Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.
Manager - Planning & Operations - India Tech
About Airbnb
Airbnb is a mission-driven company dedicated to helping create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. It takes a unified team committed to our core values to achieve this goal. Airbnb's various functions embody the company's innovative spirit and our fast-moving team is committed to leading as a 21st century company.
About The Role
Airbnb India Tech team was set up in 2021 with a base in Bangalore. We are a fast-growing team and home to the most hospitable people you will ever meet. Our team of over 200 extremely capable tech colleagues aim to make the impossible happen for our inbound and outbound travelers within this big and diverse market. We are on a mission to build world-class products and E2E experiences for all our global partners - hosts and guests, employees and partner communities.You will be part of the India Tech Leader’s team, reporting directly to the India Tech Leader. The selected candidate will lead the Strategy & vision for the India TechHub for Airbnb and lead the execution of key programs that will drive the future of the Tech growth in the region. This role requires strategic thinking, stakeholder coordination, product thinking, and governance for implementing best practices across teams.
What You'll Do
Strategy & Vision
- Define and articulate the long-term vision for the India TechHub, ensuring it delivers meaningful impact for Airbnb’s global priorities while positioning the site for sustainable future growth.
- Lead the annual strategic planning process for the site, partnering closely with technology teams, cross-functional leaders, and global stakeholders to align priorities and resources.
- Establish and track progress against site-level OKRs, ensuring measurable impact and driving accountability across teams towards the annual and long-term goals.
- Lead the execution of high-impact strategic programs that enable the TechHub’s evolution — from capability expansion to innovation initiatives — unlocking its potential as a critical driver of Airbnb’s success.
Business Growth & innovation
- Partner with Payments Product, Engineering, and International Business leaders to deeply understand strategic priorities and translate them into actionable initiatives & opportunities for the India TechHub.
- Develop robust business cases in collaboration with key stakeholders, leveraging data, insights, and market trends to inform decisions and drive investment in high-impact opportunities.
- Design and launch pilots and proof-of-concepts to validate opportunities, measure potential impact, and inform scaling strategies.
- Conduct in-depth industry research to stay ahead of evolving trends in technology and the travel sector, bringing forward innovative ideas and opportunities for Airbnb’s growth.
Cross-functional Partnerships for Site growth
- Collaborate with cross-functional leaders across Recruitment, Talent Partners, Total Rewards, Tech Learning, Branding and other functions to shape a unified vision and execution plan for the India TechHub.
- Engage actively in GCC (Global Capability Centre) forums, leveraging market intelligence, best practices, and peer insights to identify growth opportunities and inform our strategic roadmap.
- Establish strong operational governance with functional partners to drive alignment, streamline decision-making, and measure the progress and effectiveness of key site programs.
- Develop and maintain a unified site plan with functional stakeholders, tracking progress against defined goals on a monthly basis and ensuring accountability across all teams.
What You'll Bring
Qualifications & Experience
- Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Engineering, or a related field.
Experience
- 10+ years of experience in business operations, program management, or a similar role within a product-focused organization.
- Background in a technology or innovation-driven environment, with a strong understanding of the tech and product development landscape.
- Proven track record of working with executive leadership and influencing strategic decision-making.
- Demonstrated expertise in governance frameworks, operational cadences, and performance reporting.
- Experience navigating a highly matrixed, global organization and thriving in fast-paced, complex environments.
- Prior experience in budget management, resource planning, and infrastructure operations is an advantage.
- Exposure to large-scale operational transformations or establishing/expanding tech hubs.
- Ability to adapt and excel in dynamic, high-growth environments with shifting priorities.
Skills & Competencies
- Operational Excellence: Strong grasp of business processes, workflow optimization, and performance tracking, with the ability to drive improvements independently.
- Influence Without Authority: Proven ability to build strong relationships, collaborate across teams, and mobilize stakeholders towards shared goals.
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: Skilled in analyzing operational metrics, generating actionable insights, and driving process enhancements based on data.
- Communication & Coordination: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills to ensure clarity, alignment, and seamless execution of plans.
- Problem-Solving: Proactive in identifying operational challenges and implementing effective, scalable solutions.
- Technology & Tools: Proficient with modern operational tools such as JIRA, Asana, Tableau, Power BI, Slack, and Confluence, leveraging them to improve efficiency and transparency. Good working knowledge of AI tools to drive efficiency.
Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging
Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.
