Associate Software Engineer

KAYAK; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 70,964 - 78,433; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work from almost anywhere for up to 20

Mental health & well-being

HeadSpace subscription

Company-wide week off a year

No meeting Fridays

Parental leave

Generous vacation

Travel Discounts

ERGs

Retirement & health plans

Free lunch 2 days per week

Quarterly events

Job summary

KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings, is seeking an Associate Front End Software Engineer to join the Cars Meta UI team. You will deliver front-end features for the Cars search experience used by millions of travelers daily, and collaborate with product, design, and backend engineers.

You'll write React and TypeScript code, participate in code reviews, and write tests to ensure reliability. The role supports a hybrid work model with office days in Cambridge or Concord, MA.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent practical experience in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Foundational proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, with exposure to TypeScript preferred.
• Hands-on experience with React or a comparable modern UI framework.
• Familiarity with version control using Git and comfort contributing to a shared, collaborative codebase.
• Ability to use AI coding tools to improve development velocity and code quality.
• Clear communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and openness to feedback through code reviews and agile ceremonies.
• Capacity to thrive in a hybrid working model, including attending the Cambridge or Concord office at least 3 days per week.

Responsibilities

• Deliver well-scoped front-end features for KAYAK's Cars search vertical that reach millions of travelers daily, working with senior engineers.
• Implement clean, maintainable React and TypeScript code that meets the team's quality standards.
• Collaborate with product managers, designers, and backend engineers to translate requirements into polished user-facing experiences across web and mobile.
• Participate in code reviews — both receiving and providing constructive feedback.
• Write unit, integration, and end-to-end tests to ensure reliability and prevent regressions.
• Leverage AI coding tools to improve development velocity and code quality, in line with the team's engineering practices.
• Engage actively in agile ceremonies — sprint planning, standups, and retrospectives — contributing ideas and flagging blockers to keep delivery on track.

Skills

HTML/CSS/JavaScript

AI coding tools

Team collaboration

Code reviews

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

React

TypeScript

Git

Job description

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.

We're looking for a curious, collaborative Associate Front End Software Engineer to join our Cars Meta UI team — the group responsible for the Cars search experience used by millions of travelers everyday. This is a role where you'll grow quickly, contribute meaningfully from day one, and be supported by a team that values learning, quality, and working well together.

This role is required to work from either our Cambridge or Concord, MA office 3 days per week.

In this role you will:

• Deliver well-scoped front-end features for KAYAK's Cars search vertical that reach millions of travelers daily, working alongside senior engineers who will support your growth

• Implement clean, maintainable React and TypeScript code that meets the team's quality standards

• Collaborate with product managers, designers, and backend engineers to translate clearly defined requirements into polished, user-facing experiences across web and mobile

• Participate in code reviews — both receiving and providing constructive feedback

• Write unit, integration, and end-to-end tests to ensure reliability and prevent regressions

• Leverage AI coding tools (such as Claude Code) to improve your development velocity and code quality, in line with the team's engineering practices

• Engage actively in agile ceremonies — sprint planning, standups, and retrospectives — contributing ideas and flagging blockers to keep delivery on track

Please apply if you have:

• A degree or equivalent practical experience in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field — or a portfolio of work that demonstrates the same foundational skills

• Foundational proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, with exposure to TypeScript preferred

• Hands‑on experience with React or a comparable modern UI framework

• Familiarity with version control using Git and comfort contributing to a shared, collaborative codebase

• An ability to work with AI coding tools to improve development velocity and code quality, in line with the team's engineering practices

• Clear communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and openness to giving and receiving feedback through code reviews and agile ceremonies

• The capacity to thrive in a hybrid working model, including the ability to attend the Cambridge or Concord office at least 3 days per week

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

Compensation

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 Massachusetts‑based role is $ 95000 - 105000, not inclusive of annual bonus and recurring RSU grants.

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.

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.