Senior Host Development Lead, Incentives

Job description

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 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 creates opportunities for millions of hosts to build a business, develop connections with guests and hosts, and positively impact local communities. The strength of the global Host community sets Airbnb apart. We keep hosts at the center of everything we do. The Airbnb Community team treats hosts as partners by fostering connection, supporting their development and success, and incorporating their feedback in our product and policies. The Difference You Will Make: The Senior Host Development Lead is an experienced leader who will drive the Community incentives and recognition strategy that shapes communications, education and engagement to accelerate host growth across their lifecycle. This role requires a balance of leadership and operational excellence to build and optimize programs that incentivize our hosts to grow through recognition and education. You will work with leadership and cross-functional partners to set strategy and evolve programs like Superhost and new programs along the host lifecycle. You will partner in the operation and continuous optimization of these programs, using data and host feedback to ensure they are inclusive and globally scalable. Initiatives may include qualification criteria, recognition milestones, benefits programs, engagement or education to incentivize actions —designed as a system to drive meaningful growth and loyalty with hosts. A Typical Day: Lead the strategy of Airbnb’s host community incentives, recognition and benefits programs to drive meaningful host growth, positive sentiment, and loyalty with hosts. Design and implement initiatives that deepen host quality, educate hosts on actions to strengthen their businesses, drive retention, and motivate our best hosts. Cultivate strong cross-functional relationships (Product, Marketing, Data Science, Policy, Design, Customer Support, Community, Supply) to represent the host perspective and ensure incentive and education systems scale globally while adapting to local cultural contexts. Drive – in partnership with Product Marketing and Business – the ongoing evolution of the Superhost program , ensuring it remains an exemplar of business impact, quality, and host recognition. Incubate and test incentive and recognition programs for new lines of business, such as Experiences and Services. Define program goals and optimize program effectiveness by aligning to OKRs (Objectives and key results) and continuously iterating based on data-driven insights and host feedback. Partner in end-to-end operational execution of host incentive and recognition— scoping work, securing stakeholder alignment and financial viability, managing vendors, overseeing operational excellence, and delivering measurable business impact on time and on budget. Provide clear and compelling communication of program strategy, performance, and impact to cross-functional partners and senior/executive leadership. Partner with production and marketing teams to deliver high-quality, on-brand programs—including recognition campaigns, benefit frameworks, badging, incentive systems, requirements policies, and supporting education. Advocate for and implement creative approaches to incentive design, balancing strategic rigor with innovative, engaging solutions. Mentor and support junior team members, fostering a culture of excellence, inclusion, and collaboration. Your Expertise: Senior leader with 12+ years of experience in incenti