About the role#
The Lead Ads team manages the large-scale advertising systems that support TikTok. You will work on the algorithms and models that drive our personalized advertising products. This internship provides hands-on experience with real-world advertising challenges and technical infrastructure.
What you'll do#
- Build and maintain large-scale ad systems.
- Develop and iterate on ad algorithms using machine learning.
- Optimize relevance models and strategies, including semantic matching, ranking, and multi-modal processing for text, photo, and video.
- Improve NLP capabilities and query understanding through techniques like classification, NER, and knowledge graphs.
- Refine CTR/CVR model estimation accuracy through data analysis, modeling, and feature engineering.
- Research and develop ad pacing and traffic control algorithms.
- Collaborate with product managers and strategy teams to define new features.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
- Proficiency in Go, C/C++, or Python.
- Knowledge of Linux development environments, data structures, and algorithms.
- Strong understanding of statistics and analytical thinking.
- Theoretical grounding in machine and deep learning concepts like CNN, RNN, and LSTM.
- Experience with at least one machine learning framework such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or MXNet.
- Ability to commit to a 12-week full-time internship during Summer 2027.
- Experience with ads systems, recommendation, searching, or ranking is a plus.
Location & details#
- Location: San Jose, California
- Term: Summer 2027
- Modality: On-site
- Status: Paid, full-time internship
About TikTok
TikTok operates as an entertainment provider. The company maintains a global presence with offices in cities including Los Angeles, Singapore, New York, London, and Tokyo. It employs over 92,000 people. The organization is privately held.
How to get in at TikTok
Landing an internship at TikTok requires speed because early applicants often get seen before the pile grows. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published anywhere, so you can apply among the first. This gives you a better chance of your resume being reviewed while the team is still actively filling the position. You should aim to be one of the first people to submit your materials. Reaching out to the right person can also improve your chances of getting a response. Intern Insider surfaces the recruiters behind the company roles so you can contact them directly to ask about the role or a referral. This direct approach often works better than waiting for a response from a general application queue.
