Staff Machine Learning Engineer (Ph.D. Graduate)

Job Description

About the Job

The Ads machine learning data platform team at TikTok is responsible for building highly efficient and stable infrastructure to collect and process data for the usage of machine learning training, serving, and privacy enforcement. This includes critical components like feature engineering, a robust feature store, and advanced training data generation systems. The team operates at a massive scale, supporting millions of advertisers, clients, and influencers globally, where the quality of the ads system is directly tied to its ability to handle vast amounts of data effectively through machine learning.

This is a graduate position for talented individuals looking to join in 2026. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to pursue bold ideas, tackle complex challenges, and experience significant growth within TikTok. Onboarding is expected by the end of 2026. Applicants must clearly state their availability and graduation date in their resumes.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects focused on building and operating scalable and reliable Ads ranking infrastructure systems.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to team members and project peers.
• Communicate cross-functionally with various teams, organizations, and both internal and external stakeholders to drive engineering efforts.
• Lead innovation initiatives, introducing new ideas and technologies to the team.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Final year Ph.D. candidate or recent Ph.D. graduate in Computer Science or a related technical discipline.
• Strong Computer Science fundamentals, including expertise in algorithms, data structures, and software design, coupled with excellent problem-solving skills.
• Solid coding skills and a strong understanding of algorithms, particularly in areas such as causal inference, uplift models, and deep learning.
• Experience in managing projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within the Ads domain.
• Experience with building large-scale ranking infrastructure.

Job Information

Compensation Description (Annually)

The base salary range for this position is $136,800 – $259,200 annually. Compensation may vary based on factors such as a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, and location. This role may also be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives and restricted stock units, forming part of the Total Package.

Benefits

Benefits may vary by employment nature and country. Employees have day-one access to comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and wellbeing benefits. Employees receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year, and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure). The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.

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 for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. The company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship on certain job duties, potentially leading to the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment. These duties include:

• 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.

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 in Los Angeles and Singapore, with additional offices in major cities worldwide.

Why Join Us

Joining TikTok means contributing to a mission of inspiring creativity. The innovative product helps people authentically express themselves, discover, and connect. Diverse global teams drive this mission, creating value for communities, inspiring creativity, and bringing joy daily.

TikTok fosters a culture of curiosity, humility, and impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is viewed as an opportunity to learn and innovate as a team. The company embraces resilience and an “Always Day 1” mindset, leading to meaningful breakthroughs for employees, the company, and users. The possibilities for growth and creation are limitless.

Diversity & Inclusion

TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. The platform connects people globally, and the workplace reflects this diversity. Driven by its mission to inspire creativity and bring joy, TikTok is dedicated to celebrating diverse voices and creating an environment that mirrors the many communities it reaches.

TikTok Accommodation

TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in its recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs, or other reasons protected by applicable laws. For assistance or reasonable accommodation, please reach out via https://tinyurl.com/RA-request.