As
Sr Legal Counsel, Product (AI and Machine Learning), you will report to the Sr Managing Counsel for AI and Machine Learning (ML) Product and work as part of the broader product counsel function. You will work directly with a number of business units who build, train and make use of AI and ML (including GenAI) to fuel insights, productivity and great products.You will act as a central pivot point for these teams partnering with them to ensure their use of AI and ML and generation of new product is legally sound and compliant with a range of regulatory requirements. In particular you will; manage a pipeline of AI product initiatives requiring risk assessment and review, as well generating and maintaining AI policy, playbooks, guidelines and good practice. You will be responsible for carrying out a wide range of legal tasks in this space, as so should be an all rounder and ‘T-shaped lawyer’. Ideally you will have;
Deep knowledge of, and experience practically applying, platform, technology, data and emerging AI regulations
An ability to clearly communicate the impact of such regulations on business and product strategy
Experience working with AI, ML and product teams (you will be able to speak their language)
Experience managing work across a number of workstreams at high pace
Ability to effectively communicate and engage with senior stakeholders in the business in this space .
Experience synthesizing advice from multiple specialist legal teams to deliver practical ‘one voice’ advice to the business.
You will bring to the other members of the Legal & Public Affairs team matters requiring escalation, collaboration or further analysis - although you will also spend much of your time acting independently and collaborating directly with business and operational counterparts.
You will also play a key role in shaping, testing and experimenting the legal product review process, including how Booking.com’s Legal & Public Affairs department may itself make use of AI to be as effective as possible. Knowledge and experience in the field of legal technology, legal design and the use of AI by in-house legal teams will therefore be a bonus.
Key responsibilities:
Running risk assessments which involves the understanding of legal and commercial risks (AI, IP, Data, Litigation, Contractual, Competition, Consumer, Platform Regulation), mapping that against a risk matrix and advising go or no go.
Establish an effective means of receiving, interpreting and responding to requests for AI Product Counsel support from across the business
Assist other members of the LPA team in managing material escalations and matters that have high strategic value, or material risk or exposure to the company collaboratively
Assist other members of the LPA team in managing regulatory compliance and litigation
Liaising with the Compliance team in maintaining the Regulatory Change Management Program as required
Respond to Product Owner queries and help coordinate requests for input and legal advice for various Product Initiatives, particularly AI and ML related (but not limited to) from across Booking.com that are generated by our internal risk assessment processes
Carrying out other tasks as required to enhance the effectiveness of the Product & FinTech team
Skills required:
Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent of education and related experience
Minimum of 5 to 8 years experience in a legal role or with a legal qualification
Innovative: the ability to meet complex challenges with innovative solutions that will apply successfully across multiple practice areas and jurisdictions
Ability to empathise with the regulatory expectations of regulators, review output and communicate with fluidity and precision in dealings with regulators or plaintiffs in adverse litigation
Curiosity about and interest in exploring legal technologies and tech-enabled efficiencies; experience with multiple legal tech solutions is a plus
Expertise in data presentation in regulatory contexts
Very strong organizational and project management skills. Capable of handling multiple projects/initiatives simultaneously and executing to completion
A natural problem-solver and strategic thinker, comfortable with ambiguity and able to bring structure to challenging situations
Someone who is always looking for opportunities to drive efficiency through appropriate use of the right technologies
Strong communication skills, particularly clear and concise written communication
A natural at building consensus and working with multiple stakeholders to drive projects to completion.
Further skills we are looking for:
Aligning with Booking.com’s Values (Think Customer First, Succeed Together, Own It, Learn Forever, Do the Right Thing)
Ability to make risk-based decisions and to escalate high risks to management
Being curious, flexible, and a creative & pragmatic problem solver
Ability to contribute to and manage legal projects
Confident yet collaborative
Ability to influence stakeholders across all levels within the organisation
Being proactive, resilient and having the drive to get things done
Having sound judgment and the ability to see the big picture and simultaneously appreciate the details necessary to operationalise the strategy
Having the courage to take positions and make tough judgment calls
Being a team player, self aware and a good listener - a diverse group will always find the best solution!
Ability to move with agility, prioritise workloads and meet deadlines
Forward thinking with an interest in emerging issues in legal and policy
In addition to our day-to-day work, we actively seek opportunities for our team members to engage in the wider global legal and public affairs communities through speaking engagements, training programs, and association memberships. Some of our lawyers are Board members of Consumer Law associations, Competition Law associations, Privacy associations, etc. We also believe in actively engaging with stakeholders to share our insights on policies affecting the travel experience and how travel tech innovations can fuel the digital transformation of the travel industry. For example, we recently launched Booking.com’s Public Affairs blog, where we publish our position on key policy issues (A World Worth Experiencing).
As a team, we believe in:
- Integrating with the Business and Legal having a “seat at the table”: we are decision makers that can have a real impact on Booking.com’s future
- Booking’s mission of making it easier for everyone to experience the world. Travel helps people become more open minded, curious and flexible
- Allowing members of our teams to experience different areas or, if they want to be specialists, give them the tools to become more effective in their jobs
- Providing holistic legal and public affairs advice; our team should not work in silos
- Always looking for better ways of doing things, improving our Legal Operations function, innovating and exchanging best practices
- Accepting that it's okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them
- Having a sense of humour and having fun working together; we are a team that likes to collaborate and share in joys and challenges together!
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.
