Tech Lead Software Engineer, Ads Infra - Big Data - USDS San Jose Regular R&D Job ID: A07325

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is seeking a Tech Lead Software Engineer for Ads Infra, Big Data. The role centers on building scalable data infrastructure to support ads, ML, and ranking at a massive scale. You will drive critical projects and coordinate with cross-functional teams across the organization.

The position requires strong CS fundamentals, 5+ years in big data, and a track record of ownership and communication. On-site work is expected as part of a shift to in-person collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or above in CS or related technical disciplines.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in big data processing and storage frameworks (Hadoop, Flink, Spark, Kafka, Hive, HBase, Redis, RocksDB).
• Strong Computer Science fundamentals (coding, algorithms, data structures, software design) and problem-solving skills.
• Effective communication skills and a sense of ownership and drive.
• Experience in Ads domain and large-scale ranking and machine learning infrastructure preferred.

Responsibilities

• Drive projects committed to building and operating innovative big data computing frameworks and storage systems for Ads serving and ML systems.
• Communicate cross-functionally across teams, organizations and stakeholders to drive engineering efforts.
• Drive innovation efforts and bring in new ideas and technologies.

Skills

Big data processing

Algorithms

Data structures

Software design

Problem solving

Communication

Ownership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Tools

Hadoop

Flink

Spark

Kafka

Hive

HBase

Redis

RocksDB

Job description

Tech Lead Software Engineer, Ads Infra - Big Data - USDS

San Jose Regular R&D Job ID: A07325

Responsibilities

About the teamThe 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 USDS Ads Infra team is responsible for building highly efficient, scalable infrastructure to support Ads machine learning, ranking and big data systems.We are seeking innovative Software Engineers to join our team. You will drive key technical projects and play a pivotal role in elevating our engineering capabilities.

• Drive projects committed to building and operating innovative big data computing frameworks and storage systems to empower large-scale Ads serving and machine learning systems.
• Communicate cross-functionally across various teams, organizations and internal and external stakeholders to drive engineering efforts.
• Drive the innovation efforts, and bring in new ideas and technologies.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification(s):

• Bachelor's degree or above, major in computer science or related technical disciplines.
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience in big data processing and storage frameworks, e.g. Hadoop, Flink, Spark, Kafka, Hive, HBase, Redis, RocksDB, etc.
• Strong Computer Science fundamentals (coding, algorithms, data structures, software design) and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to think critically and to formulate solutions to problems in a clear and concise way.
• Effective communication skills and a sense of ownership and drive.

Preferred Qualification(s):

• Experience in Ads domain.
• Experience with building large‑scale ranking and machine learning infrastructure.
• Experience of Peta Byte level data processing.

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