Machine Learning Engineer Graduate (Monetization Technology - Ads Core Global) - 2027 Start (PhD)

TikTok; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 162,000 - 317,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid parental leave

Disability coverage

Life insurance

Wellbeing benefits

10 paid holidays per year

10 paid sick days per year

17 days of Paid Personal Time

Job summary

TikTok is hiring a PhD-level researcher for its Ads Core ML Team in California. You will help build automatic delivery products and a world-leading ranking framework to optimize advertising across global markets.

You will research ML/DL/RL/LLM, contribute to system design, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to impact multiple markets. Onboarding is required by year-end, with opportunities for growth and impact.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics or related discipline.
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ and Python; Linux development experience.
• Solid grounding in statistics and analytical thinking.
• Strong theoretical grounding in deep learning concepts and techniques.
• Experience with mainstream ML frameworks (TensorFlow/PyTorch/MXNet).

Responsibilities

• Assist in advancing automatic delivery products and global ads delivery systems.
• Research and develop ML/DL, RL, LLM approaches for ads recommendations.
• Design system frameworks and standards to improve efficiency across verticals.
• Collaborate with product and business teams across scenarios with global impact.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Data structures & algorithms

Linux development

Statistics

Deep learning

TensorFlow/PyTorch/MXNet

Education

PhD in Computer Science/Mathematics/Statistics

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

MXNet

Job description

Responsibilities

TikTok Ads Core ML Team aims at creating automatic delivery products for the next generation and developing advertising as a global business, instead of just a monetization tool to consolidate the delivery funnel framework allowing multiple teams to iterate parallel. All of our team effort, is to continuously pursue and establish a world‑leading ranking model & framework that always benefits our collaborators, users and customers to get better returns.

We are looking for talented individuals to join our team. As a graduate, you will get opportunities to pursue bold ideas, tackle complex challenges, and unlock limitless growth.

Successful candidates must be able to commit to an onboarding date by the end of the year. Please state your availability and graduation date clearly in your resume.

• Assist in optimizing efficiency across the entire advertising funnel, including Recall&Rough-sort, Fine-sort(CTR/CVR), format/creative personalization and system resource allocation.
• Research & develop a global advanced advertising delivery system through frontier technologies, including ML/DL, RL, LLM and also scaling law in ads recommendation.
• Design & Set up system framework and standard to continuously improve overall efficiency and meet different vertical business needs.
• Work with product and business teams from various scenarios with global impact.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Individuals who are completing or have recently completed a PhD degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics or a related discipline.
• Solid programming skills, proficient in C/C++ and Python. Familiar with basic data structure and algorithms. Familiar with Linux development environment.
• Good analytical thinking capability. Essential knowledge and skills in statistics.
• Good theoretical grounding in deep learning concepts and techniques.
• Familiar with architecture and implementation of at least one mainstream machine learning programming framework (TensorFlow/Pytorch/MXNet), familiar with its architecture and implementation mechanism.

Preferred Qualifications

• Good knowledge in one of the following fields: Factorization Machine, Uplift Modeling, Diffusion Models, Reinforcement Learning.
• Basic understanding of large recommendation system and ads serving system concepts.

Job Information

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $162000 - $316800 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:

• 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; and
• Exercising sound judgment.

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.

TikTok Accommodation

TikTok 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/RA-request