Global Policy Lead, Hate, Harassment & Exploitation - Trust and Safety
About the role
We are looking for a Global Policy Lead for the Hate, Harassment, & Exploitation domain, encompassing hate speech & hateful ideologies, harassment, bullying, exploitation, and related policy areas. In this role, you will be part of Trust & Safety's Policy Development team, which works to create and refine policies that protect the safety of our users while balancing free expression.
This role is ideal for an expert who combines principled thought, strong policy judgment, excellent writing, structured problem-solving, and the ability to bring clarity to ambiguous, fast-moving policy issues.
Trust & Safety content that this role interacts with includes images, video, and text related to everyday life, but it can also include (but is not limited to) bullying; hate speech; child safety; depictions of harm to self and others, and harm to animals. Hence, it is possible that this role will be exposed to harmful content on a daily basis. TikTok recognizes that keeping our platform safe is both rewarding and psychologically demanding, and we are committed to providing comprehensive wellbeing programs to support employees.
Responsibilities
- Lead the development and iteration of global Hate, Harassment, & Exploitation policies — covering hate speech, hateful ideologies, harassment, bullying, toxicity, exploitation, and related issue areas.
- As the seniormost Individual Contributor (IC) on Hate, Harassment, & Exploitation policies, mentor and guide policy managers working on these issues.
- Partner with Enforcement, Operations, and Product to develop, improve, and streamline human and AI-driven moderation systems.
- Engage with Legal and Public Policy teams to ensure compliance with key regulations and consult on potential new regulations or government requests.
- Engage with external stakeholders to incorporate outside expertise into TikTok’s platform policies.
- Act as a global escalation point of contact when necessary, and align all stakeholders and leadership to respond to emergency policy decisions.
- Remain up-to-date on industry trends and emerging issues in the Hate, Harassment, & Exploitation space, and design policies & policy positions to address them on platform.
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications:
- 5+ years of experience in Trust & Safety, platform policy, product policy, government, law, human rights, technology policy, academia, or a related field.
- Deep knowledge (global or across multiple regions) in one or all of the following: hate speech, hateful ideologies, bullying, harassment, toxicity, exploitation.
- Excellent writing, editing, and executive communication skills, with the ability to turn complex and ambiguous topics into clear, structured, and actionable materials.
- Strong policy judgment and the ability to reason across multiple issue areas, product contexts, stakeholder perspectives, and risk trade-offs.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience working alongside product, technical, legal, and operational teams.
- Experience developing policy frameworks, principles, standards, guidance, or governance documentation.
- Exceptional ability to work cross-functionally with partners such as Product, Legal, Comms, Operations, Enforcement, Public Policy, and Data Science.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Advanced degree in public policy, international relations, law, technology policy, political science, or a related field.
- Prior experience working in Trust & Safety, policy, or governance at a global technology company.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make an impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We embrace an "Always Day 1" mindset to achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users.
Benefits
- Day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance.
- 401(k) savings plan with company match.
- Paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, and life insurance.
- Wellbeing benefits.
- 10 paid holidays per year.
- 10 paid sick days per year.
- 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
Pay
The base salary range for this position is $159,000 - $272,000 annually. Compensation may vary depending on qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the total package, which may also include discretionary bonuses/incentives and restricted stock units.