Senior Machine Learning Scientist I
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.
About the team: The Performance Marketing team builds and optimizes large‑scale ML systems for online bidding across all major search providers, owning one of the industry’s largest online advertising optimization platforms to keep Booking.com competitive. We run end‑to‑end research‑to‑production cycles—from POC models to production A/B tests—driving measurable impact by innovating in online auctions at scale.
Role Description: As a Senior Machine Learning Scientist, you’ll have the chance to work on diverse marketing surfaces and play an integral role in taking our bidding algorithms to the next level across verticals. You’ll have the chance to collaborate closely with other machine learning scientists, scientists, engineers, developers, and various business stakeholders and take full ownership of your work - from the initial idea generation phase to the implementation of the final Machine Learning product. You will thrive at Booking.com if you are result-focused, innovative, and with a solid quantitative background, but most of all by understanding our complex business problems and the customer-centric approach we apply to solve these problems.
Key Job Responsibilities and Duties:
Develop the strategy and execution plan for implementing company-wide ML Systems Quality improvement programs.
Collect, assess and develop good practices for ML Systems across the company.
Identify opportunities to improve our Machine Learning Systems Development Processes.
Translate quality related ideas into actionable capabilities and safeguards for our Machine Learning Platform.
Independently define and build proof-of-concepts to test new ideas and demonstrate their potential value to relevant stakeholders.
Build readable and reusable code, choosing the right technologies, coding methodologies, and approach from carefully designed rapid prototyping to software deployment at scale.
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 in simpler terms.
Identify underlying issues and opportunities across domains and situations through application of structured thinking and logic, and drive concrete improvements. Guide and support colleagues dealing with complex scenarios.
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.
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 business specific teams.
Role qualifications and Requirements:
Ability to design an applied research plan for a product family from scratch as evidenced by peer-review publication or similar track record.
Strong relevant work or academic experience (MSc + 5 years of working experience, or PhD + 2 years), involved in the development and application of Machine Learning.
Masters degree, PhD or equivalent experience in a quantitative field (e.g. Computer Science, Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence, Physics, etc).
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, ML Engineers, Product Managers, etc).
Strong working knowledge of Python, Hadoop, SQL, Spark or similar big data technologies.
Prior experience with Feature Engineering
Prior experience in the Fraud domain is a plus.
Fluency in at least one programming language, with a strong preference for Python.
Excellent English communication skills, both written and verbal; the ability to convey your message to team members and other stakeholders.
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
Living and working in Amsterdam, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Europe
Contributing to a high scale, complex, world renowned product and seeing real-time impact of your work on millions of travelers worldwide
Working in a fast-paced and performance driven culture
Opportunity to utilize technical expertise, leadership capabilities and entrepreneurial spirit
Promote and drive impactful and innovative engineering solutions
Technical, behavioral and interpersonal competence advancement via on-the-job opportunities, experimental projects, hackathons, conferences and active community participation
Competitive compensation and benefits package and some great added perks of working in the home city of Booking.com
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.