Technical Compliance Analyst - USDS

TikTok USDS Joint Venture; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 99,000 - 196,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC seeks a Technical Compliance Analyst to bridge R&D and Policy/Risk, auditing data lineage, and making high-stakes compliance decisions in a fast-paced environment.

You will review code and SQL, orchestrate automated governance with AI agents, tune prompts, run A/B tests on compliance logic, and help evolve 'Compliance-as-Code' while developing runbooks and escalation criteria.

Qualifications

• Reads and interprets code (Python/Java/Go) and SQL.
• Analytical mindset for technical risk or data analysis.
• Familiar with AI/LLM tools and context engineering.
• Capable of making compliant decisions under tight SLAs.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical consultant between Engineering and Policy/Risk to translate requirements.
• Perform high-level audits of data access, microservices, and API integrations.
• Map complex data lineage across business scenarios to ensure integrity.
• Make authoritative approve/reject decisions within SLA windows.
• Tune AI Agents to enhance governance efficiency and conduct A/B testing.
• Identify systemic risks and provide data-backed recommendations to leadership.
• Develop and refine automated compliance frameworks and runbooks.

Skills

Code & SQL literacy

Data risk analysis

AI/LLM expertise

Decision making under SLAs

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS or related field

Tools

Python

Java

Go

SQL

Job description

Responsibilities

About the Team

The Data Governance Engineering team is at the heart of our data strategy. Our mission is to ensure the integrity, security, and compliance of our data assets through robust lifecycle management, automated compliance frameworks, and advanced content assurance standards.

Unlike traditional compliance roles, we sit at the intersection of Engineering, Policy, and Risk. We don't just follow rules; we build the technical guardrails and automated systems that allow the company to innovate safely at scale.

About the Role

As a Technical Compliance Analyst, you will not be handling repetitive first-line tickets (which are managed by our outsourced partners). Instead, you will act as the critical technical bridge between R&D and the Policy/Risk Control teams and support in managing the critical "data filters" (Gateways) that synchronize information between production environments and external parties.

You will dive deep into data lineage, review complex technical requests (including code and SQL), and make high-stakes compliance decisions in a fast-paced environment. You will also leverage and optimize AI Agents to automate governance workflows and conduct A/B testing on compliance logic. This role is not just about processing tickets or managing SLAs; it is about high-stakes technical auditing, process engineering, and leveraging automation to secure one of the world’s most complex data ecosystems.

• Technical Bridge & Mediation: Serve as the primary technical consultant between Engineering teams and Policy/Risk stakeholders to translate complex legal/compliance requirements into actionable technical specifications.
• Advanced Technical Review: Perform high-level audits of data access, microservices, and API integrations. You must be able to read and understand code/SQL to identify potential compliance risks that automated scanners might miss.
• Data Lineage & Scenario Analysis: Rapidly map and understand complex data lineage (data flows) across various business scenarios to ensure end-to-end data integrity and regulatory adherence.
• Compliance Decision Making: Make authoritative "Approve/Reject" decisions on complex technical requests within strict SLA windows, balancing business velocity with rigorous risk control. Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and maintain quality.
• AI-Driven Governance: Utilize and tune AI Agents to enhance governance efficiency. This includes Context Engineering, prompt optimization, and conducting A/B testing on automated compliance models.
• Risk & Data Analysis: Conduct deep-dive data analysis to identify systemic risks, trends, and bottlenecks in the data lifecycle, providing data-backed recommendations to senior leadership.
• Framework Evolution: Partner with the engineering team to build and refine automated compliance frameworks, moving away from manual checks toward "Compliance-as-Code." Develop new and continuously improve existing operational documentation (runbooks, review criteria, escalation paths).

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Technical Literacy: Ability to read and interpret code (e.g., Python, Java, or Go) and SQL. You should be comfortable discussing system architecture with developers.
• Analytical Mindset: Proven experience in technical risk analysis or data analysis. You can look at a data flow and pinpoint where the "leak" or "risk" is.
• AI Savvy: Hands-on experience or strong theoretical knowledge of AI/LLM tools. Familiarity with Context Engineering and the ability to use AI to automate workflow-related tasks.
• Decision Making: Experience working in a fast-paced environment where you must make accurate compliance decisions under tight SLAs. High attention to detail, sound judgment, and able to make decisions for approvals or rejections within defined policy boundaries; ability to escalat[e] appropriately when criteria is unclear.
• Strategic Communication and Stakeholder Management: Exceptional ability to explain technical risks to non-technical policy makers and explain policy constraints to engineers. Serve as one of the primary cross-functional partners for ticket review operations and data field governance, coordinating with Product, Global Risk and Compliance, and other Engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Data Governance Expertise: Strong understanding of data lifecycle management, data lineage, and privacy frameworks (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Experience in Data Engineering or Backend Development before moving into Compliance/Governance.
• Familiarity with Data Catalog tools and automated Metadata management.
• Prior experience in a "Technical Program Manager" or "Data Protection Incident Manager"

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

Job Information

• 【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
• The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $98800 - $196000 annually.
• Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including 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: 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; and 3. Exercising sound judgment.