Process Strategy and Optimization Lead

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.

The Community You Will Join: 

The Process and Strategy Optimization (PSO) team within Fraud and Safety Operations supports the broader mission of protecting Airbnb’s community and strengthening trust across the platform. Our team owns and executes the operational excellence strategy for the fraud and safety investigations team. We drive end-to-end programs at scale which improve quality, efficiency, experience, and cost. Our work ensures solutions are innovative, scalable, and optimized; enabling us to deliver on Airbnb’s promise of safety and trust.

The Difference You Will Make:

As the Process Strategy and Optimization Manager, you will drive large-scale, cross-functional initiatives that advance the strategic goals of Fraud and Safety Operations. You’re an excellent problem solver, and you will tackle challenging business problems amidst ambiguity within a global operation setting. 

You lead end to end programs that improve quality, drive efficiency, and enhance the user experience, all at the lowest possible cost. You are outcomes driven, and have a strong bias for action. You’re a proven process improvement professional, with the ability to manage multiple high-visability projects simultaneously. You have strong influence, leverage data to tell a compelling story, and build strong relationships with cross functional stakeholders. 

Successful candidates will dive deep into problem spaces, understand root causes at their core, and deliver innovative solutions which make a material impact in key business metrics.  cross functional stakeholders, often with competing objectives. What you launch will impact hundreds of operations specialists, and delivering a superior user experience is table stakes. 

A Typical Day: 

• Drive operational excellence across key programs which tie directly with the topline goals of the fraud and safety operations team.
• Lead end-to-end process improvement efforts through business case development, establishing measurement systems, root cause analysis, developing and launching innovative solutions, and establishing control and feedback mechanisms to ensure solutions stick.
• Translate business and operational requirements to cross functional stakeholders across our platform product, tools. policy, engineering, and shared services teams. 
• Achieve  strategic alignment across cross-functional stakeholders to ensure operational goals are embedded in system design, roadmap prioritization, and delivery plans.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and innovation, grounded in operational data, customer insights, and market trends.
• Act as a subject matter expert on workflows, tools, and processes across Fraud and Safety Operations domains, while staying informed about emerging technologies and industry best practices.
• Thoughtful application and execution of AI into our operations teams, to minimize waste, streamline process, and drive consistency in delivery. 
• Lead cross-functional project teams to deliver initiatives on time and within budget; manage dependencies, communicate risks, and ensure successful adoption.
• Champion continuous improvement, fostering Lean and Six Sigma principles through training, mentoring, and hands-on leadership of improvement projects.
• Define and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across functional domains to measure impact and identify areas for optimization.
• Promote a data-driven culture, ensuring decisions are informed by robust analytics and operational insights.

Your Expertise:

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of process excellence, operational leadership, and cross-functional program management experience within the technology sector.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Science, or a related field (Management consulting, Industrial engineering, or similar background is  preferred).
• 6+ years of experience driving operational excellence across large-scaled operations, with a proven track record of results. 
• Demonstrated success driving continuous improvement and operational optimization in complex, global organizations.
• Strong data-driven problem-solving skills, with proven experience in defining and measuring KPIs.
• Experience implementing quality assurance frameworks and process governance to maintain high operational standards.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders in a matrixed environment.
• Strong organizational, project management, and stakeholder communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in fast-paced environments.
• Self-starter with a high degree of ownership, initiative, and autonomy.
• Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt, PMP certification or comparable is a plus
• Key Competencies:
  • Executing for results 
  • Demonstrates strong ethics, integrity, and resilience.
  • Bias for action and a results-driven mindset, with a passion for quality and efficiency.
  • Entrepreneurial drive, persistence, and ability to thrive in ambiguity.
  • Strong customer and stakeholder orientation with a long-term strategic perspective.
  • Building relationships and influence
  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, able to engage and influence diverse stakeholders.
  • Open-minded, collaborative listener who builds trust through transparency and credibility.
  • Skilled in negotiation, consensus building, and cross-functional leadership.

Your Location:

This position is US - Remote Eligible. The role may include occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites, as agreed to with your manager. While the position is Remote Eligible, you must live in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity. Click here for the up-to-date list of excluded states. This list is continuously evolving, so please check back with us if the state you live in is on the exclusion list  If your position is employed by another Airbnb entity, your recruiter will inform you what states you are eligible to work from.

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.

We strive to also provide a disability inclusive application and interview process. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in order to submit an application, please contact us at: [email protected]. Please include your full name, the role you’re applying for and the accommodation necessary to assist you with the recruiting process. 

We ask that you only reach out to us if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from being able to complete our online application.

How We'll Take Care of You:

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.  

Pay Range$106,000—$125,000 USD