About the role#
The Data Infrastructure team manages the data layer for the TikTok search engine. This includes how billions of documents are ingested and indexed, how features are computed, and how petabytes of user actions are transformed into training data. Every retrieval and ranking model in TikTok Search relies on the systems this team builds.
What you'll do#
- Build and own query and video pipelines, including ingestion, enrichment, and index construction at billion-doc scale.
- Develop the feature engineering platform, covering computation, backfill, storage, and serving with consistency guarantees.
- Create streaming and batch sample pipelines to turn user actions and features into high-quality training data.
- Improve data quality, observability, and cost efficiency across petabyte-scale storage and compute.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.
- Strong programming skills in Java, C++, or Python.
- Production experience with data frameworks like Spark, Flink, or Hive/Iceberg.
- Solid understanding of distributed systems fundamentals.
- Ability to debug and optimize complex systems in production.
- Experience with search, recommendation, or ads data infrastructure is preferred.
- Familiarity with feature stores, training sample pipelines, real-time indexing, and vector retrieval is a plus.
- Experience using AI coding assistants to improve development productivity.
Location & details#
- Location: San Jose, California.
- Term: Fall 2027.
- Modality: On-site.
- Employment: 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.
