Head of Public Affairs - China

Booking.com, the world’s leading accommodation website, is looking for a Head of Public Affairs - China, based in Shanghai, to help extend our global Public Affairs outreach to China.

You will have a key role in defining and implementing our Public Affairs strategy in one of our most important growth markets. You will be representing the interests of Booking.com before government bodies and other relevant policy and regulatory stakeholders at national, regional and local level, and help us analyze complex legal, regulatory and policy developments.

The Head of Public Affairs - China will report to the Director of Global Public Affairs. You will work closely with the rest of the Public Affairs team located at our global headquarters in Amsterdam and at strategic hubs around the world, with the leadership team in China, as well as with other departments within the company and external partners such as consultancies and trade associations.

This is a great opportunity for someone wanting to fill a newly created role and to make a real impact as part of a global team.

Key responsibilities

• Develop , manage and execute a public policy strategy to support business priorities and Booking.com’s corporate profile
• Represent the company’s interests by engaging with relevant political and regulatory audiences
• Ensure continuous monitoring and evaluation of relevant discussions, regulatory decisions and stakeholder activity on key public affairs / reputational issues
• Draft position papers, consultation responses, presentations and briefings for internal and external meetings, and organize campaigns and events to advance those messages
• Proactively coordinate and communicate internally to align messaging and provide colleagues with a thorough understanding of developments
• Facilitate high-level meetings with key stakeholders to promote and advocate the company’s public policy priorities
• Coordinate with external consultants and closely align with relevant trade associations

Experience

• Masters degree in policy, international affairs, law or other relevant field
• A proven track record of at least 8-12 years of relevant experience in China, ideally in a government institution in combination with inhouse or consultancy experience in the area of Public Affairs and/or Government Relations
• Deep understanding of policy and legal challenges facing the technology, e-commerce industry
• Ability to engage directly with senior policy makers (at national and local level) and to act as a spokesperson for the business
• Excellent oral communication skills and ability to distil complex information into clear messages that will resonate with political and regulatory audiences, as well as into succinct updates for the business teams
• High quality written skills and practical experience in drafting materials for use by regulators, senior executives or politicians
• Experience developing creative and effective Public Affairs campaigns that underpin the company’s business objectives
• Outstanding organizational abilities, in particular, the capacity to manage multiple workstreams at one time and the proactivity to drive work programmes forward and co-ordinate the involvement of all relevant stakeholders
• Experience working in a fast-paced, multicultural environment
• Experience with managing sensitive reputational issues and/or crises

Personal attributes

• Self-starter that is also an excellent team player
• Strong influencing skills and ability to inspire confidence, as well as the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships at all levels
• High level of integrity with ability to develop both internal and external credibility
• Hands-on, results-focused and impactful
• Fluent written and verbal language skills in English and Mandarin