Associate Creative Director, North America at kayak in Cambridge, MA

KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), is a leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people find their perfect flight, stay, rental car and vacation package. We're also transforming business travel with a new corporate travel solution, KAYAK for Business. As an employee of KAYAK, you will be part of a travel company that operates a portfolio of global metasearch brands including momondo, Cheapflights and HotelsCombined, among others. From start-up to industry leader, innovation is at our core and every employee has an opportunity to make their mark. Our focus is on building the best travel search engine to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. You are someone that sees it before they say it - you think in moodboards. You bring a high level of taste and craft to everything you do and even find yourself “art directing” your daily life. You love big picture thinking but know how to ground it in reality and execution. You believe in the power and impact of visual storytelling, and know how to make the brand the hero of the story. You love to mentor others and are passionate about driving new ideas while still understanding legacy. You’re organized and thoughtful - you don’t delay file clean up. Oh, and bright orange is welcome on your creative palette. Please note, this role is required to work from our Cambridge, MA office at least 3 days per week. IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL: - Concept and direct multi-channel campaigns across OOH, digital, social, film/video, experiential, CRM, and web. - Produce polished, high-impact design work that reinforces KAYAK’s visual identity and elevates the consumer experience. - Apply strong storytelling and brand-building instincts to every stage of creative development. - Partner with the Senior Creative Director to shape creative direction, refine brand expression and develop campaign platforms. - Ensure visual coherence and craft across all touchpoints, from big ideas to detailed execution. - Evolve and maintain brand design systems, templates and guidelines. - Provide day-to-day guidance, inspiration and support to your direct reports, fostering growth and ensuring high standards. - Collaborate with writers, producers, strategists and marketing partners to bring integrated ideas to life. - Translate strategic briefs into creative ideas that meet business ambitions and differentiate KAYAK. - Present concepts and rationale confidently to senior cross-functional partners. - Manage multiple projects simultaneously, balancing hands-on work with team leadership - Use performance data and user insights to refine creative approaches - Support experimentation across digital formats, AI tools and new storytelling methods. PLEASE APPLY IF YOU HAVE: - 8+ years of art direction and/or creative direction experience at a creative agency or fast-paced in-house brand studio, with a proven track record of developing integrated, multi-channel campaigns. - A portfolio demonstrating integrated campaign experience, alongside strong concepts, craft, and results - Fluency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma; comfort with AI-driven creative capabilities. - Solid understanding of typography, composition, color, motion and digital design fundamentals. - Experience partnering with production teams, directors, editors, photographers and content creators. - Comfortable presenting creative ideas to senior audiences and cross-functional partners - Experience with systems management - both from the perspective of building or adapting brand guidelines and organizing assets. - Experience mentoring or leading other designers, with a collaborative and inclusive approach. - Proven organization, prioritization and project-management skills. - A proactive, solutions-oriented mindset and enthusiasm for travel, technology and creative innovation. Benefits and Perks - Work from (almost) anywhere for up to 20 days per year - Focus on mental health and well-being: - Company-paid therapy sessions through SpringHealth - Company-paid subscription to HeadSpace - Company-wide week off a year - the whole team fully recharges (and returns without a pile-up of work!) - No meeting Fridays - Paid parental leave - Generous paid vacation + time off for your birthday - Paid volunteer time - Focus on your career growth: - Development Dollars - Leadership development - Access to thousands of on-demand e-learnings - Travel Discounts - Employee Resource Groups - Competitive retirement and health plans - Free lunch 2 days per week - Fun quarterly events such as boat trips, arcades, ski trips, Thursday happy hours, and more There are a variety of factors that go into determining a salary range, including but not limited to external market benchmark data, geographic location, and years of experience sought/required. The range for this United States located role is $120,000 - $155,000.00. We offer a competitive base salary and benefits including: health benefits; flexible spending account; retirement benefits; life insurance; paid time off (including PTO, paid sick leave, medical leave, bereavement leave, floating holidays and paid holidays); and parental leave benefits. This role is eligible to be considered for an annual bonus. Inclusion At KAYAK, we want everyone to have the space to grow, share ideas and do great work. That’s why we’re focused on hiring the best talent from all walks of life and experiences, supporting them well and making sure no one feels like they have to fit a mold to belong here. Need any adjustments for the interview, application or on the job? No problem - just give us a heads-up. We’ve got you. #LI-EI1