Data Understanding Team Lead

TikTok; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading social media platform in Kuala Lumpur seeks a Team Leader for its Data Cycling Center. The ideal candidate will manage a team of data specialists, ensuring high-quality data management and project delivery. Responsibilities include defining labelling rules, overseeing quality assurance, and managing stakeholder relationships. Candidates should have at least 3 years of experience in operations or project management and possess strong technical skills. This role offers an opportunity to significantly impact AI-driven data initiatives.

Qualifications

• Min 3 years experience managing or leading teams within an operational or project management setting.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Some experience in project management, preferably in a data environment.

Responsibilities

• Define clear labelling rules for high quality output.
• Monitor and review quality of labelled data.
• Deliver projects on time, managing risks.

Skills

Team management

Project management

Communication skills

Problem solving

Data interpretation

Education

Data/Business analytics education

Tools

Excel

SQL

Python

R

Job description

Overview

Data Cycling Center (DCC) is a Data Science team responsible for building the mid-platform data layer that powers AI development across all TikTok business lines, including e-commerce, advertising, livestreaming, and emerging technologies. Our initiatives include:

• Scaled human-in-the-loop (HITL) data processing (including capability, methodology, end-to-end process, platform), delivering cost-effective results at benchmark quality levels that outperform leading tech peers.
• Built a highly automated end-to-end data pipeline for AI-generated content (AIGC) that supports strong model performance with minimal resource input.
• Develop a comprehensive content understanding and insight generation system, setting new benchmarks for marketing intelligence in the online ads ecosystem.

DCC aims to be the number 1 data service provider in the AI era. Our mission is to build the most effective (lossless and affordable) content understanding capabilities to fully satisfy AI needs of TikTok and to help the industry push the limit. The Team Leader will oversee a team of Data Understanding Specialists (DUS), providing hands-on guidance and support in operational execution and project delivery. This role focuses on day-to-day team management, ensuring that projects are delivered efficiently while maintaining high-quality standards. The ideal candidate will have experience in both operations and cross-functional project management, helping to bridge teams, drive progress, and support the professional growth of their direct reports.

Responsibilities

• Labelling rules clarification and training: Define clear and unambiguous labelling rules to ensure high quality labelling output
• Simplify labelling rules to reduce contextual knowledge for labelling while providing training to labellers if needed
• Ensure that labelling rules meet model training requirements
• Quality improvement and assurance: Monitor and review quality of labelled data
• Timely root-cause identification of quality issues for remediation
• Identify opportunities and areas of improvement to optimize delivery
• Project management: Deliver projects on time and on target, flagging any key risks that arise
• Deep dive into issues that arise during project lifecycle with solutions that ensure delivery
• Manage stakeholders to drive transparency across the data delivery pipeline
• Leadership Skills: Managing a team, building & directing, ownership & accountability

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification(s)

• Min 3 years experience managing or leading teams within an operational or project management setting with data/business analytics education/experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for clear and effective communication with both requestors and labellers
• Some experience in project management with organizational skills to manage multiple tasks concurrently, preferably in a data environment
• Demonstrates learning agility with strong problem solving skills
• Fluency in English (written and verbal)

Preferred Qualification(s)

• Preferably managed a team of 3-5 data specialists previously
• Proficiency in data interpretation and analysis; Interest in AI and Machine Learning concepts, particularly in the field of data annotation
• Strong technical skills in Excel, SQL and scripting languages (Python, R) are a plus
• Self-starter who is driven to deliver impactful outcomes