Senior Engineering Manager, Data Platform – USDS

About the role

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is dedicated to the safety and security of millions of Americans who create, discover, and connect with what they love on the apps we operate. The Joint Venture has been established in compliance with the Executive Order signed by President Trump on September 25, 2025. Our foundation is a comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program we operate under defined safeguards to protect national security and secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm. We safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem, holding decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and moderation. USDS Joint Venture helps ensure Americans can continue to express their creativity, discover new hobbies and interests, and build thriving communities and businesses on a global scale.

Responsibilities

• Organizational Leadership: Build, develop, and scale a high-performing organization of engineering managers and engineers. Foster an inclusive, collaborative culture that embraces AI innovation, experimentation, and automation.
• AI Transformation & Innovation: Drive the strategy and execution of AI/LLM initiatives across the data platform; integrate capabilities for AI-driven SRE, intelligent cost optimization, and automated governance & development.
• Core Platform Ownership: Oversee the Data Foundation team to ensure maximum stability, scalability, and cost efficiency across all data collection, processing, and querying engines. Deliver robust solutions for Data Ingestion, Compute Platforms, Data Development, and Data Governance.
• Strategic Roadmap & Alignment: Partner with executive leadership, product managers, and business stakeholders to define and execute the long-term data platform strategy. Balance the immediate needs of the Data BP teams with the foundational requirements of the core platform.
• Operational & Cost Excellence: Establish and enforce robust operational procedures, incident response protocols, and proactive monitoring capabilities. Drive a culture of cost-governance, optimization, and root-cause analysis to keep platform spend aligned with business growth.
• Governance & Compliance: Oversee the architecture and implementation of rigorous data governance frameworks, ensuring strict adherence to compliance, privacy, and data security policies across the entire data lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in software or data engineering, with at least 3+ years in a management role, preferably with experience managing engineering managers or leading multiple distinct teams.
• Domain Expertise: Proven track record of managing large-scale data platform organizations, with deep knowledge of data architecture, distributed compute platforms, and modern data stack technologies.
• AI/Automation Mindset: Demonstrated experience or strong technical understanding of integrating AI/ML technologies to automate infrastructure, improve system reliability, or optimize developer workflows.
• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to influence senior leadership and navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Execution: Strong balance of strategic vision and tactical execution, with a history of delivering highly available, cost-effective infrastructure.

About USDS

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is dedicated to the safety and security of millions of Americans who create, discover, and connect with what they love on the apps we operate. The Joint Venture has been established in compliance with the Executive Order signed by President Trump on September 25, 2025. Our foundation is a comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program we operate under defined safeguards to protect national security and secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm. We safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem, holding decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and moderation. USDS Joint Venture helps ensure Americans can continue to express their creativity, discover new hobbies and interests, and build thriving communities and businesses on a global scale.

Job Information

• Compensation Description (Annually): The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $257,400 - $616,000 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
• Benefits: Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
• Reasonable Accommodation: USDS is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/USDS-RA.