Business Operations Intern – E-commerce Merchant Growth

Job Description

Category Manager Intern (TikTok Shop – Operations) – 2026 Summer (MBA) | TikTok

The Tone:
This is an MBA internship at TikTok for Summer 2026, focused on operations within TikTok Shop in the US. TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video, with a mission to inspire creativity and bring joy globally. The commerce industry is experiencing significant growth, and TikTok aims to become the commerce channel of choice, making shopping more discoverable, inspiring, and joyful. This role directly contributes to scaling the highly impactful #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt phenomenon, pioneering Content & Creator commerce, and building an innovative, secure, and intuitive e-commerce ecosystem for US users. Interns will gain industry exposure and hands-on experience in a vibrant and entrepreneurial team dedicated to shaping the future of shopping.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Temporary
• Location: Omitted
• Pay: $40 hourly
• Team: US operation team within TikTok Shop, responsible for building e-commerce partnerships and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Mission: To acquire and incubate merchants, drive category growth, and solve key business challenges to deliver high-quality products and a unique customer experience via TikTok Shop.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Merchant Acquisition: Acquire and incubate new merchants to effectively support and drive category growth within TikTok Shop.
• Strategic Partnership: Discover and implement innovative collaborative models that align with merchants’ short-term and long-term development plans, ensuring effective and efficient investment of platform resources.
• Business Problem Solving: Solve key challenges faced in business growth by fostering strong collaboration with various cross-functional teams across the organization.
• Consultative Solutions: Employ a consultative approach, offering strategic content, creator/affiliate/agency partner, merchandising, and logistical solutions tailored to all clients.
• Client Relationship Management: Consistently update clients on the latest TikTok Shop product developments and inform them of new promotional opportunities.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Currently pursuing an MBA Degree. This role is designed for students seeking industry exposure and hands-on experience in the commerce sector.
• Experience: Able to commit to working full-time for 12 weeks during the Summer 2026 period.
• Skills: Possesses a quick learning ability, is proactive, resilient, and thrives in ambiguous environments while adapting fast to change. Demonstrates structured thinking, a strong data sense, and very strong analytical capabilities. Exhibits excellent communication and cross-team collaboration skills, with a proven ability to move initiatives forward. Shows a strong passion for business and an ambition to achieve higher goals.
• Bonus: Prior internship or full-time professional experience in an e-commerce marketplace business or retail category management. Familiarity with the TikTok content ecosystem, shoppable content formats, and brand-creator partnerships is also a plus.