Senior Software Engineer, C/C++ SDK Performance Optimization

TikTok; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 212,800 - 387,600; Full time

Job summary

TikTok is seeking a Senior Software Engineer specializing in C/C++ to optimize the Effect SDK performance on mobile devices. You will diagnose frame drops, power usage, and bottlenecks across the camera pipeline, render engine, and on-device inference, delivering high-efficiency code across iOS and Android.

Join a team responsible for the video effects powering hundreds of millions of creators, shaping low-latency experiences and energy-efficient processing on a wide range of devices.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Computer Science with 4+ years of relevant experience.
• Proficient in C/C++; strong mobile performance interest.
• Familiar with iOS/Android development and mobile video/image processing.

Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end optimization of the effect pipeline during shooting, diagnosing frame drops and power use on devices.
• Profile the camera→effect→render→encode pipeline; identify bottlenecks in CPU/GPU/memory/threads.
• Collaborate with rendering and on-device teams to optimize model integration and execution.
• Build and evolve the Effect SDK (Native, cross-platform for iOS & Android) into robust modules.
• Localize and fix production issues with ownership mindset.
• Learn quickly, communicate clearly, and collaborate across teams.

Skills

C/C++ proficiency

Mobile performance

iOS/Android development

Video/image processing

Profiling/debugging

Education

B.S./M.S. in CS

Tools

Xcode Instruments

Perfetto / Systrace

Android GPU Inspector

RenderDoc

Job description

Senior Software Engineer, C/C++ SDK Performance Optimization

Location:

San Jose

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Code:

A36449

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Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end experience optimization of the effect pipeline during shooting — diagnose and resolve frame drops, jank, thermal throttling, and power consumption issues on real user devices.
• Profile the full camera→effect→render→encode pipeline; identify bottlenecks across CPU, GPU, memory, and thread scheduling, and land measurable improvements.
• Collaborate with the rendering engine team to understand and leverage low-level capabilities, and with the on-device algorithm team to co-optimize model integration and execution.
• Build and evolve the business architecture of the Effect SDK (Native, cross-platform for iOS & Android), turning product requirements into robust, maintainable modules.
• Localize and fix technical problems and bugs reported from production, with a strong ownership mindset.
• Learn new techniques quickly, communicate clearly, and collaborate well across teams.

About this team

We own the Effect SDK powering TikTok's camera and creation experience — the system behind every filter, AR effect, and visual effect used by hundreds of millions of creators every day. This role sits at the business architecture layer of a self-developed rendering engine, partnering closely with rendering, algorithm, and camera pipeline teams to deliver smooth, low-power effect experiences across a massive range of mobile devices.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science with 4+ years of relevant experience.
• Proficient in C/C++;
• Strong interest in performance on mobile devices — you enjoy digging into profilers and chasing down the last millisecond.
• Familiar with iOS and/or Android development, and has experience in video and image processing related applications on mobile phones.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with mobile profiling tools (Xcode Instruments, Perfetto / Systrace, Android GPU Inspector, RenderDoc, etc.).
• Experience optimizing frame rate stability, memory footprint, thermal, or battery consumption in a consumer-scale mobile app.
• Familiarity with camera pipelines (AVFoundation / Camera2 / CameraX) or real-time video processing.
• Experience with AR, game engine, or real-time graphics development.
• Experience integrating on-device inference frameworks (CoreML, TNN, MNN, NCNN, TFLite) and optimizing their runtime cost.
• Basic understanding of graphics rendering APIs (OpenGL ES / Metal / Vulkan); shader programming experience is a plus

Job Information

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $212800 - $387600 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;
• 3. 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

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