Demo

Machine Learning Engineer Intern (Data-Global E-Commerce-Search) - 2027 Start (PhD)

TikTok
Seattle, WA Intern
POSTED ON 9/30/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 11/16/2026
Responsibilities

The Search E-Commerce team spearheads the development of TikTok's advanced search algorithm, crucial for its booming global e-commerce platform. Utilizing state-of-the-art large-scale machine learning, along with cutting-edge NLP, CV, and multi-modal technologies, we are committed to creating a top-tier search engine. Our goal is to deliver the best e-commerce search experience to over a billion monthly TikTok users worldwide. Our mission is to create a world where "no reasonably priced product is difficult to sell."

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship. Our internship program offers students hands-on experience, industry exposure, and opportunities to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges while building a strong foundation for personal and professional growth.

Interns will gain practical experience, explore potential career paths, and participate in social events, learning programs, and development workshops alongside industry professionals.

Candidates may apply to a maximum of two positions across Our Company and its affiliates globally. Applications will be considered in the order they are submitted.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early. Please clearly state your availability in your resume, including your start and end dates.

Responsibilities

  • Support the design, implementation, testing, and iteration of Search features, services, or tools under the guidance of engineers and mentors.
  • Work with large-scale data, logs, metrics, or experiments to understand user search behavior and improve product or system quality.
  • Collaborate with engineering, product, data science, and machine learning partners to define requirements and deliver project milestones.
  • Write clear, maintainable code and documentation for assigned workstreams.
  • Communicate progress, risks, and learnings with mentors and stakeholders throughout the internship.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

  • Must be able to commit to a 12-week full-time work.
  • Currently pursuing a PhD in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
  • Proficient coding skills and strong algorithm & data structure basis.
  • Effective communication and teamwork skills.
  • Experience in one or more of the following areas: NLP, Ranking, Ads, search engine, recommender system, distributed system, and machine learning.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with search, recommendation, machine learning, information retrieval, natural language processing, ranking, ads, content understanding, or data mining projects.
  • Familiarity with databases, distributed systems, data pipelines, experimentation, or large-scale backend services.
  • Experience using data to investigate product, user, or system problems.
  • Ability to communicate technical ideas clearly and collaborate with cross-functional partners.
  • Interest in improving search experiences for large-scale consumer products.

As a condition of employment, all successful candidates must be able to establish authorization to work in the United States. For this position, the Company does not provide sponsorship or any immigration-related benefits.

Job Information

【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern

The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $42.75- $42.75.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Interns have day one access to health insurance, life insurance, wellbeing benefits and more. Interns also receive 10 paid holidays per year and paid sick time (56 hours if hired in first half of year, 40 if hired in second half of year). Interns who are not working 100% remote may also be eligible for housing allowance.

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:

  • Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
  • Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
  • Exercising sound judgment.

About TikTok

TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.

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.

TikTok Accommodation

TikTok 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/RA-request

Hourly Wage Estimation for Machine Learning Engineer Intern (Data-Global E-Commerce-Search) - 2027 Start (PhD) in Seattle, WA
$53.00 to $68.00
If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Machine Learning Engineer Intern (Data-Global E-Commerce-Search) - 2027 Start (PhD)?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Machine Learning Engineer Intern (Data-Global E-Commerce-Search) - 2027 Start (PhD) career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$77,900 - $95,589
Income Estimation: 
$101,387 - $124,118
Income Estimation: 
$77,900 - $95,589
Income Estimation: 
$101,387 - $124,118
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at TikTok

  • TikTok Washington, DC
  • Responsibilities The Americas Public Policy team represents the company with governments, policymakers, NGOs, think tanks, nonprofits, and opinion leaders ... more
  • 2 Days Ago

  • TikTok Seattle, WA
  • Responsibilities Logistics Experience Operations team is dedicated to enhancing the end-to-end consumer logistics experience in our international e-Commerc... more
  • 2 Days Ago

  • TikTok Seattle, WA
  • Responsibilities The DataAILab team is building up core TikTok products to ensure TikTok continues growth, deliver the best product experience to all of ou... more
  • 2 Days Ago

  • TikTok Seattle, WA
  • Responsibilities About the team The Internal Control team is responsible for performing risk identification and assessing the design and operating effectiv... more
  • 2 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Machine Learning Engineer Intern (Data-Global E-Commerce-Search) - 2027 Start (PhD) jobs in the Seattle, WA area that may be a better fit.

  • Meta Bellevue, WA
  • Meta is embarking on the most transformative change to its business and technology in company history, and our Machine Learning teams are at the forefront ... more
  • 20 Days Ago

  • Meta Redmond, WA
  • Meta is embarking on the most transformative change to its business and technology in company history, and our Machine Learning teams are at the forefront ... more
  • 20 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!