Machine Learning Engineer Graduate (TikTok-Data-Search-Search Quality) - 2027 Start

About the role

Our Search Engineering Team is responsible for building and owning TikTok's search engine, providing users with the best search experience. In this role, you'll have the opportunity to build a full-stack search engine system and combine information retrieval technology with modern machine learning methods from fields such as NLP, CV, and recommender systems. We embrace a culture of self-direction, intellectual curiosity, openness, and problem-solving.

This full-time Graduate role provides early-career engineers the opportunity to join one of our engineering teams, where you will:

• Participate in improving the search core algorithm, with possible directions including:
• Content understanding: Apply cutting-edge NLP and CV technology, leverage LLM to match the most relevant videos for each search query, and continuously improve TikTok search relevance.
• User Behavior Modeling: Solve recommendation problems in search to enhance personalization while maintaining relevance and better understanding users.
• Video understanding: Use NLP, CV, and LLM for comprehensive video understanding from the perspective of the video itself and social networks to improve the authority, credibility, and usefulness of search results.
• Search systems engineering: Design, build, test, and maintain search services, data pipelines, tools, or platform components that support search quality, reliability, latency, and user experience.

Successful candidates must commit to an onboarding date by the end of the year.

Responsibilities

• Improve TikTok’s search core algorithm in areas such as content understanding, user behavior modeling, video understanding, and search systems engineering.
• Design, build, test, and maintain search services, data pipelines, or platform components.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance search relevance, personalization, and user experience.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline.
• Must have graduated with an applicable degree before onboarding.
• Experience with at least one programming language such as Python, Java, C++, Go, or JavaScript through coursework, internships, projects, or equivalent practical experience.
• Authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship (the Company does not provide immigration-related benefits for this position).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with search, recommendation, machine learning, information retrieval, natural language processing, ranking, data mining, or backend systems.
• Familiarity with distributed systems, databases, data pipelines, online experimentation, or large-scale service development.
• Experience using data or metrics to debug, evaluate, or improve a product or system.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Interest in building Search products and systems for a large-scale consumer platform.

Pay

The base salary range for this position is $128,000 - $256,000 annually. Compensation may vary based on qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, and location. This role may also be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses, incentives, and restricted stock units.

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).

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, with additional offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.

We strive to create an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people globally, and our workplace reflects the diverse communities we reach. We are committed to celebrating diverse voices and fostering an environment that inspires creativity.