Centre Lead, Senior Manager

Role Description: Company Overview Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) is the world leader in online travel and related services, operating across more than 220 countries through leading brands such as Booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, and OpenTable. As a part of its global transformation journey, Booking Holdings is building Finance Centers of Excellence (COEs) in India to drive scalable and high-quality service delivery across its portfolio. Role Summary This is a key leadership role responsible for managing both Accounts Receivable (AR) and Procure to Pay (PTP) teams within the India COE. The role involves end-to-end ownership of service delivery, stakeholder management, process improvement, team development, and compliance. The Sr Manager/Tower Leader will be the leader at the COE acting as a bridge between the COE teams and global stakeholders, while actively contributing to strategic initiatives including automation, ERP enablement, and global finance transformation efforts. Key Responsibilities Leadership & People Development - Lead, coach, and develop high-performing AR and PTP teams at the COE. - Foster a culture of continuous improvement, inclusivity, and performance accountability. - Set clear performance objectives (KPIs/OKRs), conduct regular feedback, and manage underperformance when needed. - Attract and retain talent through structured hiring, mentoring, and stretch assignments. - Temporarily act as stand-in for the Center Lead for finance-related matters, when required. Service Delivery & Operational Excellence - Own end-to-end delivery of activities under - AR - billing, cash apps, credit and month end closing) and - PTP (procurement ops, invoice to pay, T&E, vendor master etc.) - Ensure daily processing, KPI adherence, SLA compliance, and issue resolution for both AR and PTP. - Maintain process documentation (SOPs) and support smooth month-end close cycles. - Monitor and report team performance and key metrics regularly to leadership. - Ensure compliance with SOX, internal controls, and corporate policies. Stakeholder Management - Manage internal and external stakeholder relationships including Accounting, Treasury, Collections, FinTech, and Business controllers. - Act as the second level of escalation for operational and people issues. - Chair or participate in cross-functional meetings and represent the COE in global finance operation forums. Process Improvement & Transformation - Identify and lead automation opportunities and ERP integration initiatives (e.g. Ivalua, SAP) . - Drive improvements in control environments, month end closing, task tracking systems and key reconciliations. - Conduct ideation sessions and implement high-impact improvements from team contributions. - Support implementation of the Global Finance Transformation roadmap alongside the Operations Excellence teams. Compliance, Controls & Audit - Ensure strong internal controls across AR and PTP processes, including SOX and business controls. - Support and lead internal/external audit requirements at the COE. - Design and implement standardized, globally compliant processes that meet local and brand-specific needs. Qualifications & Skills - Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field. - 18+ years of experience in shared services, with proven leadership in a variety of Finance Operation functions. - Hands-on experience with ERP systems and automation tools; exposure to procurement systems like Ivalua is a plus. - Strong analytical, stakeholder management, and communication skills. - Experience working in a global, matrixed organization is preferred. - Demonstrated ability to lead teams through change, transformation, and growth phases. - Strong written and verbal communication, facilitation, and presentation skills. - Comfort dealing with ambiguity and a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment.