Software Engineer - USDS

Responsibilities

About the Team You will join the TikTok USDS Data Governance Team, the architects of the foundational infrastructure that manages the entire data lifecycle. Our mission is to ensure the integrity, security, and compliance of our data assets through robust lifecycle management, automated frameworks, and advanced content assurance standards. Our team operates at the high-stakes intersection of Data Infrastructure, Privacy Engineering, and AI Governance. We are building the "operating system" for data compliance, replacing manual policies with scalable, automated code that enforces security and privacy standards across one of the world's largest data ecosystems. About the Role As a Software Engineer on the Data Governance team, you will build the "digital nervous system" protecting US user data. You will move beyond traditional compliance to build Governance as Code-creating self-serve platforms, automated lineage engines, and intelligent assurance systems. You will be responsible for turning complex legal, security, and content requirements into scalable technical realities. Your systems must handle the unique challenge of managing petabytes of data across heterogeneous environments (Offline, Real-time, Data Lake) while maintaining high reliability and engineering velocity. Responsibilities: Data Lifecycle Management: Design and scale systems for data inventory, lineage, and residual scanning to proactively remediate privacy risks across distributed storage. AI & Recommendation Governance: Build metadata frameworks and control planes for Machine Learning pipelines, ensuring recommendation algorithms and training data adhere to safety and purpose-limitation protocols. LLM Assurance & Safety: Develop technical frameworks to evaluate and mitigate risks in Large Language Model (LLM) outputs, focusing on safety filters, bias detection, and accuracy. Compliance Engineering: Architect high-throughput engines to automate regulatory adherence and build centralized platforms that provide real-time observability into data security. High-Scale Systems: Optimize distributed systems to handle the unique latency and reliability requirements of real-time recommendation environments.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: - Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field. - 2+ years of experience in backend software development (Go, Java, C++, or Python). - Experience with Distributed Systems and handling high-volume data pipelines. - Solid understanding of Data Structures, Algorithms, and Database Design. Preferred Qualifications: - Background in Data Privacy, AI Safety, or Model Fairness. - AI/ML Domain Knowledge: Experience with Recommendation Systems, ML infra, or LLM evaluation/safety (e.g., fine-tuning, prompt engineering governance). - Technical Stack: Proficiency in Go (Golang) and familiarity with Big Data technologies. - Ability to translate complex safety and legal policies into robust, scalable code.

Job Information

[For Pay Transparency]Compensation Description (Annually)

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $136800 - $359720 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.

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