Trust and Safety Rapid Response Lead - USDS
About the role
The USDS Risk Containment Team for TikTok is a multi-disciplinary team dedicated to maintaining a safe and secure online environment for users. The team handles risk detection, prevention, and escalation handling in the United States.
Responsibilities
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Rapid Response specialists, fostering a culture of resilience, high performance, and continuous learning.
Set clear KPIs and objectives; conduct regular 1:1s and performance reviews to ensure the team meets operational benchmarks.
Actively manage the psychological safety and resilience of the team, given their frequent exposure to sensitive and graphic content.
Drive the formal establishment and scaling of the USDS Rapid Response Program, overseeing the creation of training curricula, SOPs, and escalation workflows.
Act as the primary point of escalation for cross-functional leaders (Legal, Public Policy, Child Safety, and Engineering) to ensure seamless risk containment.
Serve as the "Incident Commander" during high-stakes viral crises or breaking-news events, directing team resources and making final enforcement decisions.
Lead comprehensive root-cause analyses following major incidents, presenting findings to executive leadership to prevent recurrence.
Oversee the accuracy of content/account enforcement decisions made by the team, ensuring strict adherence to USDS data-sharing and privacy protocols.
Partner with Product and Engineering teams to advocate for tooling enhancements that reduce response latency and improve detection capabilities.
Review team-generated analytics to identify macro-trends in platform abuse, using these insights to influence global policy shifts and proactive safety sweeps.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
5 years of professional experience in Incident Management, Trust & Safety, Investigations, or Crisis Management, with at least 1 year in a leadership or people management role.
Proven track record of managing high-priority escalations in a fast-paced environment (e.g., social media, government, or tech).
Exceptional ability to translate complex technical risks into concise briefings for executive leadership.
Strong experience dealing with sensitive/graphic content and a proven toolkit for managing team burnout and vicarious trauma.
Preferred Qualifications
Deep knowledge of Child Safety, Violent Extremism, or Human Exploitation policy frameworks.
Ability to navigate complex data environments and internal proprietary tools to audit team performance and platform health.
Experience managing distributed teams.
Familiarity with US user privacy regulations and the specific data-handling requirements inherent to USDS operations.
Benefits
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).
Pay
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $111,467 - $206,172 annually. Compensation may vary 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.