What are the responsibilities and job description for the Tech Lead-Machine Learning Engineer (Agent & Multi-Agent Systems) - AIRisk Intelligence position at TikTok?
Responsibilities
Our team is building the next generation of AI-native risk intelligence systems to address emerging challenges driven by large-scale AIcontent production. As content creation becomes automated and adversaries adopt systematic experimentation (e.g., large-scale template variation and rapid iteration), traditional rule-based and single-model approaches are no longer sufficient. We are transitioning from monolithic LLM applications to a structured multi-agent architecture that emphasizes: Tool-augmented reasoning (ReAct-style systems) Modular skill composition Execution traceability and observability Feedback-driven system evolution Cross-domain risk reasoning We are seeking an experienced technical leader to define and implement this architecture. Responsibilities - Architect and Implement Agent Systems Design structured agent workflows (e.g., Evaluate - Validate - Reflect - Summarize) Implement ReAct-style tool allocation and reasoning frameworks Develop short-term and long-term memory architectures Ensure robustness under adversarial and evolving conditions - Lead Multi-Agent Architecture Development Design orchestration layers for coordinating vertical domain agents Build modular Skill systems for extensibility and reuse Define execution graph standards and planning abstractions Establish traceability mechanisms for debugging and auditability - Develop Open Risk Detection Capabilities Architect systems capable of identifying previously unseen risk patterns Implement execution trace-driven optimization loops Translate feedback signals (FP/FN, reviewer overrides, drift signals) into system improvements Enable proactive rather than purely reactive detection systems - Establish Engineering Standards for Agent Systems Define traceability, observability, and guardrail requirements Evaluate and integrate multi-agent frameworks where appropriate Ensure production-readiness, scalability, and reliability - Provide Technical Leadership Own the technical roadmap for Agent and multi-agent systems Partner cross-functionally with Risk, Safety, Infra, and ML teams Mentor engineers and drive architectural rigor
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications - 5 years of experience in software engineering or applied AI systems - Deep understanding of LLM-based agent architectures (ReAct-style reasoning/Tool calling systems/Workflow orchestration/Memory design patterns) - Experience designing distributed or modular AI systems - Strong backend engineering skills (Python or equivalent) - Experience operating systems in adversarial or high-stakes environments Preferred Qualifications - Experience in trust & safety, risk detection, or adversarial ML - Familiarity with multi-agent orchestration frameworks - Experience building systems with execution trace logging and observability - Background in RL-style policy optimization or iterative system refinement - Demonstrated experience leading high-impact technical initiatives
Job Information
[For Pay Transparency]Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $198360 - $416100 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 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
Our team is building the next generation of AI-native risk intelligence systems to address emerging challenges driven by large-scale AIcontent production. As content creation becomes automated and adversaries adopt systematic experimentation (e.g., large-scale template variation and rapid iteration), traditional rule-based and single-model approaches are no longer sufficient. We are transitioning from monolithic LLM applications to a structured multi-agent architecture that emphasizes: Tool-augmented reasoning (ReAct-style systems) Modular skill composition Execution traceability and observability Feedback-driven system evolution Cross-domain risk reasoning We are seeking an experienced technical leader to define and implement this architecture. Responsibilities - Architect and Implement Agent Systems Design structured agent workflows (e.g., Evaluate - Validate - Reflect - Summarize) Implement ReAct-style tool allocation and reasoning frameworks Develop short-term and long-term memory architectures Ensure robustness under adversarial and evolving conditions - Lead Multi-Agent Architecture Development Design orchestration layers for coordinating vertical domain agents Build modular Skill systems for extensibility and reuse Define execution graph standards and planning abstractions Establish traceability mechanisms for debugging and auditability - Develop Open Risk Detection Capabilities Architect systems capable of identifying previously unseen risk patterns Implement execution trace-driven optimization loops Translate feedback signals (FP/FN, reviewer overrides, drift signals) into system improvements Enable proactive rather than purely reactive detection systems - Establish Engineering Standards for Agent Systems Define traceability, observability, and guardrail requirements Evaluate and integrate multi-agent frameworks where appropriate Ensure production-readiness, scalability, and reliability - Provide Technical Leadership Own the technical roadmap for Agent and multi-agent systems Partner cross-functionally with Risk, Safety, Infra, and ML teams Mentor engineers and drive architectural rigor
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications - 5 years of experience in software engineering or applied AI systems - Deep understanding of LLM-based agent architectures (ReAct-style reasoning/Tool calling systems/Workflow orchestration/Memory design patterns) - Experience designing distributed or modular AI systems - Strong backend engineering skills (Python or equivalent) - Experience operating systems in adversarial or high-stakes environments Preferred Qualifications - Experience in trust & safety, risk detection, or adversarial ML - Familiarity with multi-agent orchestration frameworks - Experience building systems with execution trace logging and observability - Background in RL-style policy optimization or iterative system refinement - Demonstrated experience leading high-impact technical initiatives
Job Information
[For Pay Transparency]Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $198360 - $416100 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 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
Salary : $198,360 - $416,100