Data Engineer Intern

Job Description

About TikTok

TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video, with a mission to inspire creativity and bring joy. Its global headquarters are located in Los Angeles and Singapore, complemented by offices in major cities worldwide including New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Why Join TikTok:
TikTok emphasizes its commitment to inspiring creativity through its innovative product, designed to help people authentically express themselves, discover, and connect. The company thrives on its global, diverse teams who collectively create value for communities, inspire creativity, and bring joy. TikTok values curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech environment. It fosters a culture of resilience, embracing challenges as opportunities to learn and innovate as one team. The “Always Day 1” mindset drives continuous iteration and meaningful breakthroughs.

Diversity & Inclusion:
TikTok is dedicated to fostering an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Reflecting its global platform that connects people worldwide, TikTok’s workplace also aims for diversity. The company is passionate about celebrating diverse voices and creating an environment that mirrors the many communities it reaches.

TikTok Accommodation:
The company is committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout its recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs, or other reasons protected by applicable laws. Assistance or accommodations can be requested via a provided link.

Applicant Privacy:
By submitting an application, candidates accept and agree to TikTok’s global applicant privacy policy.

Compensation and Benefits (for Campus Interns):
The hourly rate for this position in the selected city is $45. Benefits for interns include day one access to health insurance, life insurance, and wellbeing benefits. Interns receive 10 paid holidays per year and paid sick time (56 hours if hired in the first half of the year, 40 if hired in the second half). Interns not working 100% remotely may also be eligible for housing allowance. The company reserves the right to modify these benefits.

Information for Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with federal, state, and local laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act. The company notes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship on job duties involving:
• Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues.
• Appropriately handling and managing confidential information, including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems.
• Exercising sound judgment.

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Job Description: Data Engineer Intern, Global Live Team (2026)

This internship program at TikTok for 2026 aims to offer students industry exposure and hands-on experience, enabling them to develop fundamental skills and explore potential career paths. The program runs for 12 weeks and includes a vibrant blend of social events and enriching development workshops. Interns will utilize their knowledge in real-world scenarios, laying a strong foundation for personal and professional growth.

Application Process:
• Candidates can apply to a maximum of two positions globally across TikTok and its affiliates and will be considered in the order of application.
• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and early application is encouraged.
• Applicants must state their availability clearly in their resume (Start date, End date).
• Candidates who pass resume evaluation will be invited to participate in TikTok’s technical online assessment in HackerRank.

Summer Start Dates (2026):
• May 11th
• May 18th
• May 26th
• June 8th
• June 22nd

About The Team – Data Platform Global Live:
The Data Platform Global Live team is dedicated to empowering the growth of the TikTok LIVE business through big data. The team’s mission is to support business objectives by:
• Building high-quality real-time and offline data warehouses.
• Creating various forms of efficient and data-friendly data assets.
• Exploring and implementing business-oriented data solutions leveraging big data technology and LLM (Large Language Models).
They provide stable and reliable data capabilities for daily operations, analyses, and decision-making for TikTok LIVE features, alongside robust data support to enhance live performance for streamers.

As a Data Engineer Intern in this team, you will have the opportunity to build, optimize, and grow one of the largest data platforms in the world. You’ll gain hands-on experience with various systems within the data platform ecosystem and explore applications of latest technologies including LLM for data. Your work will have a direct and significant impact on the company’s core products and hundreds of millions of users.

Responsibilities:
• Understanding business problems and designing and implementing easy-to-use data solutions for businesses.
• Collaborating with data engineers to understand the data system and provide a smooth data usage experience for data users. This includes activities such as data discovery, data usage guidance, and promotion of the data system.
• Collaborating with business teams from all over the world to drive user growth and revenue growth.

Minimum Qualifications:
• Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Data science, or a related technical discipline.
• Good experience in data solutions, such as data consulting, product development, and data tools creation.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions and data metrics.
• An understanding of data warehousing and the construction ideas of the data system.
• Experience with coding (SQL, Python, etc.).
• Passionate and self-motivated about using data to drive business decisions.