Software Engineer, AI Agent and Automation - USDS

Team Intro

We are the TikTok USDS Platform Responsibility - Automation Solutions team. Our mission is to build the foundational AI agent platform and intelligent automation workflows that safeguard the TikTok US ecosystem. Unlike traditional safety tools, we are moving towards an Agentic Future. We develop the "Agentic Service Bot" and "Multi-agent Orchestration" systems that empower Policy, SRE, and Compliance operations to handle complex risks (e.g. Election Safety, Minor Safety) at scale. We bridge the gap between advanced ML models and production-grade operational excellence in the secure USDS environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and build core platform components including agent runtime, state management, and tool-calling frameworks to enable multi-agent coordination.
• Build modern UIs and workflow editors that allow operations teams to monitor, debug, and configure complex AI workflows.
• Partner with Data Science teams to integrate LLMs and detection models into reusable workflow nodes with high reliability and low latency.
• Drive the migration of critical data pipelines to USDS and ensure 100% recovery for safety-critical services via robust system design.
• Collaborate closely with product team to identify high-impact automation scenarios and translate ambiguous safety needs into scalable engineering solutions.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• 3+ years of professional software engineering experience building large-scale production systems.
• Strong backend experience in Go (preferred), Java, or Python, with a deep understanding of distributed systems, concurrency, and microservices architecture.
• Hands-on experience with modern web technologies (e.g. TypeScript, React), with the ability to build complex, interactive internal tools.
• Practical experience integrating LLM/ML capabilities into products (e.g. prompt engineering, handling model latency, evaluation flows).
• Prior experience in a 0→1 or early-stage builder role, with a track record of shipping ambiguous projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building workflow engines (e.g. Temporal, Airflow) or node-based editors (e.g. React Flow).
• Familiarity with applied LLM patterns like RAG, Multi-step Agents, and Tool-calling.
• Prior experience in Trust & Safety, Privacy, or Regulatory engineering is a plus.

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. On-site presence across teams allows the company to operate with greater speed, alignment, and agility — especially in areas like real-time decision-making, team development, and integrated execution. As such, the company is shifting from a hybrid work model to a fully in-person schedule up to 5 days a week.

Pay

• Base salary range for this position in the selected city: $136,800 - $359,720 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.
• This role may 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.
• 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).