Associate Manager, Accounting

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 in our DNA 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.

KAYAK. Our goal is to build on that foundation with a close that is faster, cleaner, and better understood every quarter. Modernizing how accounting gets done is a strategic priority for KAYAK and for Controllership, and this role will help shape it.

KAYAK is seeking an Associate Manager, Accounting to own accounting for a defined set of areas and help ensure the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of financial reporting. You will work from established policy, drive the monthly close for your areas, review the work of a staff accountant, and bring judgment calls to the Director early, with a recommendation. Your areas will depend on you to be right and on time. You will contribute to modernization within your areas, helping translate Controllership priorities into execution of our automation roadmap and implementation of agentic workflows, in partnership with our systems and process teams.

This is a role for a strong accountant who is ready to lead. You will build your leadership skills by developing a team member, and build your technical judgment by working closely with the Director and partners across Tax, Legal, FP&A, Payroll, Operations, and Technology. The ideal candidate is dependable, detail-oriented, and curious. They are steady under deadline pressure and are never satisfied with "that's how we've always done it."

This role will be required to work from our Norwalk, CT office at least 3 days per week.

In this role, you will

Own your areas and drive the close

• Own accounting for assigned areas, such as leases, fixed assets, accounts payable, accruals, and prepaid expenses, from transaction review through reconciliation and flux analysis

• Review reconciliations, schedules, and cash and expense balances prepared by staff accountants, and serve as final reviewer for your areas

• Drive the monthly close for your areas to a clear timeline, following up on open items and raising risks to the deadline early

• Build automation into how your areas run, applying the automation roadmap to close, reconciliation, and review routines and tracking the time and risk it removes

• Prepare flux analysis and commentary for your areas that explains significant movements and the drivers behind them

• Review balance sheet reconciliations in FloQast for your areas, ensuring reconciling items are supported, resolved on time, well documented, and audit-ready

• Apply established accounting policy consistently, and bring unusual or judgmental items to the Director with a recommendation

• Maintain strong documentation and support for your areas, and respond to internal and external audit requests

• Participate in close and balance sheet review meetings and quarterly pre-close reviews, and contribute to materials for senior leadership

• Partner with Tax, Legal, FP&A, Payroll, Accounts Payable, and others to get the information your areas need on time

• Support accounting policy changes, system transitions, and process redesigns that affect your areas

• Apply a risk-based lens that puts effort where materiality and complexity are highest

• Understand how information flows into and out of your processes, and fix recurring issues at the source rather than relying on workarounds

Modernize how we work, including automation and AI

• Help modernize your areas by identifying and implementing improvements that simplify work, strengthen controls, and reduce manual effort

• Ask why work is done the way it is, and bring ideas for doing it better

• Contribute ideas and requirements to our automation roadmap and agentic workflows, and help implement them in your areas, partnering with Accounting Process Solutions and Enterprise Systems

• Use approved automation and AI tools in your own work, such as variance analysis, commentary, and data validation, applying sound accounting judgment, human review, confidentiality, and auditability

Lead and develop people

• Lead and develop staff accountants by setting clear priorities and quality expectations, reviewing work, and giving timely, candid feedback

• Build practical documentation and cross-training so your areas stay covered when people are out

Please apply if you have

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; CPA preferred

• 5+ years of progressive accounting experience in industry and/or public accounting

• Experience owning accounting areas within the month-end close, and preparing or reviewing balance sheet reconciliations, journal entries, and variance analysis

• Working knowledge of US GAAP, general ledger accounting, and balance sheet integrity

• Working knowledge of lease accounting and fixed asset accounting

• Exposure to a SOX or similarly controlled environment

• Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, and manage at least one direct report

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to explain the business drivers behind the numbers

• Excellent written and verbal communication, including concise, useful commentary

• Strong organization and prioritization, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines

• Experience contributing to process improvement or automation efforts

• Ability to build working relationships with business partners

• Comfort collaborating across time zones and with global teams

• A willingness to use automation and AI thoughtfully, with appropriate review and controls

• Experience with NetSuite, FloQast, or similar accounting and close-management systems preferred

• Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, data analysis) preferred

Benefits and Perks

• Work from (almost) anywhere for up to 20 days per year.

• 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

• Focus on mental health and well-being:

• Company-paid therapy sessions through SpringHealth

• Company-paid subscription to HeadSpace

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 Connecticut-based role is $105,000-$115,000.

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.

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