Machine Learning Engineer Graduate (Data-Search-Local Service) - 2026 Start (PhD)

What you gain

Join a graduate ML role focused on Data-Search-Local Services with onsite work in Seattle. The program welcomes PhD graduates for a 2026 start and offers a competitive base salary in the range of USD 148,200 to 300,960 per year, with potential discretionary bonuses and restricted stock units. From day one, you’ll have access to medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) plan with company match, paid parental leave, disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, and generous time off. The team emphasizes bold ideas, challenge-driven growth, and a culture where inspiration and impact go hand in hand.

Responsibilities

• Support the local video service business to help users discover hospitality, dining, and leisure services.
• Enhance the search experience for local services to drive ecosystem growth.
• Apply large-scale machine learning techniques in search and recommendation for billions of users to improve shopping experiences and conversion efficiency.
• Design and deploy end‑to‑end local services search algorithms across the full stack, including query analysis, relevance, recall, coarse ranking, fine ranking, and blended ranking.
• Develop personalized behavior models to inform relevance computations.
• Predict CTR and CVR to optimize user interactions and outcomes.
• Implement vector recall and value blending to improve results quality.

Requirements

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong foundation in machine learning and deep learning.
• Experience in Natural Language Processing and in personalization.
• Exceptional coding abilities with solid knowledge of data structures and algorithms.
• Proficiency with Linux development environments.
• PhD degree in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical field (completed or nearing completion).

Technologies

• Linux
• Natural Language Processing
• Deep Learning

Compensation and benefits

• Base salary range: USD 148,200 – 300,960 per year, varies by qualifications and location.
• Possible discretionary bonuses/incentives and restricted stock units as part of total compensation.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance from day one.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Paid parental leave and short-term/long-term disability coverage.
• Life insurance and wellbeing benefits.
• 10 paid holidays, 10 paid sick days, and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated at start with tenure-based accruals).

About the team

The Data-Search TikTok Local Services team concentrates on improving user discovery of hospitality, dining, and leisure experiences while driving ecosystem growth. The group uses large-scale machine learning to refine search and recommendation systems with a focus on personalized relevance, CTR/CVR prediction, and optimized conversion efficiency for billions of users. As a 2026 graduate, you’ll have opportunities to pursue bold ideas, tackle challenging problems, and grow without limits, within a culture that values curiosity and collaboration.

Onboarding and availability

Successful candidates must be able to commit to an onboarding date by the end of 2026. Please clearly state your availability and graduation date in your resume.