Machine Learning Engineer, Search Recommendation
TikTok
San Jose, CA · Posted November 13, 2026
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Pay compared with the market
This listing does not state pay. Across 60 open machine learning engineer listings that state pay, the middle half runs $174,000 to $266,000 and the median is $210,500.
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TikTok has filed one layoff notice in the last twelve months, covering 250 workers, most recently August 2026. These are public filings with state labor departments, and an open role can sit alongside them. See the filings
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About the job
About the Team: The Search Growth team is at the forefront of developing the search recommendation algorithm for TikTok's rapidly expanding global e-commerce enterprise. Utilizing cutting-edge machine learning technology, advanced NLP, CV, recommendation, and multi-modal technology, we're shaping a pioneering engine within the industry. Our objective is to deliver the ultimate e-commerce search experience to over 1 billion active TikTok users worldwide. Our mission: to create a world where "there are no hard-to-sell, overpriced products."
Responsibilities - What You'Il Do - Enhance search recommendation services and models for TikTok, driving increased search traffic on TikTok and TikTok Mall, while also improving user's search understanding. - Optimize the recommender system based on hyperscale machine learning models, covering a range of tasks from recall/first-stage ranking to final-stage ranking in the end-to-end workflow. - Explore the upper limits of short text recommendation and general recommendation technology, with a focus on the interaction between recommendation and NLP technology.
Minimum Qualifications - 3+ years of work experience in machine learning. Good product sense with a focus on user experience. - Bachelor or advanced degree in computer science or a related technical discipline. - Excellent coding skills. Solid knowledge of data structure and algorithms. - Excellent in analysis, modeling and problem-solving, and can see the essence of problems from complex data.