Associate Manager, Global Payroll KAYAK · Controllership - KAYAK in Cambridge

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's Global Payroll team makes sure every employee around the world is paid accurately and on time — and we're growing! We're looking for an Associate Manager, Global Payroll to join our team, reporting to our Senior Manager, Global Payroll. This role is required to work from our Cambridge office 3 days per week.

In this role, you will:

• Ensure employees across multiple countries and pay frequencies are paid accurately and on time.
• Oversee day to day payroll processing operations.
• Calculate and report tax liabilities, including periodic, quarterly, annual, and ad hoc reconciliations; validate payroll tax reporting and related activities, including year-end forms.
• Manage payroll tax reporting system processes.
• Coordinate with external payroll vendors to ensure strong service delivery and accuracy.
• Respond to and resolve employee and stakeholder queries through the team’s ticketing system.
• Research evolving law and regulations regarding taxes and payroll withholding procedures.
• Prepare reports and analyses for senior leadership as needed.
• Serve as the primary contact for payroll tax notices and regulatory payroll audits.
• Ensure correct taxation of payroll & benefits.
• Collaborate closely with Finance, People Ops, Legal and FP&A teams - as well as Booking Holdings Payroll Team - to ensure accuracy and alignment across the organization.
• Lead, develop, and support our growing Payroll Team, fostering a professional, inclusive, and supportive environment.
• Contribute to ad-hoc projects and advise leadership on tax-related matters.

Please apply if you have:

• A minimum of 6 years of recent hands‑on payroll experience with multi‑national payrolls.
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or business administration preferred.
• A professional payroll certification is preferred.
• Experience leading or managing a team.
• Experience with CloudPay and ADP would be ideal.
• Strong Excel skills (e.g. pivot tables, VLOOKUP, data analysis) and comfort working with large data sets.
• Ability to create and analyze ad hoc reports using payroll systems and spreadsheet tools.
• Solid understanding of payroll tax regulations and compliance requirements.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with a track record of meeting deadlines.
• Clear, concise communication skills — both written and verbal — and a collaborative approach to working across teams.
• Commitment to data confidentiality and professional integrity.
• A dedicated, adaptable mindset with a creative and practical approach to problem‑solving.
• Familiarity with payroll platforms such as CloudPay, ADP, or similar systems.

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.

The range for this Massachusetts located role is $105,000 - 115,000.00. 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.