Principal Compliance Specialist/ Counsel

About Agoda At Agoda, we bridge the world through travel. Our story began in 2005, when two lifelong friends and entrepreneurs, driven by their passion for travel, launched Agoda to make it easier for everyone to explore the world. Today, we are part of Booking Holdings [NASDAQ: BKNG], with a diverse team of over 7,000 people from 90 countries, working together in offices around the globe. Every day, we connect people to destinations and experiences, with our great deals across our millions of hotels and holiday properties, flights, and experiences worldwide. No two days are the same at Agoda. Data and technology are at the heart of our culture, fueling our curiosity and innovation. If you’re ready to begin your best journey and help build travel for the world, join us. Our Company Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) is the world’s leading provider of online travel & related services, provided to consumers and local partners through five primary B2C brands: Booking.com, Agoda, Priceline, KAYAK, and OpenTable. Collectively, Booking Holdings operates in more than 220 countries and territories in Europe, North America, APAC, South America, the region, the Middle East and Africa in more than 40 languages. The mission of Booking Holdings is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. The Opportunity As the building block that provides a solid baseline for Agoda’s culture of integrity, the Compliance & Ethics team is at the forefront of driving and maintaining the company’s compliance program and managing regulatory risks across a fast‑growing, tech‑driven global travel business. Within Booking Holdings, an enhanced and more connected global B2B organization is being built, bringing together strategic partnership capabilities across Booking.com, Priceline and Agoda ("New B2B Business"). Intended to better serve partners, move faster in the market, and unlock new opportunities for growth, the new organization will support strategic partnerships, affiliate and API distribution, corporate and wholesale travel, and other commercial channels, serving airlines, travel management companies, OTAs, financial institutions, platforms and other strategic partners. You will collaborate closely with colleagues across Booking Holdings Inc., Booking Holdings Financial Services, our sister brands, and key functions including FinTech, Product, Commercial, Legal, Internal Audit, People and Supply to help shape and support the next chapter of Booking Holdings' B2B business, leveraging the company's scale, technology, talent and global reach to create best-in-class partner experiences and innovative solutions. Reporting to the Agoda Senior Director, Compliance Officer, you will be the senior payments compliance lead for Agoda’s B2B (business to business) division, with a particular focus on our B2B payments products and related licensing obligations. You will design, enhance, and oversee our compliance risk management and control framework and provide pragmatic, risk-based advice to senior stakeholders. This position is based in Bangkok. Agoda provides relocation support for successful candidates not currently located in Bangkok. Remote or alternative base locations are not available. In this Role, You’ll Get To - Play a central role in helping design and implement the Compliance foundations of the new consolidated B2B business, including: Compliance & Ethics Programme – Key Responsibilities - Lead and support day‑to‑day Compliance & Ethics initiatives, ensuring key objectives, deliverables, and reporting are completed in a timely and high‑quality manner. - Act as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor on broader Compliance & Ethics topics (e.g., anti‑bribery and corruption, conflicts of interest, third‑party risk, code of conduct), providing well‑reasoned, business‑oriented guidance that supports Agoda’s culture of integrity. - Shape and enhance Agoda’s Compliance & Ethics framework, including policies, standards, training, monitoring and testing activities, ensuring it remains fit‑for‑purpose and aligned with Booking Holdings’ expectations and global benchmarks. - Design and oversee practical review processes for gifts and entertainment, conflicts of interest disclosures, third‑party due diligence, risk assessments, and related monitoring, and drive appropriate mitigation actions in close partnership with relevant stakeholders. - Collaborate with the Global Compliance & Ethics team on third‑party risk management initiatives and conflicts of interest processes, helping to ensure effective identification, escalation, and mitigation of key risks across new and existing activities. - Support or lead elements of compliance‑related reviews and investigations (where appropriate), and develop data‑driven monitoring approaches to identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for programme uplift. - Develop, implement, and continuously refine compliance policies, procedures, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to keep pace with evolving business models and regulatory expectations. - Support the design, delivery, and refresh of compliance training programmes, including in‑person and virtual sessions, and maintain e‑learning materials in line with changing business needs and risk profiles. - Promote a strong ethical culture through awareness campaigns, employee engagement initiatives, and regular collaboration with key functions and leadership. - Partner closely with cross‑functional teams (e.g., Legal, Finance, Government Affairs, People, Commercial, Supply and other business stakeholders) to embed compliance requirements into products, processes, and day‑to‑day decision‑making. - Drive continuous improvement and efficiency initiatives, including the smart use of technology and digital tools to standardise, automate, and streamline compliance workflows. - Prepare or support management updates, reporting materials, and other compliance‑related communications for internal and external stakeholders and leadership. - Take on additional and ad hoc responsibilities as needed to strengthen the Compliance & Ethics function and further mature the overall programme. - Support the development, implementation and continuous enhancement of the financial crime risk management framework alongside our Financial Crime team. - Assist in areas of financial crime risk management such as testing and monitoring and annual risk assessment process. What You’ll Need to Succeed Experience & Expertise - 8+ years of progressive experience in compliance risk management regulatory compliance, preferably in global or regional organisations. - Significant cards and payments experience, including a practical understanding of consumer and B2B payments products, payment service provider models, card scheme rules, and payments licensing environments. - Proven track record in building, enhancing, or independently assessing compliance risk management frameworks for payments, including risk assessments, controls design, and governance. Technical & Functional Skills - Hands‑on experience designing, operating, or overseeing a corporate compliance framework, third‑party due diligence processes, investigations, escalation, and complex case handling. - Strong ability to translate legal and regulatory compliance into clear, pragmatic controls and processes that enable business growth while managing risk. Leadership & Stakeholder Management - Demonstrated success in influencing and partnering with senior stakeholders across functions (e.g., Product, FinTech, Commercial, Legal, Internal Audit, Operations) in fast‑paced, high‑growth environments. - Strong project and programme management skills, with the ability to prioritise, plan, and deliver multiple initiatives concurrently across jurisdictions and time zones. - Excellent communication skills in English (written and verbal), with the ability to explain complex compliance concepts in clear, business‑friendly terms. Mindset & Values - Strategic, data‑driven, and solutions‑oriented, with the ability to “connect the dots”, see the big picture, and drive constructive change. - High level of integrity and sound judgement, suitable for a senior Compliance & Ethics leadership role. - Self‑starter who operates with minimal supervision, is comfortable with ambiguity, and thrives in a dynamic, tech‑driven, international environment. Please review our Hiring Process Guidelines before your interview — click here to learn how interviewing at Agoda works. Discover more about working at Agoda - Agoda Careers https://careersatagoda.com - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/agodacareers/ - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/agoda - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/agodalife Equal Opportunity Employer At Agoda, we pride ourselves on being a company represented by people of all different backgrounds and orientations. We prioritize attracting diverse talent and cultivating an inclusive environment that encourages collaboration and innovation. Employment at Agoda is based solely on a person’s merit and qualifications. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity regardless of sex, age, race, color, national origin, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, citizenship, veteran or military status, and other legally protected characteristics. We will keep your application on file so that we can consider you for future vacancies and you can always ask to have your details removed from the file. For more details please read our privacy policy. Disclaimer We do not accept any terms or conditions, nor do we recognize any agency’s representation of a candidate, from unsolicited third-party or agency submissions. If we receive unsolicited or speculative CVs, we reserve the right to contact and hire the candidate directly without any obligation to pay a recruitment fee.