Software Engineer Intern Recommendation Infrastructure

TikTok; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 61,992 - 82,656; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid holidays

Housing allowance for non-remote work

Job summary

A leading social media platform is seeking interns for software development in San Jose, California, starting in 2025. The internship focuses on building high-performance recommendation systems and data pipelines, requiring programming skills in languages like C, C++, Java, and Golang. Candidates must be pursuing a degree in relevant fields and possess effective communication skills. Competitive hourly compensation ranges from $45 to $60, alongside benefits such as health insurance and paid holidays.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a degree relevant to software development.
• Experience in programming languages including C, C++, Java, or Golang.
• Strong communication skills and sense of ownership.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain high-performance online services for TikTok recommendation system.
• Develop efficient and reliable data pipelines for various tasks.
• Collaborate with a mentor on a large-scale recommendation system.

Skills

Programming languages (C, C++, Java, Golang)

Effective communication skills

Ownership and drive

Education

Undergraduate/Masters degree in Software Development, Computer Science, or related field

Job description

Team Introduction: The Recommendation Infrastructure Team is responsible for building reliable, efficient, flexible, and generic recommendation components, systems, and platforms. Our work supports the fast iteration and incubation of TikTok's recommendation products.

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2025. Internships at TikTok aim to offer students industry exposure and hands‑on experience. Turn your ambitions into reality as your inspiration brings infinite opportunities at TikTok.

Responsibilities

This internship provides students the opportunity to join one of our engineering teams where you will have the opportunity to:

• Build and maintain high performance online services for TikTok recommendation system.
• Build extremely efficient and reliable data pipelines for candidates generation, profile generation, training examples generation, realtime online training, etc.
• Work with your mentor to build globalized large-scale recommendation system.
• Design and develop high performance computing frameworks and storage systems.

Start Dates

• Monday, May 12
• Monday, May 19
• Tuesday May 27 (Memorial Day May 26)
• Monday, June 9
• Monday, June 23

We will prioritize candidates who are able to commit to these start dates. Please state your availability clearly in your resume (Start date, End date).

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 TikTok and its affiliates' jobs globally. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis - we encourage you to apply early.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently pursuing an Undergraduate/Masters degree in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience in programming, included but not limited to, the following programming languages: C, C++, Java or Golang.
• Effective communication skills and a sense of ownership and drive.
• Must obtain work authorization in country of employment at the time of hire, and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduating December 2025 onwards with intent to return to degree-program after the completion of the internship.
• Demonstrated software engineering experience from previous internship, work experience, coding competitions, or publications.
• Demonstrated experience in one area of the following areas: personalized recommendations, search engine, machine learning, distributed storage system, big data frameworks is a plus.

Job Information

【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern

The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $45- $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