Job Overview
Location
Cambridge Office
Job Type
Full-time
Category
Creative Director
Date Posted
February 26, 2026
Full Job Description
đź“‹ Description
- • As an Associate Creative Director at KAYAK, you will be instrumental in shaping the visual narrative and brand identity for millions of travelers across North America. This pivotal role, based in our Cambridge, MA office, offers a unique opportunity to blend strategic thinking with hands-on creative execution, driving compelling campaigns that resonate with our audience and attract new users to our leading travel search engine.
- • You will be a key player in conceptualizing and directing multi-channel campaigns, spanning a diverse range of platforms including Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising, digital media, social media channels, film and video production, experiential marketing initiatives, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) efforts, and website content. Your creative vision will be essential in bringing these campaigns to life, ensuring they are cohesive, impactful, and aligned with KAYAK's overarching brand strategy.
- • A core responsibility will be to produce polished, high-impact design work that not only reinforces KAYAK’s established visual identity but also actively elevates the consumer experience. This involves a deep understanding of design principles and a keen eye for detail, ensuring that every visual element contributes to a seamless and engaging user journey.
- • You will leverage strong storytelling abilities and innate brand-building instincts throughout every phase of creative development. From initial concept generation to final execution, your ability to craft narratives that connect with audiences will be paramount in differentiating KAYAK in a competitive market.
- • In close partnership with the Senior Creative Director, you will actively shape the overall creative direction, refine the nuances of brand expression, and develop robust campaign platforms. This collaborative effort ensures a unified and powerful brand presence across all touchpoints.
- • Maintaining visual coherence and exceptional craft across all channels is critical. This extends from the conceptualization of 'big ideas' to the meticulous execution of every detail, ensuring a consistent and high-quality brand experience for our users.
- • You will play a vital role in evolving and maintaining KAYAK's brand design systems, templates, and guidelines. This includes ensuring they are up-to-date, accessible, and effectively utilized by internal teams and external partners to uphold brand integrity.
- • A significant aspect of this role involves providing day-to-day guidance, inspiration, and support to your direct reports. You will foster a collaborative and growth-oriented environment, ensuring high standards of creative output and professional development for your team members.
- • You will collaborate closely with writers, producers, strategists, and various marketing partners to bring integrated creative ideas to fruition. This cross-functional teamwork is essential for developing holistic and effective campaigns.
- • Translating strategic briefs into innovative creative ideas that not only meet defined business objectives but also effectively differentiate KAYAK in the marketplace is a key function. You will bridge the gap between business needs and creative solutions.
- • Presenting concepts and their underlying rationale with confidence and clarity to senior cross-functional partners will be a regular part of your role. Your ability to articulate your vision and defend creative decisions is crucial for gaining buy-in and moving projects forward.
- • You will be adept at managing multiple projects simultaneously, skillfully balancing hands-on design work with the responsibilities of team leadership and strategic oversight.
- • Utilizing performance data and user insights to continuously refine creative approaches and optimize campaign effectiveness will be a key differentiator. This data-driven approach ensures that our creative efforts are not only aesthetically strong but also strategically impactful.
- • You will actively support experimentation across various digital formats, explore the potential of AI-driven creative tools, and investigate new storytelling methods to keep KAYAK at the forefront of innovation in the travel tech space.
- • This role requires you to be present in our Cambridge, MA office at least three days per week, fostering in-person collaboration and team synergy.
🎯 Requirements
- • 8+ years of art 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 strong portfolio demonstrating integrated campaign experience, alongside exceptional concepts, craft, and measurable results.
- • Fluency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma; comfort with AI-driven creative capabilities and a willingness to explore emerging technologies.
- • Solid understanding of typography, composition, color theory, motion graphics, and fundamental digital design principles.
- • Experience mentoring or leading designers and copywriters, with a collaborative, inclusive, and growth-focused approach.
🏖️ Benefits
- • Work from (almost) anywhere for up to 20 days per year, offering flexibility and work-life balance.
- • Comprehensive mental health and well-being support, including company-paid therapy sessions via SpringHealth and a HeadSpace subscription.
- • A unique company-wide week off each year, allowing the entire team to fully recharge without work accumulating.
- • Dedicated 'No Meeting Fridays' to foster focused work and uninterrupted productivity.
- • Generous paid parental leave to support new parents.
Skills & Technologies
Go
Junior
Onsite
$100k-120k
About Booking Holdings Inc.
Kayak is a travel search engine and booking platform that aggregates fares and rates for flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation packages from hundreds of travel sites and suppliers. It provides price comparison tools, price alerts, mobile apps, and itinerary management features to help consumers find and organize travel options efficiently. The company operates globally and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
