Sr. Director, Media Planning and Buying

About the role

KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), is seeking a strategic Senior Director, Media Planning & Buying to shape how we invest in media across markets and channels. This role will be based in Cambridge, MA, three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead KAYAK’s multi-market media planning and buying strategy across offline and digital channels.
• Own annual and quarterly media planning cycles, including budget allocation, forecasting, pacing, optimization and performance reviews.
• Develop integrated media plans spanning TV and video, out-of-home (OOH), radio, paid social, display, programmatic, search and other relevant channels.
• Balance brand impact, audience growth, efficiency and measurable business results across media investments.
• Establish measurement frameworks and feedback loops to evaluate reach, effectiveness, incrementality, efficiency and return on investment.
• Partner with Analytics and external measurement providers on attribution, incrementality testing and media mix modeling.
• Use campaign performance, consumer insights, competitive intelligence and market trends to develop clear investment recommendations.
• Manage strategic relationships with media agencies, publishers, broadcasters, technology partners and other vendors.
• Collaborate with Creative and Brand teams to translate audience and media insights into compelling, channel-appropriate campaigns.
• Partner with Finance, Product, Growth and Commercial leaders to align media investment with business priorities and communicate trade-offs clearly.
• Lead, coach and develop media professionals while building strong working practices across distributed, cross-functional teams.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive experience in media planning and buying, including responsibility for multi-market campaigns and substantial budgets.
• Proven track record of using media investment to drive measurable brand awareness growth while delivering strong ROI and business results.
• Demonstrated expertise across offline and digital media, including TV/video, out-of-home, radio, paid social, display, programmatic and search.
• Experience leading annual and quarterly media planning cycles, including budget allocation, forecasting, pacing, optimization, vendor negotiation and performance evaluation.
• Strong knowledge of marketing measurement, including KPI development, incrementality testing, attribution, media mix modeling (MMM) and ROI or ROAS analysis.
• Advanced Excel skills and the ability to use data to develop clear, actionable recommendations. Experience partnering with teams using SQL, Tableau, Looker or similar tools is a plus.
• Experience hiring, managing, coaching and developing high-performing media or marketing teams.
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships with senior agencies, publishers, broadcasters, technology partners and internal stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation and storytelling skills, with the ability to explain complex media decisions to senior audiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, Business, Economics, Statistics or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong written and spoken English skills.

Skills

• Strategic thinking and execution.
• Media planning and buying expertise.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective communication and collaboration abilities.

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.