Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Lead, Italy & Southeast Europe

Milan, Italy

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 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:

Airbnb is seeking a Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Lead, Italy and Southeast Europe reporting to the Country Manager, Italy/SEE. This role requires office presence in Milan. In this role, you will lead the strategic business partnerships activities in the territory, including with the Milan-Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee, as part of Airbnb’s global Olympic and Paralympic partnership. This role will collaborate closely with the Business, Supply, International, Product Marketing, Finance, Policy, Communications and Legal functions in territory, across EMEA and with the Global Events team.

The Difference You will Make:

Develop concepts and frameworks for partnerships and business development projects in Italy in alignment with global brand and partnership guidelines. 

  • Primary partnership lead for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee, responsible for managing the partnership and delivering on the partnership obligations and activations in the lead up to and during the Olympic & Paralympic Games. 
  • Liaise and coordinate with Airbnb’s Global Olympic partnership lead for delivery of key global commitments in Italy. 
  • Build relationships with key local stakeholders responsible for the delivery of the Games, including other Worldwide partners and domestic partners. 
  • Identify opportunities for establishing other commercial partnerships and business development activities that support our business goals. 
  • Evaluates the financial and strategic benefits of potential partnerships.
  • Ensure excellent execution and ongoing management of partnerships and business development activities and seamless coordination across all business areas. 
  • Build and maintain relationships with potential partners and collaboration opportunities.

Your Expertise:

  • 10-12 years of experience, experience in Olympics & Paralympics strongly preferred 
  • Growth obsessed
  • Deep business acumen to conduct extensive market research and anticipate product and business needs
  • Strong strategic and critical thinking skills - ability to connect dots and proactively develop proposals and solutions
  • Strong data analysis and modeling skills, basic data science skills are a plus.
  • Proven partnership management experience
  • Knowledge of the local culture and environment as crucial in fostering successful local partnerships
  • Prior experience in Consulting, Finance or Business Development roles.
  • Ability to build relationships and influence internal executive stakeholders and build long-term external relationships with new and existing partners.
  • Strong project management and organization skills
  • Able to deal with complexity and adapt to changing business priorities
  • Fluent in Italian and English

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.