Machine Learning Engineer Intern (Commerce Ads) - 2027 Summer

TikTok; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 51,000 - 73,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Housing allowance

Paid holidays

Wellbeing benefits

Job summary

TikTok is offering a 12-week Summer 2027 internship in California focused on building scalable ML systems to improve ads ranking and advertiser outcomes. You will work with cross-functional teams to explore new features, enhance model accuracy, and contribute to next-generation shopping experiences on TikTok.

The program provides hands-on experience in ML, exposure to real-world challenges, and professional development opportunities, with compensation and housing support as applicable.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or above degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Solid programming skills, including Go, C/C++, Python. Familiar with data structures and algorithms. Familiar with Linux development environment.
• Good analytical thinking capability with essential knowledge in statistics.
• Good theoretical grounding in machine learning concepts (CNN/RNN/LSTM, etc.).
• Familiar with at least one mainstream ML framework (TensorFlow/PyTorch/MXNet) and its architecture.
• Must be able to commit to a 12-week full-time work period during Summer 2027.

Responsibilities

• Build highly scalable machine learning systems and state-of-the-art ML models to improve ads ranking quality and optimize advertisers' strategies (e.g., CTR, CVR, intelligent format selection, user journey).
• Explore, develop and experiment with new features to improve model accuracy.
• Understand ads platform objectives and leverage modern ML to improve ads relevance and delivery.
• Collaborate with Product Managers, Designers, and other teams to explore the next generation of shopping experiences on TikTok.

Skills

Go

C/C++

Python

Linux

Algorithms

Statistics

ML concepts

Education

Bachelor's degree or above in Computer Science/Computer Engineering or related technical discipline

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

MXNet

Spark

Job description

Responsibilities

The TikTok Commerce Ads team is dedicated to blending advertiser focus with technical expertise. Our mission is to enhance commerce ads—both open-loop and closed-loop—to establish TikTok as an essential growth engine for businesses of all sizes and a top destination for consumers to discover and buy products, content, and services. We are crucial to driving TikTok's ad revenue and are committed to developing the next-generation web ad solutions for the platform.

Responsibilities

The TikTok Commerce Ads team is dedicated to blending advertiser focus with technical expertise. Our mission is to enhance commerce ads—both open-loop and closed-loop—to establish TikTok as an essential growth engine for businesses of all sizes and a top destination for consumers to discover and buy products, content, and services. We are crucial to driving TikTok's ad revenue and are committed to developing the next-generation web ad solutions for the platform.

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship. Our internship program offers students hands-on experience, industry exposure, and opportunities to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges while building a strong foundation for personal and professional growth.

Interns will gain practical experience, explore potential career paths, and participate in social events, learning programs, and development workshops alongside industry professionals.

Responsibilities:

• Build highly scalable machine learning systems and state-of-the-art machine learning models to improve ads ranking quality and optimize advertisers' marketing strategies. Examples include but are not limited to click through rate prediction, conversion rate prediction, intelligent format selection and user journey optimization.
• Explore, develop and experiment with new features to improve model accuracy.
• Understand ads platform objectives and take full advantage of modern machine learning to improve ads relevance, quality, and quantity delivered to end-users.
• Collaborate with Product Managers, Designers, and other disciplines to explore the next generation of shopping experiences on TikTok.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or above degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Solid programming skills, including but not limited to: Go, C/C++, Python. Familiar with basic data structure and algorithms. Familiar with Linux development environment.
• Good analytical thinking capability. Have essential knowledge and skills in statistics.
• Good theoretical grounding in the machine and deep learning concepts and techniques (CNN/RNN/LSTM, etc.).
• Familiar with the architecture and implementation of at least one mainstream machine learning programming framework (TensorFlow/PyTorch/MXNet), familiar with its architecture and implementation mechanism.
• Must be able to commit to a 12-week full-time work period during Summer 2027.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Good understanding in one of the following domains: ads bidding & auction, ads quality control, and online advertising systems (familiar with one or more of these terms: CPC/CPM, CTR/CVR, Ranking /Targeting, Conversion/Budget, Campaign/Creative, Demand/Inventory, DSP/RTB).
• Experience in resource management and task scheduling with large-scale distributed software (such as Spark and TensorFlow).
• Relevant work or research experiences in search and recommendation.

Job Information

【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern

The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $45- $45.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Interns have day one access to health insurance, life insurance, wellbeing benefits and more. Interns also receive 10 paid holidays per year and paid sick time (56 hours if hired in first half of year, 40 if hired in second half of year). Interns who are not working 100% remote may also be eligible for housing allowance.

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