Backend Engineer Graduate (TikTok E-Commerce Recommendation Infrastructure) - 2026 Start (PhD)

About the Team

The e-commerce business is expanding quickly and focuses on connecting shoppers with quality products and sellers through TikTok Shop, including live-stream commerce, short-form video commerce, and product recommendation. This infrastructure team owns the foundation behind recommendation systems, with a focus on building and improving scalable platforms that deliver strong user experiences. The team partners closely with applied machine learning engineers to support advanced algorithms and new product ideas at scale.

The company is hiring graduates for 2025, giving them the chance to begin their careers in a fast-moving environment with room to learn, build, and grow. Candidates may submit applications for up to two roles globally across the company and its affiliates, with applications reviewed continuously, so early submission is encouraged.

Responsibilities

• Develop and support highly efficient online services that power the recommendation engine.
• Create dependable, high-throughput data pipelines for tasks such as candidate generation, profile generation, training data creation, and real-time online training.
• Contribute to large-scale recommendation systems used across global markets.
• Architect and implement computing frameworks and storage systems optimized for performance.
• Design, build, and improve software and specialized utility applications for computing and networking needs.
• Study user requirements and translate them into software solutions using computer science, engineering, and mathematical methods.
• Maintain and enhance existing software, and develop testing and validation processes.
• Coordinate with hardware engineers to align software and hardware systems and define technical specifications and performance targets.

Requirements

• Final-year PhD candidate or recent PhD graduate in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or another closely related technical field.
• Hands-on programming experience in at least one of the following: C, C++, Java, or Golang.
• Strong communication skills, along with a clear sense of ownership and initiative.
• Quick learner who is self-driven, adaptable, and able to solve problems creatively.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, globally distributed, and culturally diverse team environment.
• Background in e-commerce is advantageous.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas is a plus: personalized recommendation systems, search engines, machine learning, distributed storage systems, or big data frameworks.

Additional Information

Applicants may ask questions by emailing apac-earlycareers@tiktok.com.

About the Company

TikTok is a leading short-form mobile video platform with a mission to inspire creativity and bring joy. Its global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, with additional offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Why Join Us

The company emphasizes curiosity, humility, and impact in a rapidly growing technology environment. Team members are encouraged to learn continuously, innovate together, and embrace challenges with an “Always Day 1” mindset. The culture is built around collaboration, resilience, and meaningful progress for both users and the business.

Diversity & Inclusion

TikTok aims to create an inclusive workplace where people are valued for their skills, experiences, and perspectives. The organization is committed to celebrating diverse voices and building an environment that reflects the communities it serves.