Trust & Safety Applied Research Scientist

TikTok; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 219,000 - 408,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok is seeking an Applied Research Scientist to drive rigorous research on Trust & Safety challenges and inform policy, product, and operations decisions. You will combine quantitative analysis with qualitative insights and partner with Data Science, Policy, Product, and Engineering to address safety at scale.

You will lead end-to-end research, apply statistical and causal inference methods, and develop frameworks to measure safety outcomes and enforcement quality.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in applied research, quantitative research, data science, behavioral science, or related fields.
• Strong quantitative foundation in statistics, experimentation, causal inference, and analytical modeling.
• Experience applying qualitative research methods to understand human behavior and processes.
• Ability to blend multiple evidence sources into actionable recommendations.
• Strong communication skills to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end research initiatives from framing to recommendations.
• Apply quantitative methods including statistics, experimentation, causal inference, and modeling.
• Apply qualitative methods such as user research and stakeholder interviews.
• Develop frameworks to measure safety outcomes and policy effectiveness.
• Analyze large-scale data to uncover risk patterns and intervention opportunities.
• Partner with Policy, Product, Engineering, and Ops to inform safety strategy.
• Translate findings into clear narratives for stakeholders.

Skills

Advanced quantitative analysis

Qualitative research

Cross-functional collaboration

Effective communication

Tools

Statistical modeling tools (R, Python)

Experimentation platforms / A/B testing

Job description

TikTok is seeking an Applied Research Scientist to drive rigorous research on Trust & Safety challenges and inform policy, product, and operations decisions. You will combine quantitative analysis with qualitative insights and partner with Data Science, Policy, Product, and Engineering to address safety at scale.

You will lead end-to-end research, apply statistical and causal inference methods, and develop frameworks to measure safety outcomes and enforcement quality.