Marketing Data Science Manager KAYAK · Growth

KAYAK; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work from anywhere

HeadSpace access

Travel discounts

No meeting Fridays

Parental leave

Generous vacation

Leadership development

RSU grants

Job summary

KAYAK is seeking a Data Science Manager to lead the Marketing Data Science team and shape how we measure and optimize global marketing spend across SEM, SEO, brand, and beyond.

You will stay hands-on on key projects while building a high-performing team, partnering with marketing, technology, and business partners to turn analysis into decisions that drive growth. This Massachusetts-based role offers generous perks and a path to leadership.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading or mentoring data scientists or analysts.
• Hands-on with statistical inference, experimentation, and causal inference (A/B testing, geo experiments).
• Experience with marketing measurement methods (MTA, attribution, LTV).
• Experience in analytics for paid search, SEO, or brand/upper-funnel media.
• Strong Python and SQL skills and deploying models in production.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of data scientists and set career growth goals.
• Set the team's roadmap and priorities aligned with company goals.
• Own the marketing experimentation process and set standards for test design, rigor, and decisions.
• Lead the development of measurement frameworks combining MMM, attribution, and incrementality testing.
• Oversee analytics for paid search, SEO, brand, and user journey, and advise on budget and channel strategy.
• Partner with data engineering, ML, and software teams to build scalable data products.
• Stay hands-on in modeling, analysis, and code review while moving toward leadership.
• Keep the team ahead of changes in data privacy and AI-driven advertising.

Skills

Python

SQL

Team leadership

Data science

A/B testing

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.

KAYAK is seeking a Data Science Manager to lead our Marketing Data Science team. The team builds the models, experimentation frameworks, and measurement systems that guide how we invest our global marketing spend, and the insights that show what is working across SEM, SEO, brand, and the wider marketing organization.

Marketing is central to KAYAK's growth strategy. In this role you will manage a team of data scientists and set the technical direction for marketing measurement, experimentation, and advanced analytics. You will stay hands-on in key projects while building a trusted team, and you will partner with colleagues across marketing, technology, and business teams to turn analysis into decisions that drive efficient growth.

What your team covers

• Marketing measurement: attribution, marketing mix modeling, incrementality and geo-lift testing, value estimation, and user LTV

• Experimentation: the end-to-end marketing experimentation lifecycle, from test design and power analysis to execution, analysis, and readouts

• Brand media measurement: measuring the impact of upper-funnel and brand investment on traffic, conversion, and long-term value

• User journey and landing page analytics: understanding how users move from acquisition to conversion, and identifying funnel and landing page improvements

• SEO analytics and measurement: quantifying organic performance and the incremental value of SEO initiatives

• PPC analytics: supporting paid search optimization, including performance diagnostics, bidding and budget allocation, and forecasting

In this role you will:

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of data scientists — setting goals, supporting each person's career growth, and creating an environment where curiosity and ownership are the norm

• Set the team's roadmap and priorities in line with company goals, focusing on the work with the most impact across SEM, SEO, brand, and other channels

• Own the marketing experimentation process and set standards for test design, statistical rigor, and decision-making

• Lead the development of measurement frameworks that combine marketing mix modeling, attribution, and incrementality testing into a coherent view of channel and brand effectiveness

• Oversee analytics for paid search, SEO, brand media, and user journey and landing page performance — and turn that analysis into clear recommendations on budget allocation, channel strategy, and test priorities

• Partner with data engineering, machine learning, and software engineering teams to build scalable, reusable data products

• Stay hands-on in the most important technical work, including modeling, analysis, and code review, while gradually shifting time toward team leadership

• Keep the team ahead of changes in data privacy, marketing platform measurement, and AI-driven search and advertising

Please apply if you have:

• Experience leading or mentoring data scientists or analysts in a team setting, with a track record of helping people grow and do their best work

• Hands-on experience with statistical inference, experimentation, and causal inference — including A/B testing, geo experiments, and incrementality measurement

• Experience with marketing measurement methods such as marketing mix modeling, attribution, and LTV modeling

• Experience in analytics for at least one of paid search/PPC, SEO, or brand/upper-funnel media, and the curiosity to build depth across the others

• Strong Python and SQL skills, with experience building and deploying models in a production or near-production environment

• The ability to communicate technical work clearly to marketing, product, and business partners who may not have a data science background

• A collaborative, non-hierarchical, and humble leadership style

Nice to have:

• Experience with econometric modeling, Bayesian methods, or causal modeling

• Familiarity with web analytics and user journey or funnel analysis

• Experience in online travel, e-commerce, or another performance-marketing-driven business

• Familiarity with open-source marketing mix modeling tools (e.g., Meridian, Robyn, PyMC-Marketing)

• Experience measuring traffic from AI search and LLM-driven channels

A note on qualifications: We have intentionally not listed a required degree field or a minimum number of years of experience. We value demonstrated skills, curiosity, and impact over credentials. Candidates from non-traditional backgrounds — including those who are self-taught, have taken non-linear career paths, or are returning to the workforce — are warmly encouraged to apply.

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 $160,000 - $200,000, 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.
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