Software Engineer Graduate (Tech and Product, USDS) - 2027 Start

TikTok USDS Joint Venture; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 178,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid parental leave

Short-term and long-term disability

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture in Seattle is seeking a backend engineer to design, build, and maintain scalable, secure software systems powering core services such as Recommendations, Search, and E-Commerce. You will work on high-throughput microservices and compliance pipelines for US users.

Candidates should have strong CS fundamentals and experience with Go, C++, Java, or Python. On-site work in Seattle is expected, with onboarding by year-end and opportunities for growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's/Master's degree in CS/Engineering/Math/Statistics or related discipline.
• Solid background in Data Structures, Algorithms, Computer Systems, and Software Design.
• Strong coding skills in Go, C++, Java, or Python.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and deploy production-grade backend microservices and distributed systems.
• Continuously optimize system performance, latency, memory utilization, and resource efficiency; implement monitoring, logging, and fault-tolerance.

Skills

Go

C++

Java

Python

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science/Engineering/Math/Statistics

Tools

Kafka

RocketMQ

Job description

Responsibilities

About the team

The Tech and Product team of TikTok USDS is missioned to empower TikTok US users to have a great user experience with strong data security and privacy protections, focusing on compliance, reliability, business and product support, and efficiency improvement.

As part of this team, you will design, build, and maintain highly scalable, reliable, and secure software systems. You will work on core backend infrastructure, high-throughput microservices, and specialized compliance pipelines that power product features (such as Recommendations, Search, and E-Commerce) while meeting strict data security and privacy standards for US users.

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.

Candidates can apply to a maximum of two positions and will be considered for jobs in the order you apply. The application limit is applicable to our Company and its affiliates' jobs globally. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis - we encourage you to apply early.

Depending on the team that you'll be considered for, you can expect to:

• Design, develop, test, and deploy production-grade backend microservices and distributed systems.
• Continuously optimize system performance, latency, memory utilization, and resource efficiency. Build robust monitoring, logging, and fault-tolerant mechanisms to ensure high system availability.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification(s):

• Individuals who are completing or have recently completed a Bachelor's/ Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Statistics, or a related discipline.
• Solid background in Data Structures, Algorithms, Computer Systems, and Software Design.
• Strong coding skills in at least one modern language: Go, C++, Java, or Python.

Preferred Qualification(s)

• Knowledge or hands-on experience with high-concurrency systems, distributed databases, RPC frameworks, message queues (Kafka, RocketMQ), or big data systems.
• Prior technical internship experience in top tech companies, or achievements in competitive programming.

Job Information

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $100320 - $177840 annually.

Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on 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 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