Navigation Design: Define and evolve the partner-facing information architecture, content hierarchies, and navigation structures to ensure content findability and coherence across the Partner Hub and potentially other channels.

• Headless Migration UX Leadership: Drive the UX workstream for the headless migration, defining component standards and experience requirements that underpin the platform's evolution. Collaborate closely with infrastructure and editorial leads to maintain a consistent partner experience.

• Performance Tracking & Optimization: Continuously monitor and analyze UX and conversion metrics (e.g., PSAT, CTRs, personalization performance, Mouseflow recordings) to identify areas for improvement, surface risks, and inform prioritization of the UX backlog.

• Backlog Management & Prioritization: Own and manage the UX design and technical backlogs, prioritizing conversion experiments, page builds, component improvements, A/B tests, bug fixes, and compliance work based on partner impact, feasibility, and resource availability.

• Partner Advocacy: Act as the primary advocate for the partner's perspective in platform architecture, CMS structure, and new feature design discussions, identifying and mitigating potential friction, inconsistency, findability, or accessibility issues.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Engage effectively with content, engineering, product marketing, commercial, and vendor teams to ensure cohesive delivery of UX initiatives and to gain stakeholder buy-in.

• Vendor & Resource Management: Coordinate and manage external design and engineering resources, providing clear requirements, priorities, and quality expectations to ensure successful project execution.

• Technical Collaboration: Work closely with technical teams to ensure design decisions are technically feasible and translate effectively into implementation within a component-driven frontend architecture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a leadership role that bridges UX design with product strategy and GTM execution. The emphasis on "conversion-optimized journeys," "commercial KPIs," and "partner performance" suggests this role is directly accountable for revenue-generating outcomes through improved partner engagement and adoption of Booking.com's services.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in UX Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Graphic Design, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for a Lead-level UX role. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: Estimated 5-10 years of progressive experience in UX design, with a significant portion focused on digital product design, platform experience, and driving conversion improvements. Experience in a lead or senior capacity is essential.

Required Skills:

• Customer Insights & User Research: Proven ability to leverage qualitative and quantitative data (including tools like Mouseflow) to understand partner needs, behaviors, and pain points, translating these into impactful design decisions.

• Design Thinking & Problem Solving: Expertise in applying design thinking methodologies to develop creative, user-centric solutions that address complex business requirements and technical constraints.

• Design Systems Management: Demonstrated experience in owning, evolving, and advocating for a component-based design system that serves as the single source of truth for platform consistency.

• Information Architecture (IA) & Content Strategy: Strong skills in designing intuitive navigation structures, content hierarchies, and taxonomies that enhance findability and coherence, especially within headless and multi-surface environments.

• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): Deep understanding and practical experience in designing and executing A/B tests and conversion experiments to measurably improve key performance indicators (KPIs) like CTRs and PSAT.

• Business Acumen: Ability to understand Booking.com's business objectives, key results (OKRs), partner perspectives, and operational context, framing UX work in terms of commercial and business impact.

• Stakeholder Management & Collaboration: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to effectively engage, influence, and gain support from diverse stakeholders across engineering, product, marketing, and commercial teams.

• Project Management & Prioritization: Methodical approach to breaking down complex projects, managing timelines, prioritizing tasks effectively, and working independently to deliver against agreed quality standards.

• Technical Literacy: Comfortable collaborating with engineering teams, understanding frontend architectures (especially component-driven and headless), and translating design hypotheses into actionable user stories.

• Accessibility Standards: Awareness and application of accessibility best practices (e.g., WCAG) to ensure inclusive design solutions for all partners.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with headless CMS architectures and their UX implications.

• Familiarity with AI-enabled solutions and their application in partner-facing platforms.

• Experience working in a global, e-commerce, or travel technology environment.

• Understanding of SEO principles as they relate to content findability within a partner portal.

• Experience managing external design or development vendors.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "Technical Literacy" and "Fluent in collaboration with technical teams" suggests a need for a UX Lead who understands the practicalities of frontend development, particularly with modern architectures like headless. This is crucial for effective collaboration and managing the UX implications of technical decisions.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• UX Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 detailed UX case studies demonstrating end-to-end ownership of a digital product or feature, from problem definition and research through to design, testing, and measurable impact.

• Design System Contribution: Provide examples of contributions to or ownership of a design system, illustrating how components were designed, documented, and implemented for consistency and scalability.

• Information Architecture Examples: Include artifacts such as sitemaps, user flows, or navigation models that demonstrate a strong understanding of IA principles and their application in complex digital environments.

• Conversion Optimization Projects: Highlight projects where UX interventions directly led to measurable improvements in conversion rates, user engagement, or partner satisfaction, supported by data and key metrics.

• Collaboration & Process Documentation: Briefly describe your process for collaborating with cross-functional teams (engineering, product, content) and how you manage project backlogs and priorities.

Process Documentation:

• User Journey Mapping: Demonstrate experience in mapping complex user journeys, identifying friction points, and designing optimized paths for partner engagement within a digital platform.

• A/B Testing & Experimentation: Showcase examples of hypotheses developed for A/B tests, the experimental design, and how results were analyzed and iterated upon to improve performance.

• Design System Governance: Explain your approach to maintaining and evolving a design system, including processes for component creation, updates, and adoption by development teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the emphasis on a headless migration and component-based architecture, candidates should be prepared to discuss how their UX work integrates with and influences the underlying technical and content structures. Demonstrating experience with structured content and IA in such environments will be highly advantageous.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Lead UX role in Amsterdam with 5-10 years of experience, the estimated annual salary range is typically between €70,000 - €100,000. This can vary based on the specific candidate's experience, negotiation skills, and the precise band Booking.com assigns to this role.

Benefits:

• Competitive Salary: As outlined above, with potential for bonuses or stock options depending on company policy.

• Annual Paid Time Off: Generous allowance for vacation and personal time.

• Comprehensive Leave Schemes: Includes parent, grandparent, bereavement, and care leave, demonstrating a commitment to employee well-being.

• Hybrid Working Model: Flexibility to work from home and in the office, promoting work-life balance.

• Remote Work Abroad: Up to 20 days per year working from your home country, offering global flexibility.

• Industry-Leading Product Discounts: Up to €1400 annually for personal use of Booking.com's services.

• Automatic Genius Level 3 Status: Premium loyalty status for Booking.com users.

• Booking.com Wallet Credit: Additional financial perk for using the platform.

• Health & Wellness Programs: Likely includes comprehensive health insurance, potentially mental health support, and wellness initiatives.

• Career Development: Access to learning resources, mentorship programs, and internal mobility opportunities.

Working Hours: This is a full-time position. While a standard 40-hour work week is typical, Booking.com's hybrid and flexible working arrangements suggest a focus on output and results rather than strict adherence to hours, allowing for adaptable scheduling within operational needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on current market data for Lead UX roles in Amsterdam, considering the tech industry and the company's profile. It's crucial for candidates to research current market rates for similar roles in Amsterdam to inform their salary expectations and negotiation. The benefits package is exceptionally strong, particularly the travel-related perks and flexible working arrangements.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Online Travel & Technology. Booking.com operates within the highly competitive global travel and hospitality sector, leveraging technology to connect travelers with accommodations worldwide. This context means a fast-paced, data-driven, and innovation-focused environment.

Company Size: Large Enterprise (typically 10,000+ employees globally). This scale implies established processes, cross-functional complexity, and opportunities for impact across a vast user base.

Founded: 1996. Booking.com has a long history, evolving from a small Dutch startup to a global leader, indicating a culture of adaptation, resilience, and continuous improvement.

Team Structure:

• Digital Partner Ecosystem (DPE): This role sits within the DPE department, a strategic function focused on enhancing the value proposition for accommodation partners through connected digital experiences.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role requires close collaboration with leads responsible for infrastructure, editorial content, engineering, product marketing, commercial teams, and potentially external vendors. This indicates a matrixed reporting structure and a strong emphasis on teamwork.

• Reporting: The Lead, UX will likely report to a Director or Head of UX/Product Design within the DPE or a related product organization.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Booking.com heavily relies on data analytics, A/B testing, and user research to inform product development and strategic decisions.

• Agile & Lean Methodologies: Expect a fast-paced, iterative approach to product development, with a focus on continuous delivery, experimentation, and rapid feedback loops.

• Customer-Centricity: A core principle is understanding and serving the needs of both travelers and partners, with this role specifically focusing on the partner experience.

Company Website: https://jobs.booking.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The DPE department's mission to "reduce friction and provide clear, relevant, and personalised guidance" highlights a core operational focus on efficiency and partner success, directly impacting Booking.com's top-line revenue. The move to a headless architecture signifies a strategic investment in modernizing their technology stack for greater agility and scalability.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Lead-level position, indicating significant autonomy, strategic input, and responsibility for a critical product area (Partner Hub UX). It sits above senior individual contributors but may not yet be a people management role, focusing instead on functional leadership and strategic direction within UX.

Reporting Structure: The Lead, UX will likely report into a senior leadership role (e.g., Director of UX, Head of Product Design) within the Digital Partner Ecosystem or a broader product organization. They will collaborate extensively with other leads (infrastructure, editorial) and teams across Product, Engineering, and Commercial.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct and significant impact on Booking.com's revenue and operational efficiency. By improving the Partner Hub's UX, the company aims to:

• Increase Partner Adoption & Engagement: Leading to more bookings and increased revenue for Booking.com.

• Enhance Partner Satisfaction (PSAT): Reducing churn and improving partner loyalty.

• Streamline Partner Operations: Enabling partners to manage their businesses more effectively through self-service, reducing support costs and operational overhead.

• Drive Product Adoption: Ensuring partners effectively utilize Booking.com's tools and services.

Growth Opportunities:

• UX Leadership: Potential to grow into a Senior Lead, Principal UX, or Manager of UX roles, overseeing larger teams or more strategic product areas.

• Product Strategy: Deeper involvement in product strategy, roadmap planning, and defining the future direction of the partner-facing digital ecosystem.

• Technical Specialization: Developing expertise in headless architectures, design systems, and modern frontend technologies from a UX perspective.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Opportunities to move into related product management, program management, or GTM strategy roles within Booking.com.

• Learning & Development: Access to internal training, workshops, conferences, and mentorship programs designed to foster continuous skill development and career advancement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role's focus on a "headless migration" and "component standards" positions the individual at the forefront of modern digital platform evolution, offering valuable experience for future career growth in tech and operations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. This implies a mix of remote work and in-office collaboration. Booking.com's Amsterdam office is a modern, vibrant workspace designed to foster collaboration and innovation.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Amsterdam, Netherlands (Oosterdokskade 163). This is a well-connected and central location within the city.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office likely features open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and informal collaboration zones designed to facilitate teamwork and knowledge sharing.

• Technology & Tools: Access to state-of-the-art technology, including high-speed internet, advanced AV equipment for remote collaboration, and the necessary software and hardware for UX design and development.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for face-to-face interaction with colleagues in UX, product, engineering, and other departments, fostering a strong sense of team and community.

Work Schedule: Full-time, with hybrid and flexible working arrangements. This allows for a degree of autonomy in structuring the workday to balance personal needs with team collaboration and project deadlines. The focus is on achieving objectives and delivering results.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on hybrid work and the option to work from abroad for up to 20 days per year indicates a progressive and globally-minded work environment, attractive to professionals seeking flexibility.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and conduct an initial screening call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: In-depth discussion with the hiring manager focusing on your experience, leadership style, and understanding of UX principles within a product context.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A key stage where you will present 1-2 detailed case studies from your portfolio, demonstrating your process, problem-solving skills, and impact. Expect to discuss your contributions, methodologies, and the outcomes achieved.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with peers and stakeholders from engineering, product, and potentially commercial teams to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to work within a complex ecosystem.

• Final Round / Senior Leadership Interview: Potentially a final interview with a senior leader to discuss strategic vision, long-term impact, and overall fit within Booking.com's culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives. Clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the key decisions you made, and the measurable results.

• Focus on Impact: Quantify your achievements whenever possible. Use data (e.g., conversion rate improvements, PSAT scores, engagement metrics) to demonstrate the business value of your UX work.

• Process Transparency: Detail your UX process, including research methods, design iterations, collaboration techniques, and how you handled challenges or trade-offs.

• Headless & Design System Relevance: If possible, include examples that highlight your experience with design systems, component-based design, or working within a headless architecture.

• Tailor to the Role: Select case studies that best align with the responsibilities and requirements of the Lead - Partner Hub UX role, emphasizing partner experience, conversion optimization, and IA.

Challenge Preparation:

• UX Challenge: Be prepared for a potential practical UX exercise or a take-home assignment. This could involve analyzing a user flow, proposing UX improvements for a given scenario, or designing a component.

• Strategic Thinking: Practice articulating your strategic approach to UX challenges, considering business goals, technical constraints, and user needs.

• Stakeholder Communication: Rehearse how you would present complex UX concepts and justify design decisions to non-design stakeholders, focusing on clarity and business impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the emphasis on the headless migration, be ready to discuss your understanding of how UX integrates with content strategy and technical architecture in such a setup. Demonstrating an ability to define "component standards" and "experience requirements" will be crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX/UI Design Software: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop) are standard. Proficiency in at least one is expected.

• Prototyping Tools: InVision, Axure, or advanced prototyping features within Figma/Sketch.

• User Research & Analytics Platforms: Mouseflow (explicitly mentioned), Google Analytics, Hotjar, UserTesting.com, or similar tools for qualitative and quantitative insights.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello for backlog management, task tracking, and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics for tracking user behavior and conversion funnels.

• BI Tools: Tableau, Power BI, or internal Booking.com tools for data visualization and reporting on KPIs.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Optimizely, VWO, or internal experimentation platforms.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly managing CRM, understanding how partner data from CRM systems informs UX decisions and how the Partner Hub might integrate with CRM or marketing automation platforms is beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with a design system toolset and understanding how to leverage analytics platforms like Mouseflow for UX insights are critical. Familiarity with A/B testing platforms and the ability to translate hypotheses into actionable user stories for engineering teams are also key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven & Analytical: Decisions are grounded in data, user insights, and measurable outcomes. Operations professionals are expected to be comfortable with analysis and experimentation.

• Customer-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of both travelers and partners, ensuring a positive and effective experience.

• Innovation & Agility: Encouragement to experiment, embrace change, and adapt quickly in a dynamic tech and travel market. A willingness to challenge the status quo.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication, knowledge sharing, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving across diverse teams and functions.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Focus on building solutions that are not only effective but also scalable and operationally efficient, particularly relevant for a global platform supporting millions of partners.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Expect a highly collaborative environment where UX is deeply integrated with Product Management, Engineering, Data Science, and Commercial teams. Regular syncs, workshops, and joint planning sessions are common.

• Feedback-Driven Culture: Openness to giving and receiving constructive feedback is essential for continuous improvement of both products and processes.

• Shared Ownership: A culture of shared responsibility for achieving team and company objectives, moving beyond siloed functional responsibilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "conversion-optimized journeys," "partner satisfaction," and "commercial impact" suggests that the team values UX contributions that directly drive business results. The "Voice of the Partner" advocacy is a strong cultural indicator of a partner-centric operational mindset.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Headless Migration Complexity: Navigating the technical and UX challenges of migrating to a headless architecture while maintaining a seamless and coherent partner experience across evolving platforms.

• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Managing diverse requirements and priorities from different departments (commercial, product, engineering, editorial) to deliver cohesive UX solutions.

• Global Partner Diversity: Designing for a vast and diverse global partner base with varying technical capabilities, business needs, and cultural contexts.

• Driving Measurable Impact: Continuously demonstrating the ROI of UX initiatives through robust data analysis and A/B testing in a competitive market.

• Legacy System Integration: Potentially working with or migrating from existing systems while ensuring a modern, efficient user experience.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX Techniques: Deepen expertise in areas like personalization, AI-driven UX, and advanced A/B testing methodologies.

• Headless Architecture & Design Systems: Become a subject matter expert in designing for headless environments and evolving complex design systems.

• Product Strategy & GTM: Gain exposure to broader product strategy, go-to-market planning, and commercial operations within the travel tech industry.

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to hone leadership skills, mentor junior designers, and influence strategic product decisions.

• Industry Exposure: Attend relevant conferences, workshops, and training sessions to stay abreast of the latest UX trends and technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge lies in balancing the strategic vision of a unified partner experience with the technical realities of a headless migration and the diverse needs of a global partner base. Success will require strong strategic thinking, technical acumen, and exceptional collaboration skills.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach defining the UX strategy for a new feature within the Partner Hub, considering both partner needs and business objectives?" (Focus on process, data, and collaboration.)

• "Describe a time you had to advocate for a user-centric design decision that faced resistance from stakeholders. How did you navigate that situation?" (Highlight communication, data-driven persuasion, and compromise.)

• "Given our move to a headless architecture, how would you ensure consistency and a coherent experience across different surfaces and content types?" (Discuss design systems, component standards, and IA.)

• "How do you prioritize UX work when faced with competing demands from different departments (e.g., commercial, engineering, support)?" (Emphasize backlog management, impact assessment, and data-driven prioritization.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Booking.com's mission and the Digital Partner Ecosystem?" (Showcase understanding of the company's business and the role's strategic importance.)

• "How do you see the 'Voice of the Partner' influencing your UX decisions?" (Connect your experience with the role's core advocacy.)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration style with engineering and content teams, especially in a hybrid work environment." (Align with Booking.com's collaborative culture.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: For each case study, clearly outline: The Problem, Your Role, The Solution (Design Process, Key Decisions), The Outcome (Quantifiable Results), and Key Learnings.

• Visuals: Use high-fidelity mockups, prototypes, user flow diagrams, and IA maps to illustrate your work.

• Data Focus: Explicitly state the metrics you influenced (e.g., "Increased CTR by X%", "Improved PSAT by Y points").

• Process Explanation: Be ready to explain why you made certain design choices, referencing user research, data, or design principles.

• Conciseness: Practice presenting within the allotted time, focusing on the most impactful aspects of your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared to discuss your experience with design systems, component libraries, and information architecture in the context of a headless CMS. This is a critical aspect of the role and the ongoing migration.

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📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-aligned UX position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the online application form via the Booking.com careers portal.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords and achievements related to UX leadership, information architecture, design systems, conversion optimization, partner experience, and headless architectures. Quantify your impact with specific metrics.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate your end-to-end UX process, problem-solving skills, impact on business/commercial KPIs, and experience with relevant technologies (e.g., design systems).

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice articulating your case studies clearly and concisely, focusing on storytelling, data-driven outcomes, and your collaborative approach. Be ready to discuss your UX strategy and how it aligns with business goals.

• Research Booking.com & DPE: Understand Booking.com's business model, its position in the travel industry, and the specific goals of the Digital Partner Ecosystem. Familiarize yourself with their company culture and values.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.