Software Engineer, AI Infrastructure - USDS San Jose Regular R&D Job ID: JRXR2

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is looking for a Software Engineer to contribute to AI infrastructure, deploying and operating recommendations and search systems. The role focuses on building internal tools to reduce manual tasks and boost R&D velocity, with oversight for availability across global data centers.

Ideal candidates hold a CS degree and have 1+ years in software development or infrastructure, with an interest in distributed systems, monitoring, and ML model lifecycles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field, with 1+ years of professional experience in software development or infrastructure.
• Foundational knowledge of distributed systems and a strong interest in troubleshooting complex technical issues.
• Effective communication skills and a proactive approach to solving engineering bottlenecks.
• Experience with agentic frameworks and tools development.
• Familiarity with container orchestration tools like Kubernetes.
• Basic understanding of the machine learning lifecycle or model inference workflows.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the deployment, operation, and optimization of Recommendation and Search systems throughout their entire lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain internal software and automation scripts to eliminate manual tasks and improve overall R&D velocity.
• Support the availability of large-scale services deployed across global data centers through proactive monitoring and maintenance.
• Track and report on cloud resource utilization to help the team meet efficiency goals and maintain cluster SLAs.
• Configure and manage monitoring stacks to track service latency, health metrics, and system performance.

Skills

Distributed systems

Troubleshooting

Communication skills

Agentic frameworks

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Kubernetes

Job description

Software Engineer, AI Infrastructure - USDS

San Jose Regular R&D Job ID: JRXR2

Responsibilities

• Assist in the deployment, operation, and optimization of Recommendation and Search systems throughout their entire lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain internal software and automation scripts to eliminate manual tasks and improve overall R&D velocity.
• Support the availability of large-scale services deployed across global data centers through proactive monitoring and maintenance.
• Track and report on cloud resource utilization to help the team meet efficiency goals and maintain cluster SLAs.
• Configure and manage monitoring stacks to track service latency, health metrics, and system performance.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications:- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field, with 1+ years of professional experience in software development or infrastructure.
• - Foundational knowledge of distributed systems and a strong interest in troubleshooting complex technical issues.
• - Effective communication skills and a proactive approach to solving engineering bottlenecks.
• - Experience with agentic frameworks and tools development.
• Preferred Qualifications:- Familiarity with container orchestration tools like Kubernetes.
• - Basic understanding of the machine learning lifecycle or model inference workflows.

Job Information

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