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Localization Manager

5 day weekVery Flexible$91k – $107kRemote · Canada

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:

No one can launch a global movement alone. It takes a whole team to achieve great things. Airbnb helps everyone feel at home, anywhere. It is the world's largest community-driven accommodation company. Every day, we connect thousands of travelers and hosts online, allowing us to create meaningful experiences in the real world. We help people live like locals in unknown places while breaking down cultural barriers and bringing the world together.

Do you wake up every morning wondering how you can contribute to creating a truly local experience that will delight users around the world? Do you love working with technical, content, design, and marketing teams? Do you want to be part of one of the teams actively working to bring Airbnb's mission to life, where everyone can feel at home, anywhere? Do you enjoy working in a dynamic, growing company where we have fun? Do you enjoy working in a multicultural team? Do you love being responsible for the localization strategy for your market?

If you answered yes to all the questions above, we are interested. The Airbnb localization team is looking for an Experience Localization Manager.

The difference you will make:

Airbnb expects the biggest travel rebound of the century with the end of the COVID-19 pandemic globally and the full reopening of international travel. Airbnb is reinventing itself due to its IPO and the post-pandemic world. Airbnb's marketing and product strategy has evolved and is becoming increasingly sophisticated and demanding. As a result, the localization team has grown rapidly with the company and has constantly evolved and increased our reach, impact, and influence.

At Airbnb, localization has moved from traditional translation management to a key driver of international growth. Our team collaborates with launch teams for all content, launching complex core product features like the Translation Engine, a specialized machine translation service tailored to user-generated content.

As a Localization Manager, you will play a central role in our international expansion efforts, a top priority for Airbnb. You will join the core leadership team for your region, shaping local initiatives and adapting global strategies to meet market needs. Your role will involve not only driving linguistic strategy but also fostering collaboration with internal stakeholders and external partners to create internationalized products that are well-suited to local audiences.

Localization Managers act as linguistic and cultural experts by collaborating with local teams to develop a strategy aimed at driving business growth, adapting and developing products and services that meet local needs. You must carry the tone, style, and voice of Airbnb, as well as ensure quality and excellence in your language. As a Localization Manager, you are not only passionate about languages and cultures, but also about the idea of offering our users a native experience across all platforms.

If you want to shape the world of the sharing economy, Airbnb is the ideal place. We work hard, we laugh a lot, we exchange constantly, and we live unforgettable moments together.

A typical day:

The role and responsibility of the Airbnb Localization Manager go beyond the traditional goal of ensuring the quality of translated content:

  • Work closely with the Country Manager, Marketing Director, Legal Counsel, Business Operations Director, Policy, and Communications to develop business strategies that align with Airbnb's goals in your market.
  • In addition to being the linguistic and cultural expert for the region or market, proactively share the roadmap and the purpose behind product updates to use and adopt the global strategy in the target market.
  • Identify and understand market expectations by developing linguistic strategies that offer users an authentic experience in Canada.
  • Provide linguistic and cultural expertise in developing a strategy to drive international growth, proactively influencing stakeholders to deliver the best possible user experience to the global community.
  • Lead and direct the localization of product names and creative copy by involving and representing local teams to properly establish the Airbnb brand in international markets.
  • Initiate and lead conversations with central and local teams to influence product changes to meet market needs.
  • Actively seek to understand the needs of Airbnb's international users in collaboration with the consumer research and analytics team.
  • Understand the challenges of the localization process and lead localization quality improvement initiatives at the language and team level.
  • Optimize the strategy to achieve excellence in localization quality across all platforms.
  • Ensure that translation and quality assurance vendors provide high-quality service in accordance with Airbnb standards. Evaluate vendor metrics to identify issues or trends and make improvements.
  • Coordinate linguistic feedback from users and Airbnb employees.
  • Develop and maintain linguistic and cultural standards and guidelines.
  • Collaborate on content writing for marketing initiatives.
  • Work with localization program managers and linguistic quality assurance managers to ensure we offer superior products internationally.

Your expertise:

  • 8+ years of experience in product localization with proven experience in localization strategy in international launches, as well as linguistic quality management and content localization.
  • Fluency in English and knowledge of Canadian French (native language) required.
  • Experience in developing market strategies based on in-depth market research and data analysis.
  • Strong ability to collaborate across functions and drive partnerships and initiatives forward.
  • Ability to take initiative and work independently, as well as lead initiatives at a strategic level.
  • Exceptional project and program management experience, partner and stakeholder management, with experience working within cross-functional teams across different time zones.
  • Excellent ability to manage multiple and diverse stakeholders across businesses and management levels with excellent communication and presentation skills.
  • Experience demonstrating an ability to take initiative, be self-motivated, achieve results, and take ownership.
  • Ability to work at both strategic and tactical levels, with proven experience of implementation in complex environments.
  • Ability to set priorities and manage conflicting demands.

Send your resume/CV in English

Your location:

Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate will need to be based in Canada to perform their work. Currently, employees can be located in: British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, or Saskatchewan. This list is continuously updated, please check with us if the provinces in which you live are on the list. If your position is employed by another Airbnb entity, your recruiter will inform you of the provinces in which you are eligible to work.

Our commitment to inclusion and belonging:

Airbnb is committed to working with the widest possible talent pool. We believe that diversity of ideas fosters innovation and engagement, and allows us to attract creative people and develop the best products, services, and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

We also strive to provide an inclusive application and interview process for people with disabilities. If you are a disabled candidate and need reasonable accommodations to submit an application, please contact us at: [email protected]. Please include your full name, the position you are applying for, and the accommodations needed to assist you in the recruitment process.

We ask that you contact us only if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from completing our online application.


We use automated tools to help our recruiting team efficiently review a large number of applications. All final hiring decisions are made by a human.

This position is newly created and does not replace or fill an existing position.

How We'll Take Care of You:

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range shown below is annualized, is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.

Canada Annual Pay Range

$91,000—$107,000 CAD