Backend Software Engineer - TikTok, Social Graph

Responsibilities

The Social Graph team at TikTok is at the forefront of innovation in large-scale graph computing. We design and build the core graph infrastructure that powers TikTok's social ecosystem - processing trillions of edges and billions of vertices to deliver real-time relationship insights to billions of users worldwide. Our high-performance engine enables millisecond-level multi-hop queries, dynamic cluster and community detection, and real-time graph mining-directly powering key features such as friend recommendations, live streaming, risk control, and messaging.

Here, every line of code you write will directly impact the social experience of users worldwide. Together, we will redefine how people connect globally.

As a Backend Engineer on the Social Graph team, you will:
- Design and implement high-performance data storage and management systems for trillion-scale social graph data, ensuring seamless integration and rapid iteration for mission-critical applications.
- Develop distributed graph database engines capable of handling billions of vertices and trillions of edges, enabling millisecond-level multi-hop queries and real-time graph reasoning.
- Build a real-time graph mining platform to extract social relationships, patterns, clusters, and communities, fueling product strategies and personalized recommendations.
- Lead the integration of the Social Graph with core systems (e.g., recommendation, search, risk control) to support social interactions, live-streaming, and various TikTok business use cases.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or a related technical discipline
- Experienced in building backend services for large-scale consumer-facing applications
- Proficient in at least one of the following languages: Go, Java, C++, Python
- Deep understanding of computer architectures, data structures, and algorithms
- Strong communication and teamwork skills

Job Information

[For Pay Transparency] Compensation Description (annually)

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $118658 - $168150 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.