Machine Learning Engineer Intern (Responsible Recommendation System) - 2024 Off Cycle (MS/PhD)

$93,600 - $124,800/Yr

Tiktok - San Jose, CA

Full-time - Intern

San Jose, CA

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services

About the position

TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video, with a mission to inspire creativity and bring joy. The company is looking for talented individuals to join their recommendation algorithm team as Machine Learning Engineer Interns for the 2024 Off Cycle program. This team plays a central role in driving critical product decisions and platform growth, consisting of machine learning researchers and engineers who innovate on production recommendation models. The internship program is designed to provide students with industry exposure and hands-on experience, allowing them to turn their ambitions into reality while contributing to a world-class large-scale recommendation system. Interns will participate in optimizing core algorithms and strategies, including recall, coarse ranking, fine ranking, mixed ranking, and diversity, utilizing advanced modeling technologies such as deep learning, representation learning, multi-task learning, causal inference, and sequence modeling. The role requires close collaboration with product and operations teams to excel in technological innovation, integrating business characteristics to achieve both long-term and short-term business development goals. The internship lasts between 10 to 24 weeks, and candidates are encouraged to apply early as applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. TikTok values creativity and teamwork, and the company is committed to creating an inclusive environment where employees are valued for their skills and unique perspectives. The internship offers a competitive hourly rate, medical insurance coverage after 90 days, paid holidays, sick leave, and mental health benefits through an Employee Assistance Program. TikTok is dedicated to celebrating diverse voices and creating a workplace that reflects the communities they serve.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the recommendation algorithm and make contributions to a world-class large scale recommendation system.
• Optimize the core algorithms and strategies (recall, coarse ranking, fine ranking, mixed ranking, diversity, etc.) through modeling technologies including deep learning, representation learning, multi-task learning, causal inference, and sequence modeling.
• Work closely with the product and operations team, excel in technological innovation with deep integration of business characteristics, and help achieve long-term and short-term business development goals.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a Master/PhD degree in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Solid programming foundation, good programming style and work habits, solid knowledge of data structures and algorithms.
• Strong theoretical foundation and extensive practical experience in the field of machine learning/deep learning, familiar with at least one mainstream deep learning framework.
• Exceptional ability to analyze and solve problems, passionate about solving challenging problems; good at communication, proactive at work, has a strong sense of responsibility, and possess good teamwork skills.
• Priority will be given to individuals who have published papers at top conferences, won competitions such as ACM/machine learning, or have experience in core algorithm businesses such as large-scale recommendation systems, computational advertising, and search engines.
• Must obtain work authorization in country of employment at the time of hire, and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment.

Nice-to-haves

• Graduating December 2024 onwards with the intent to return to degree program after the completion of the internship.
• Demonstrated software engineering experience from previous internship, work experience, coding competitions, or publications.
• High levels of creativity and quick problem-solving capabilities.

Benefits

• Hourly rate range of $45-$60 for the internship position.
• 100% premium coverage for Full-Time intern medical insurance after 90 days from the date of hire.
• Paid holidays and paid sick leave, with sick leave entitlement based on the time of joining.
• Mental and emotional health benefits through the Employee Assistance Program.
• Reimbursements for mobile phone expenses.