Localization Program Manager

Location: London (Hybrid 2 days per week in office)

With millions of diners, 60,000+ restaurant partners and 25+ years of experience, OpenTable, part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), is an industry leader with a passion for helping restaurants thrive. Our world‑class technology empowers restaurants to focus on what matters most – their team, their guests, and their bottom line – while enabling diners to discover and book the perfect restaurant for every occasion.

The Localisation Team is a multicultural and complementary team of Localisation Program Managers and linguists passionate about building a quality native experience for users all over the world. You will be responsible for owning our next‑generation localisation technology stack (Language AI, automations, and integrations) and optimising processes to balance quality, speed, cost and partner happiness. This role reports to the Localisation Program Manager.

Localisation professionals at OpenTable own project handling, delivery, workflow and quality optimisation for a specific business area, working in close collaboration with the relevant teams across the business. This role focuses specifically on the Next‑Gen Localisation Tech pillar of the Localisation Strategy (Language Tech programme, connectors, and dashboards). An analytical mind, effective communication, outstanding project management and problem‑solving skills, as well as an in‑depth knowledge of localisation technology and internationalisation, are important to this role.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead the Language Technology programme (including NMT/MT engines, evaluation and tuning) and related localisation automations, ensuring they are reliable, scalable, and inclusive.
• Define and continuously improve routing rules (for example, MT/MTPE vs human‑only) to balance quality, speed, and cost in a thoughtful, data‑informed way.
• Partner closely with Engineering on localisation connectors and services (for example, Git/Mercury/Phrase, design and CMS integrations), building collaborative and respectful working relationships.
• Monitor localisation technology performance (including automation success, TAT, cost/word, edit distance, LQA) and use insights to drive evidence‑based improvements.
• Maintain and evolve localisation dashboards and tooling to provide clear, real‑time visibility into status and SLAs for partners and stakeholders.
• Analyse and address problems in current workflows and tools, sharing recommendations and implementing scalable, sustainable solutions.
• Support the localisation team with configuration, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement of localisation tools and integrations, fostering a culture of learning and knowledge‑sharing.
• Contribute to documentation and best practices for localisation technology and workflows, making them easy to understand and accessible for a wide range of audiences.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of experience in localisation project, programme, or technology management (client‑side experience is a plus).
• Proven experience with TMS / CAT tools (for example, Phrase) and localisation workflows.
• Hands on experience with Machine Translation / NMT and post‑editing within localisation workflows.
• Understanding of internationalisation (i18n) and how it impacts localisation tooling and automation.
• Enjoy solving complex problems, are confident working with metrics and dashboards, and bring strong analytical skills.
• Communicate clearly and effectively in spoken and written English, adapting your style to different audiences.
• Bring a high sense of ownership, attention to detail, and a growth mindset, and you are open to learning from others and helping them grow too.

If you’re excited about this role but don’t match every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. We know that skills and experience can be gained in many different ways.

Preferred Skills

• Experience designing or operating MT/MTPE routing rules or quality prediction / risk‑based workflows.
• Experience with LQA and working closely with quality or vendor managers.
• Experience collaborating with Engineering teams on connectors, APIs, or automation (for example, Git‑based flows).
• Experience using Jira (or similar tools) for workflow and ticket management.

Benefits and Perks

• Annual company‑wide week off a year – the whole team fully recharges and returns without a pile‑up of work.
• Employee Assistance Program – including 24/7 GP & free legal advice.
• Work from (almost) anywhere for up to 20 days per year.
• Focus on mental health and well‑being: Company‑paid therapy sessions through SpringHealth.
• Company‑paid subscription to Headspace.
• Paid parental leave.
• Focus on your career growth: Development Dollars, Leadership development, Access to thousands of on‑demand e‑learnings.
• Travel discounts.
• Employee Resource Groups.
• Income protection and life assurance.
• Pension plan contributions.
• Discounted gym membership.
• Bike2Work.
• Season ticket loan.
• Social events & Thursday happy hours.
• Free lunch 2 days per week.

Work Environment & Flexibility

At OpenTable, we pride ourselves on fostering a global and dynamic work environment. As a team member with us, you will benefit from a schedule tailored to accommodate a global workforce operating across multiple time zones. While the majority of your responsibilities may align with conventional business hours, there will be instances where you are expected to manage communications – via calls, Slack messages, or emails – outside of regular working hours to effectively collaborate with international colleagues, respond to restaurant partners, and/or address urgent matters. OpenTable will always abide by and consider local laws and regulations.

Inclusion

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong and can thrive. We know the best ideas come when we bring different voices to the table, so we’re building a team as dynamic as the diners and restaurants we serve—and fostering a culture where everyone feels welcome to be themselves. If you need accommodations during the application or interview process, or on the job, we’re here to support you. Please reach out to your recruiter to request any accommodations.