Software Development Intern

Job Description

About Company

Founded in 2012, ByteDance is a global technology company with a mission to inspire creativity and enrich life. It offers a diverse suite of products, including globally recognized platforms like TikTok, Lemon8, CapCut, and Pico, as well as popular platforms specific to the China market such as Toutiao, Douyin, and Xigua. These products aim to make it easier and more enjoyable for people to connect, consume, and create content.

Why Join ByteDance: The company emphasizes its core mission of inspiring creativity, which is driven by innovative products and global, diverse teams. ByteDancers are encouraged to achieve great things, leading with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make an impact in a rapidly growing tech environment. The culture fosters an “Always Day 1” mindset, promoting continuous iteration and meaningful breakthroughs.

Diversity & Inclusion: ByteDance is committed to creating an inclusive workspace where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives, reflecting the many diverse communities its platforms reach globally.

Reasonable Accommodation: The company provides reasonable accommodations in its recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs, or other reasons protected by applicable laws.

Compensation & Benefits (Example for NYC): The hourly rate for this position in NYC ranges from $45 to $60. Benefits for interns typically include day one access to health insurance, life insurance, and wellbeing benefits. Interns also receive 10 paid holidays per year and paid sick time (56 hours if hired in the first half of the year, 40 if in the second half). Interns not working 100% remotely may also be eligible for a housing allowance.

Job Description (Detailed)

This internship opportunity is with the Global Payment team of ByteDance, which is responsible for providing comprehensive payment solutions for ByteDance platforms, including TikTok. These solutions encompass payment acquisitions, disbursements, transaction monitoring, payment method management, foreign exchange conversion, accounting, and reconciliations, all designed to ensure a smooth and secure payment experience for users.

Internship Period: The internship commitment is for a 12-week full-time work period during Summer or Fall 2026, specifically from May to September 2026.

Application Process: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and early application is encouraged. Candidates can apply to a maximum of TWO positions across ByteDance and its affiliates globally, with consideration given in the order of application.

Responsibilities: Successful interns will contribute to critical aspects of the global payment system, including:
• System Architecture Upgrade: Combining domain knowledge of the payment business with system architecture design capabilities to iteratively upgrade the global payment system.
• Stability and Disaster Tolerance: Developing disaster tolerance and degradation strategies for various basic system components to ensure service stability. This also includes building cross-region disaster tolerance capabilities to ensure the system can withstand data center-level failures while maintaining data security and compliance.
• Performance Optimization: Sorting out business processes and dependencies, identifying potential system bottlenecks, and ensuring stable operation during high-traffic business peak periods like Double 11 and Black Friday.
• Technology Introduction: Introducing new technologies and solutions to the team based on actual business needs.
• Project Management: Utilizing excellent project management, coordination, and communication skills to promote key cross-team projects.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:
• Currently pursuing an Undergraduate, Graduate, or Master’s degree.
• Software development experience in one or more general-purpose programming languages, such as Java, Go, C++, C#, or Python.
• Excellent proficiency in backend server development and expertise in relational databases.
• Strong analytical thinking and exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to commit to a 12-week full-time work period during Summer or Fall 2026.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Relevant internship experience with hands-on exposure to the tech stack.
• Basic understanding of the payment industry and risk vendors.
• Graduating December 2025 onwards with the intent to return to a degree program after completing the internship.