Data Engineer, Emerging Product - USDS

TikTok USDS Joint Venture; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 137,000 - 360,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Parental leave

Short-term and long-term disability

Life insurance

Wellbeing benefits

Paid holidays and sick days and PTO

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is seeking a Data Scientist to define measurement frameworks, unlock user insights, and build data-driven foundations for emerging products entering the U.S. market.

You will partner with Product, Eng and Growth, design scalable data pipelines, and analyze experiments to inform product roadmaps while adapting to fast‑paced, ambiguous environments.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in a quantitative field (e.g., Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, or related field).
• 3+ years of data science or product analytics experience, delivering hands‑on insights for consumer-facing production applications.
• Proficiency in SQL and at least one programming language used for data analysis (e.g., Python or R).
• Solid understanding of statistical concepts, experimental design (A/B testing), and core product metrics (retention, conversion, engagement).
• Experience working in an incubator, startup, or 0 to 1 product environment.
• Strong business acumen with a proven track record of turning ambiguous data into actionable product recommendations.
• Familiarity with data visualization tools (Tableau, Looker) and distributed data processing frameworks (Hive, Spark).

Responsibilities

• Define 0→1 Metrics in collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, and growth teams.
• Unlock user insights from early behavior, funnels, and retention to influence roadmaps.
• Design, execute, and analyze A/B tests or quasi-experiments for feature localization and growth.
• Collaborate with data engineering to design scalable data pipelines and dashboards.
• Communicate data findings clearly to engineers and cross-functional stakeholders to align goals.

Skills

SQL

Python

R

Statistics

Experiment design

Data analysis

Education

BS/MS in a quantitative field

Tools

Tableau/Looker

Hive/Spark

Job description

Responsibilities

About the Team: The Emerging Product Engineering Team is the incubator for TikTok USDS JV's newest ventures in the US market. We are responsible for the end-to-end success of a diverse portfolio applications. We operate with a strong “0→1” mindset, prioritizing agility, rapid iteration, and creative problem-solving to build and scale products.

We are now looking for a Data Scientist who thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and is passionate about building new businesses from the ground up. In this role, you will define measurement frameworks, unlock user insights, and build data-driven foundations that enable our emerging products to launch, localize, and scale successfully in the U.S. Market.

• Define 0→1 Metrics: Partner closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and growth teams to establish core KPIs, product health metrics, and foundational tracking for early-stage products.
• Unlock User Insights: Analyze early user behavior, engagement funnels, and retention patterns to deliver actionable insights that directly influence product roadmaps and successful U.S. market entry.
• Experimentation & Iteration: Design, execute, and analyze A/B tests or quasi-experiments to validate new features, localization efforts, and growth strategies under rapid iteration cycles.
• Data Infrastructure Collaboration: Work with data engineering teams to design scalable data pipelines, telemetry requirements, and robust dashboards that ensure high data quality and observability.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Communicate complex data findings clearly to global engineering teams and cross-functional stakeholders (e.g., operations, marketing, and compliance) to align strategic goals.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS / MS in a quantitative field (e.g., Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, or related field).
• 3+ years of data science or product analytics experience, delivering hands‑on insights for consumer-facing production applications.
• Proficiency in SQL and at least one programming language used for data analysis (e.g., Python or R).
• Solid understanding of statistical concepts, experimental design (A/B testing), and core product metrics (retention, conversion, engagement).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in an incubator, startup, or "0 to 1" product environment.
• Strong business acumen with a proven track record of turning ambiguous, messy data into structured, actionable product recommendations.
• Familiarity with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker) and distributed data processing frameworks (e.g., Hive, Spark).

About USDS

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is dedicated to the safety and security of millions of Americans who create, discover, and connect with what they love on the apps we operate. The Joint Venture has been established in compliance with the Executive Order signed by President Trump on September 25, 2025. Our foundation is a comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program we operate under defined safeguards to protect national security and secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm. We safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem, holding decision‑making authority for trust and safety policies and moderation. USDS Joint Venture helps ensure Americans can continue to express their creativity, discover new hobbies and interests, and build thriving communities and businesses on a global scale.

On‑site presence across teams allows the company to operate with greater speed, alignment, and agility — especially in areas like real‑time decision‑making, team development, and integrated execution. As such, the company is shifting from a hybrid work model to a fully in‑person schedule up to 5 days a week.

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.

USDS Reasonable Accommodation

USDS is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/USDS-RA

Job Information

【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $136800 - $359720 annually.

Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to 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, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also 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 for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:

1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.