Escalation Response Specialist - USDS

Why Join Us
Creation is the core of TikTok's purpose. Our platform is built to help imaginations thrive. This is doubly true of the teams that make TikTok possible.
Together, we inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we all believe in and aim towards achieving every day.
To us, every challenge, no matter how difficult, is an opportunity; to learn, to innovate, and to grow as one team. Status quo? Never. Courage? Always.
At TikTok, we create together and grow together. That's how we drive impact - for ourselves, our company, and the communities we serve.
Join us.

Team Intro
The Risk & Response Team for TikTok USDS handles risk detection, prevention and handling in the United States. The team is dedicated to maintaining a safe and secure online environment for users by actively monitoring and responding to emergent threats, ensuring compliance with legal regulations, and address real-life implications of online content.

As an Escalation Response Specialist, you will be at the forefront of addressing emergency data requests (EDRs), Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA), and other emergency disclosures involving life-and-death situations. Your responsibilities include triaging high-priority escalations, leading investigations, managing critical incidents, and executing strategic containment responses while ensuring compliance with privacy regulations.

You will be instrumental in responding to emergency escalations, promptly detecting and removing content related to various online risks and harms. Your role involves collaborating with internal and external partners, including law enforcement, product, and policy teams to ensure user safety in time-critical situations. You'll also contribute to post-mortem and root cause analyses, enhancing our strategies to mitigate the recurrence of similar incidents.

This position will be full-time and will be based in our Sydney location and will entail a Tuesday through Saturday, or Sunday through Thursday work week. It also requires participation in a 24/7 on-call schedule, which will include holiday support.

Responsibilities:
- Triage and contain high-priority escalations for the USDS Trust and Safety organization, proactively identifying and evaluating emerging risks.
- Develop and execute investigative strategies for tackling escalations, driving action items, holding partners accountable, and communicating updates in real-time.
- Investigate and assess instances of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA).
- Lead and manage high-priority escalations, ensuring compliance with U.S. user privacy regulations and protocols.
- Coordinate with internal and external partners, including law enforcement, to ensure user safety in high-priority escalations.
- Execute instant decision-making while analyzing a variety of factors that include imminence of danger, sensitivities, and graphic content.
- Report findings to senior leadership and stakeholders, initiating post-mortem and root cause analysis as necessary to mitigate the likelihood of recurrence for the same or similar incidents.
- Create and articulate written and/or verbal responses to questions from law enforcement, government agencies, and internal teams regarding Emergency Response policy, process, and escalation management.
- Handle sensitive information in compliance with Terms of Service, applicable laws, and regulations, and internal SOPs while protecting user privacy.
- Draft internal documentation, workflows, and procedures concerning safety, data disclosure, and escalation management.
- Demonstrate operational excellence on a team that evaluates risk, threats, and user privacy in the world centered around time-critical emergency escalations, including reviewing and assessing inbound emergency escalations from Law Enforcement and other teams.

Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a related field and 4 years of relevant experience in law enforcement, trust and safety, investigative, or analytical roles.
- Proven ability in crisis management, strategic response, escalations investigations, or a related field.
- Proven ability to thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments, prioritize work, and make grounded decisions in high-pressure situations
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to adapt communication style to suit different stakeholders, including cross-functional teams, leadership, and law enforcement.
- Experience in reviewing or being exposed to sensitive content that violate our community guidelines, which include but are not limited to bullying; hate speech; child abuse; sexual assault; torture; bestiality; self-harm; suicide; and murder.
- Demonstrated experience as a collaborative team player.
- Technical aptitude for learning complex tools or systems required for daily operations.

Preferred qualifications:
- Law Enforcement Response Team experience, especially in global markets.
- Specialized experience in handling Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) cases.
- Ability to pull and analyze data independently for informed decision-making.

Wellbeing Statement
Trust & Safety recognizes that keeping our platform safe for TikTok communities is no ordinary job. It can be rewarding, psychologically demanding, and emotionally taxing. This is why we are sharing the potential hazards, risks and implications in this unique line of work from the start: so our candidates are well informed before proceeding.
We are committed to the wellbeing of all our employees and promise to provide comprehensive and evidence-based programs, to promote and support physical and mental wellbeing throughout each employee's journey with us. We believe that wellbeing is a relationship and that everyone has a part to play, so we work in collaboration and consultation with our employees and across our functions in order to ensure a truly person-centred, innovative and integrated approach.

D&I Statement
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.