Software Engineer Intern (Search) - 2027 Summer

TikTok USDS Joint Venture; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Housing allowance

Paid holidays

Wellbeing benefits

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is offering a 12-week internship on the USDS Search Team to build and own TikTok's search engine. You will work with ML, NLP, and IR techniques to enhance search quality and user experience on a full-stack scale.

The program provides hands-on industry exposure, opportunities to apply knowledge to real-world challenges, and social learning events. Applicants should include start and end dates in their resumes and be available Summer 2027.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Able to commit to a 12-week internship during Summer 2027.
• Experience in developing and implementing large-scale consumer-facing services/products and/or building backend services for large-scale consumer-facing applications.
• Proficiency in languages including C/C++, Python, Java or Golang.
• Effective team communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Optimize the searching quality to provide TikTok's users the best search experience.
• Combine understanding of product objectives with modern ML and information retrieval techniques to improve search quality.
• Build core systems and algorithms including query understanding, result ranking, query recommendation, and system reliability.

Skills

Backend services

Large-scale systems

Machine learning

Information retrieval

NLP/IR

C/C++

Python

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/CE/SE

Master's degree in CS/CE/SE

Job description

Responsibilities

About the team

The USDS Search Team is responsible for building and owning TikTok's search engine, which provides our users the best search experience. You'll have the opportunity to build a full-stack search engine system and combine information retrieval technology with modern machine learning methods from related fields such as NLP, CV, and recommender system. We embrace a culture of self-direction, intellectual curiosity, openness, and problem-solving.

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.

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.

Responsibilities

• Optimize the searching quality to provide TikTok's users the best search experience
• Combine your understanding of product objectives and take full advantage of modern machine learning and information retrieval techniques to improve search quality and perception
• Build the core systems and algorithms development including query understanding, result ranking, query recommendation, system reliability, and etc.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Able to commit to a 12-week internship during Summer 2027.
• Experience in developing and implementing large‑scale consumer‑facing services/products and/or building backend services for large‑scale consumer‑facing applications
• Proficiency in the following languages but not limited to: C/C++, Python, Java or Golang
• Effective team communication and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Master's degree degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Working knowledge in one of the following or similar domains: search, recommendation, ranking, ads, etc.
• Working knowledge in one of the following areas: machine learning, deep learning, backend, large‑scale systems, data science, full‑stack
• Experience with Big Data Frameworks, such as hadoop, spark, flink, etc.

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

【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (hourly)

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

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:

• 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.