Strategic Partnerships Lead, Central and Eastern Europe

About the role

Airbnb is seeking a Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Lead for Central and Eastern Europe, a role focused on owning the strategic partnerships mandate within the territory. The hire will report directly to the Country Manager, Central and Eastern Europe and operate from the Berlin, Germany office as a core requirement. In this capacity, the individual will be responsible for identifying, establishing, and nurturing high-impact partnerships that advance both market-specific and company-wide objectives. They will act as the primary liaison between local market needs and global partnership capabilities, ensuring alignment across all functions. The role demands a growth-obsessed professional capable of building and maintaining executive-level relationships with external partners. Success will be defined by the ability to drive measurable commercial impact through structured, strategic collaborations. The hire must balance financial acumen with an understanding of product development to create sustainable partnership models.

Key facts

What you'll do

Identify and evaluate opportunities for strategic partnerships and business development activities that directly support Airbnb's business goals in the Central and Eastern European region.

Establish and maintain strong local partnerships while ensuring these relationships are coordinated across Supply, Marketing, Communication, Product Marketing, Finance, and Legal functions.

Source input from all business areas to uncover needs that can be addressed or amplified through external partnerships to drive broader country and company goals.

Evaluate the financial and strategic benefits of potential partnerships using strong financial modeling and analytical skills to assess commercial viability.

Develop a deep understanding of the competitive landscape to inform positioning and partnership strategies within the market.

Build and maintain relationships with potential partners and collaboration opportunities, exercising strong negotiation capabilities with external executive stakeholders.

Manage and nurture current partner ecosystem to ensure maximum engagement and value realization across the market.

Conduct extensive market research to build deep business acumen and anticipate evolving product and business needs in Central and Eastern Europe.

Ensure partnerships and business development activities are coordinated seamlessly across all business areas to avoid duplication and maximize impact.

Leverage data and insights to continuously refine partnership strategies, balancing financial gain with product development considerations.

Represent Airbnb with excellence, exercising strong judgment and discretion when advancing priorities through influence rather than authority.

Proactively identify gaps and opportunities in the partner landscape, proposing innovative solutions that align with both partner and internal stakeholder objectives.

Collaborate closely with the global Partnerships team as well as EMEA and San Francisco headquarters to ensure strategic alignment and resource optimization.

Act as the central point of contact for partner-related matters, ensuring timely execution and clear communication across all levels of the organization.

Drive the end-to-end management of partnerships, from initial ideation through execution, measurement, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

10-12 years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development or related field, with a proven ability to deliver results in a matrix organization.

Critical to possess a proven track record of structuring, negotiating and executing growth partnerships strategies with measurable commercial impact over time.

Must be growth obsessed, demonstrating a consistent commitment to identifying and capitalizing on opportunities that drive expansion.

Relationship building and negotiation capabilities with external executive stakeholders are essential for success in this role.

Strong financial modeling and analytical skills are required, with a basic understanding of data science principles being a significant advantage.

Must maintain active engagement of the current partner ecosystem, ensuring partners are leveraged to their full potential.

Superpower is the ability to develop growth strategies focused both on financial gain and product development, integrating multiple perspectives.

Excellence in managing partnerships end-to-end, from strategy through execution, monitoring, and optimization is non-negotiable.

Deep business acumen is necessary to conduct extensive market research and anticipate product and business needs specific to Central and Eastern Europe.

German native speaker and English fluent proficiency are mandatory language requirements for effective communication and stakeholder management.

Ideal candidates will have prior experience in Consulting, Marketing, Finance, or Strategic Partnerships roles that demonstrate relevant capability.

Strong strategic and critical thinking skills are required to connect dots and proactively develop proposals and solutions.

Strong ability to build relationships and influence senior internal stakeholders across functions is essential for navigating the organization.

Experience operating effectively within a global matrix organization is strongly preferred to ensure smooth collaboration.

Strong project management and organization skills are necessary to handle multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.

Comfortable operating in a highly dynamic, cross-functional environment; able to navigate ambiguity and evolving priorities with persistence.

Sound judgment and discretion are required when representing the Country Manager and advancing priorities without formal authority.

Nice to have

Prior experience in Consulting, Marketing, Finance, or Strategic Partnerships roles.

Strong strategic and critical thinking skills - ability to connect dots and proactively develop proposals and solutions.

Strong ability to build relationships and influence senior internal stakeholders across functions.

Experience operating effectively within a global matrix organization.

Practical notes

Office presence in Berlin, Germany is required for this role.

The engagement is full-time.

Language requirements include German native speaking and fluent English.

This description is intended for professional audiences and reflects the specific needs of the Central and Eastern European market.