Director, Strategic Initiatives, Expedia Lodging

Expedia Group•Austin, TX

5d•$207,500 - $290,500

About The Position

Brand Expedia is seeking a Director, Strategy to lead the next chapter of growth for our Lodging business — spanning Hotels and Vacation Rentals. This is a senior leadership role with full ownership of the lodging strategy: from defining the multi-year investment agenda, developing the annual plan and resolving in-year trade-offs, to driving end-to-end execution of the highest-priority bets across the business. You will be the strategic authority for Expedia's lodging marketplace — synthesizing market dynamics, competitive positioning, segment economics, and customer insights to shape where Expedia plays and how it wins. You will serve as a thought partner to the Senior Director of Expedia Lodging, represent the lodging strategy to executive leadership, and work collaboratively with cross-functional peers. You will have support from a team of strategic initiative managers and analysts. This is a high-ownership, high-visibility role at the heart of one of Expedia Group's most critical growth areas.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in strategy, management consulting, or marketplace/e-commerce businesses, with a track record of owning complex commercial outcomes — or 10+ years with an MBA or equivalent advanced degree.
Demonstrated experience leading large, cross-functional strategic initiatives from ambiguous problem to scaled execution, including building and presenting executive-level investment cases.
Strong command of segment economics, P&L drivers, and multi-year business modeling; able to independently size opportunities, stress-test assumptions, and make data-grounded investment recommendations.
Proven ability to influence and align senior stakeholders (VP+) across diverse functions on complex, high-stakes decisions.
Experience managing and developing a team of high-performing strategists or analysts.
Exceptional communication skills — able to distill complex analysis into a clear, compelling strategic narrative for executive audiences.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in travel, OTA, marketplace, or consumer technology businesses with deep familiarity with lodging or vacation rental dynamics.
History of driving measurable market share gains or category-level growth through strategic investment decisions.
Track record of operating effectively in fast-moving, ambiguous environments with competing priorities and limited information.
Familiarity with competitive dynamics and the supply economics of the lodging marketplace.

Responsibilities

Define the lodging strategy: Own the multi-year strategic agenda for Hotels and Vacation Rentals — including segment prioritization, investment allocation, and the key bets that will deliver profitable share growth. Bring clarity to complex trade-offs (e.g., value vs. premium hotels, short-term margin vs. long-term category positioning) and land decisions with executive stakeholders.
Lead the highest-stakes strategic initiatives: Drive the portfolio of growth initiatives from diagnosis through scaled execution — including business case development, cross-functional workstream design, KPI frameworks, and go/no-go investment decisions.
Own commercial outcomes: Accountable for the lodging P&L, including market share, NBV, gross profit, and conversion targets across hotel and vacation rental segments. Partner with Finance to translate strategy into operating plan commitments.
Be the executive voice on lodging strategy: Develop compelling, insight-driven strategic narratives and present them to VP, SVP, and C-suite audiences. Ensure leaders are aligned on priorities, trade-offs, and progress against plan.
Develop a high-performing team: Though an IC role, work closely with and help to build the team of strategists and analysts, setting a high bar for analytical rigor, structured problem-solving, and cross-functional influence. Create an environment where strong work gets done and strong people grow.
Drive cross-functional alignment at scale: Operate as the connective tissue across Product, Marketing, Supply, Servicing, Analytics, and Finance — ensuring workstreams are coordinated, dependencies managed, and the strategy lands consistently across markets and functions.
Develop market and competitive intelligence: Maintain a sharp, continuously updated view of the competitive landscape, category trends, and traveler behavior shifts. Translate intelligence into strategic implications and action.
Shape the traveler experience roadmap: Identify and prioritize the highest-value friction points across the lodging journey (search, discovery, booking, post-trip) and partner with Product and Operations to drive scalable, measurable improvements.