Software Engineer Intern (ML Infra) - 2027 Start (PhD) San Jose PhD Intern - 2027 Start

TikTok; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Wellbeing benefits

Paid holidays

Housing allowance

Job summary

TikTok is seeking a Software Engineer Intern (ML Infra) for a 2027 start, based in San Jose. You will join the Ads Infra team and work on systems that power real-world advertising at massive scale, applying machine learning to improve data processing, training, serving, and privacy enforcement.

This internship offers hands-on experience, industry exposure, and opportunities to apply theory to practice, with social events, learning programs, and development workshops alongside industry

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, AI, ML or related discipline.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (C++, Python, Go or Java).
• Solid knowledge of data structures, algorithms, ML and computer systems.
• Familiarity with recommender systems, MLLMs, distributed systems, ML platforms or large-scale data processing.
• Experience with deep learning frameworks, distributed training, GPU scheduling, AI agents or cloud-native technologies is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize ads-relevant ML models for training, evaluation, inference and user behavior modeling.
• Build large-scale data pipelines for sample generation, joining, feature processing and data quality.
• Create ML platforms for distributed training, model distribution, online serving and lifecycle management.
• Explore MLLM applications in advertising, including data production and fine-tuning.
• Apply AI agents to workflow orchestration, resource scheduling, failure diagnosis and automated ops.
• Develop GPU scheduling, metering and utilization monitoring for cost efficiency.

Skills

C++

Python

Go

Java

Data structures

Algorithms

Machine learning

Distributed systems

Cloud-native

Education

PhD in Computer Science, AI, ML or related

Job description

Discover a career that energizes and excites you every day.

@2026 TikTok

Technology

Software Engineer Intern (ML Infra) - 2027 Start (PhD)

Location:

San Jose

Employment Type:

Intern

Job Code:

A174918

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Responsibilities

The ads system at TikTok operates on a massive scale and serves millions of advertisers, clients and influencers across the world. The quality of the ads system highly depends on the ability to handle massive data, and machine learning is widely used to improve the quality of our ads. The Ads Infra team is responsible for building highly efficient and stable infrastructure to collect and process data for the usage of machine learning training, serving, and privacy enforcement, including feature engineering, feature store, training data generation, etc.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.

• Develop and optimize advertising recommendation models, covering training, evaluation, inference and user behavior sequence modeling.
• Build large-scale data pipelines for sample generation and joining, feature processing, storage and data quality assurance.
• Develop ML platforms for distributed training, model distribution, online serving and lifecycle management.
• Explore MLLM applications in advertising, including data production, model training, fine‑tuning and inference optimization.
• Apply AI agents to workflow orchestration, resource scheduling, failure diagnosis and automated operations.
• Build machine learning platforms for GPU allocation, scheduling, usage metering, cost accounting and utilization optimization.

Candidates may apply to a maximum of two positions across Our Company and its affiliates globally. Applications will be considered in the order they are submitted. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early. Please clearly state your availability in your resume, including your start and end dates.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a PhD degree in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning or a related discipline.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language, such as C++, Python, Go or Java.
• Solid knowledge of data structures, algorithms, machine learning and computer systems.
• Familiarity with recommendation systems, MLLMs, distributed systems, ML platforms or large-scale data processing.
• Experience with deep learning frameworks, distributed training, GPU scheduling, AI agents or cloud‑native technologies is a plus.

By submitting an application for this role, you accept and agree to our global applicant privacy policy, which may be accessed here: https://careers.tiktok.com/legal/privacy

Job Information

The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $60- $60.

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:

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