Senior Data Scientist, Payment Analytics

TikTok USDS Joint Venture; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 176,000 - 329,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is seeking a data science professional to lead analytics initiatives within the USDS Payment Team. You will analyze large datasets, build predictive models, monitor KPI trends, and deliver actionable insights to product, strategy, and operations across the US and globally.

You will design experiments, backtests for credit risk, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and communicate findings clearly to stakeholders while ensuring data quality and scalable solutions

Qualifications

• 3+ years working in data science, risk, machine learning, and A/B testing.
• Coding experience in Python, Hive, SQL and familiarity with machine learning functions, options, forecasting models.
• Experience in Tableau or other data visualization tools (e.g. Tableau).

Responsibilities

• Develop analytics and reporting initiatives delivering data-driven insights to internal and external stakeholders.
• Work with large datasets to solve problems using analytical and statistical approaches.
• Conduct quantitative analysis using statistical regression, machine learning, and hypothesis testing; present recommendations.
• Design KPI measurement and indexes for monitoring of impact and customer experience.
• Create documentation of sampling processes, assumptions, test designs, success metrics, and conclusions.
• Address data quality, seasonality, and training data issues.
• Perform predictive analysis to support revenue and risk management.
• Collaborate with Product, Strategy, Operations and cross-functional teams to inform strategy.

Skills

Data science

Risk analytics

Machine learning

A/B testing

Python

SQL

Hive

Tools

Tableau

Job description

Responsibilities

The Payment team of U.S. Data Security department of TikTok provides payment solutions - including payment acquisitions, disbursements, transaction monitoring, payment method management, foreign exchange conversion, accounting, reconciliations, and so on - to ensure that users have a smooth and secure payment experience on TikTok platform.

Responsibilities

This role is responsible for developing and executing on analytics and reporting initiatives which deliver data-driven insights to internal and external stakeholders, including strategy, operations, business, engineering, and R&D teams in both US and globally. You are playing a key role in empowering TikTok platform to achieve overall payment success by way of payment security. You will contribute to the development of industry-leading capabilities to protect TikTok and our users from emerging payment threats and ensure secure payment growth. You must be able to work both independently and as part of a team to deliver on a dynamic set of needs in a fast-paced environment. Specific responsibilities include:

• Work with large datasets to solve problems that could be ambiguous and nuanced using a variety of analytical and statistical approaches.


• Conduct quantitative analysis using statistical regression, machine learning, as well as hypothesis testing and present analysis and recommendations in a user friendly manner to propel business growth and customer satisfaction.


• Develop a scientific approach to measure KPI fluctuation, impact of business initiatives, and customer experience and design indexes for continuous monitoring.


• Design and implement foundational tests including backtesting for measuring the effectiveness of credit risk strategy and segmenting user profile.


• Create documentation articulating the sampling process, underlying assumptions, design of test, success metrics, and conclusion.


• Have familiarity with best practices and pragmatic approaches for addressing common issues including data quality, seasonality, insufficient training dataset, etc.


• Perform predictive analysis and support business partners with revenue and loss forecasts, budgeting, risk and incident management to proactively address foreseeable challenges.


• Conduct deep dive analysis and diagnosis to identify patterns, concentrations, correlations, root causes to provide transparency into business and product performance.


• Partner with Product, Strategy, Operations and cross-functional teams to inform, influence, support, and execute strategy and decisions.


• Demonstrate understanding of common challenges facing TikTok business, key products, and the competitiveness of the marketplace.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• 3+ years working in data science, risk, machine learning, and A/B testing.


• Coding experience in Python, Hive, SQL and familiarity with machine learning functions, options, forecasting models.


• Experience in Tableau or other data visualization tools (e.g. Tableau).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of the payments industry is highly desirable.


• Risk analytics/operations, data science experience or similar quantitative business responsibility for financial services, eCommerce, or operational performance highly desirable.


• Strongly skilled at manipulating and integrating data from a variety of sources.


• Proficiency with test design, feature creation, model development, and documentation.

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 $176356 - $329334 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.