Policy and Regulatory Manager, Southern Europe

Full Time
Milan, Metropolitan City of Milan, Italy
10 months ago

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’s public policy and regulatory team exists to further the interests of our community of hosts and guests with politicians, regulators, opinion leaders and others who shape the political and legal context for our business, helping them to understand the significant social and economic contributions of our platform. Across the EMEA region, we are engaged in well over a hundred local conversations and negotiations with governments big and small.  We engage governments at local, regional and national levels directly and also use innovative advocacy and partnership strategies that actively involve our community and our stakeholders in making the case for fair, progressive home sharing rules.

We organise ourselves in integrated campaign groups, drawing on a wide range of tools and disciplines - from detailed policy and government relations work, through high-impact partnerships, proactive media relations, community organising, digital platforms and content, polling, and innovative data science and research. We use the combined might of these disciplines to progress our overall policy agenda. 

The Difference You will Make:

We are looking for a Compliance and Regulatory Manager to advance our regulatory work across Southern Europe, with a primary focus on Italy and Greece.

This role will report to the Campaign Lead for Southern Europe, and you will be part of the multi-skilled campaign team, helping to define, design and implement regulatory solutions and compliance tools. 

In this role you must be skilled in regulatory engagement with a wide variety of external stakeholders at national and regional but also at local level - able to work proactively with elected officials, governments as well as administrative bodies to help design regulations,   and help stakeholders understand the contribution of the collaborative economy to sustainable tourism.

You must, in particular,  be able to understand complex regulatory and tax topics related to short term rentals (including tourist tax collection, registration and data sharing) and engage in compliance discussions to design solutions and products, liaising with our product teams. 

The ideal candidate will be passionate about Airbnb’s mission, and have proven experience in regulatory, fiscal, tax and political work in a relevant business or non-governmental organization, or in a political, governmental or regulatory context.

Frequent travel within Italy, Greece, Croatia and Turkey should be expected (occasionally to other SouthernEuropean countries), along with occasional travel within Europe and to our global headquarters in San Francisco.

A Typical Day: 

Support the Campaign Lead in developing regulatory and compliance strategies and priorities, advise on local needs, plan relevant activities and design regulatory positions across these geographies;

  • Be the point of contact for governments and cities in the region on tax and fiscal matters in addition to short terms rentals compliance work - such as data sharing and registration;
  • Manage tourist tax agreements with municipalities in Italy and engage in meetings with the Tax Authorities and Finance Ministries in the region;
  • Monitor and analyze fiscal and tax regulation in the region and advise on development of products, services and policies and manage the operational implementation of national regulatory proposals and legislative measures, working with colleagues in our legal and California-based product teams;
  • Act as Airbnb’s representative in meetings with government and regulatory stakeholders, in coalitions and collaborations to advance Airbnb’s advocacy initiatives, including crafting and negotiating language for fiscal legislation, drafting comments on administrative registrations, and authoring issue briefs and position papers;
  • Establish new and maintain existing relationships with an extensive network of contacts in the Minister of Finance in Italy and with national and local governments and Tax Authorities in Greece, Croatia and Turkey;
  • Identify regulatory partnership opportunities in Italy, Greece, Croatia and Turkey - work with regulatory partners to develop MOU’s, work with internal teams to deliver on partner MOU’s and maintain partner/stakeholder relationships;
  • Monitor regulatory matters in Croatia, Turkey and other Southern European countries and advise the company with respect to regulatory and compliance challenges;
  • Engage in research, writing and other activities to provide analysis and critical thinking on developments affecting Airbnb’s priorities;
  • Flag local regulatory and compliance issues that may have pan-regional implications, and work with colleagues elsewhere in Europe and in San Francisco to develop global solutions and approaches as required.

Your Expertise:

  • At least seven years of direct experience working with complex tax, fiscal and compliance regulatory issues in a relevant law firm, business or non-governmental organization, or in a political, governmental or regulatory context. Ideally, this experience has been built in travel, urbanism or technology.
  • Degree in law or fiscal field of study is mandatory.
  • Good knowledge of the regulatory landscape and legislative processes in Italy are mandatory. Some knowledge of the regulatory landscape in other Southern European countries would be an advantage.
  • Proven ability to build and sustain networks of influence across a broad range of stakeholders;
  • Experience of managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. Highly organised and able to stay on top of multiple projects simultaneously;
  • First-rate personal, political, analytical and organisational skills; 
  • Proven ability to establish networks within political stakeholder communities on local and/or national level;
  • An eye for detail - with an ability to very quickly get up to speed on complex technical and regulatory issues;
  • Excellent communicator with great interpersonal, writing and presentation skills;
  • Ability to work independently as well as a team player in a multi-task work environment while producing the highest calibre work product in a timely manner;
  • Ability to thrive in a fast moving and sometimes stressful environment;
  • Travel required within cities in Italy and in Greece, Croatia and Turkey, other countries of the region could also be required;
  • Candidates must speak fluent Italian and English. You must submit your application in English.
  • The role is based in Milan where the Airbnb office is, however, we will consider excellent candidates who wish to be based in Rome, but this would require regular travel to Milan, including overnight stays as required.

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.