Backend Engineer, Global Live (Core Service) - Singapore

TikTok; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok in Singapore is hiring for a backend engineer to help build live streaming core services, spanning rooms, users, and leaderboards, ensuring data consistency and high availability across global datacenters.

You will work with Go/Java/C++/Python, microservices, and distributed systems, tackling scale, disaster recovery, and AI-driven architectural evolution to deliver reliable, scalable live experiences for tens of millions of concurrent users across a global multi-datacenter environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or above in Computer Science or a related field, with a solid foundation in data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and networking
• Proficient in at least one backend programming language (Go / Java / C++ / Python, etc.), familiar with microservices and common software architecture patterns
• Strong logical thinking and problem decomposition skills, able to independently analyze complex problems and drive resolution
• Strong technical curiosity and self-driven learning ability, willing to understand systems at a fundamental level rather than staying at the surface
• Good communication, collaboration skills, and a strong sense of engineering ownership

Responsibilities

• Participate in the design, development, and continuous optimization of live streaming core services, improving system quality and engineering efficiency
• Contribute to stability initiatives for critical live streaming scenarios, including disaster recovery architecture design, monitoring system enhancement, and fault detection and recovery capabilities, ensuring core live streaming experiences under extreme disaster scenarios
• Drive service architecture governance, identify systemic risks, and push forward architecture evolution and engineering standards
• Participate in the AI-driven evolution of system architecture, designing and developing AI-friendly service architectures and data pipelines

Skills

Go/Java/C++/Python

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Responsibilities

About the Team
The TikTok LIVE Core Services team is responsible for building the foundational services of the global live streaming platform, covering core data systems such as rooms, users, and leaderboards, supporting real-time interactive experiences for tens of millions of concurrent users. You will tackle real engineering challenges — data consistency, disaster recovery, and large-scale service governance — across a complex global multi-datacenter environment, contributing to a stable, consistent, and efficient live streaming system.

• Participate in the design, development, and continuous optimization of live streaming core services, improving system quality and engineering efficiency
• Contribute to stability initiatives for critical live streaming scenarios, including disaster recovery architecture design, monitoring system enhancement, and fault detection and recovery capabilities, ensuring core live streaming experiences under extreme disaster scenarios
• Drive service architecture governance, identify systemic risks, and push forward architecture evolution and engineering standards
• Participate in the AI-driven evolution of system architecture, designing and developing AI-friendly service architectures and data pipelines

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or above in Computer Science or a related field, with a solid foundation in data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and networking
• Proficient in at least one backend programming language (Go / Java / C++ / Python, etc.), familiar with microservices and common software architecture patterns
• Strong logical thinking and problem decomposition skills, able to independently analyze complex problems and drive resolution
• Strong technical curiosity and self-driven learning ability, willing to understand systems at a fundamental level rather than staying at the surface
• Good communication, collaboration skills, and a strong sense of engineering ownership

Preferred Qualifications

• AI-Native mindset with hands-on experience integrating AI into engineering practices (e.g., AI-powered productivity, intelligent operations)
• Experience in distributed system design or large-scale service governance

About TikTok

TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Why Join Us

Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we work towards every day.
We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.

Diversity & Inclusion

TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.